When Bad things happen to Good Binoculars

For every broken binocular there’s a story - hopefully a good one! I remember during one field trip, when the jaeger watching was exceptional, the weather was just awful - high winds and rain for two straight days. Unfortunately, my Swarovski 8×30 SLC succumbed to the harsh elements and fogged internally. Though binoculars are as durable as they’ve ever been and are by no means fragile, accidents can happen. In this article, I thought I would take a moment to describe five things that sometimes go wrong with binoculars.

Collimation (alignment)

Collimation refers to the alignment of the optical elements of the binocular to the mechanical axis. Whether from improper collimation at the factory, or if the binocular is dropped, poor alignment is by far the most commonly reported problem with binoculars. When viewing through a binocular that is out of alignment, people report “seeing double.” Fortunately, this problem can be easily repaired by sending your binocular in for service.

Internal Fogging

Binoculars that are waterproof and fogproof are gas purged (filled) with nitrogen or argon. If the O-ring seal that keeps the gas inside becomes compromised from an accident, the binocular becomes susceptible to moisture contamination. This is often reported as a cloudy area on the inside of the objective lens or eyepiece. When viewing through an internally fogged binocular, you’ll see a blurry image and significant loss of contrast.

Broken Eyecup(s)

Due to their physical location, the ocular (eyecup) assembly is one of the most susceptible binocular components to become damaged. Most eyepieces today are the twist-up/twist-down style, thus comprised of moving parts. Should the eyepiece take a hit, the eyecup or the entire assembly can break. Because many eyepiece components have a very fine thread, the solution isn’t always a matter of replacing the damaged part. Binoculars with a broken eyecup should be returned to the manufacturer for repair.

Scratched Optics

No matter how carefully you treat your binocular, the glass or coatings may eventually show subtle signs of damage. Fortunately, it takes a severe scratch in optics to impede their performance, so in the majority of cases, such scratches can simply be ignored. Sometimes what appears to be a scratch on a lens is merely a dry water mark that can be cleaned off with a moist lens cloth or tissue.

Broken Strap Attachement

Many binoculars have metal or plastic strap eyelets to thread or attach the strap through. If you connect a harness strap using a metal ring directly to the eyelet, over time the eyelet will wear down and break. To prevent this, you should use the plastic zip ties included with most harness straps. An eyelet can also break if the binocular strap catches on something during an accident. Repairing the eyelets must be done by the manufacturer.

As a rule, you should return a broken binocular to its manufacturer and not necessarily where you purchased them from. If you have an old binocular that needs repair but the manufacturer is no longer in business, Herb Koehler of Libertyville, IL has been repairing binoculars for over 50 years:

KOEHLER-OPTICS
630 E. Rockland Road
Libertyville, IL 60048
847-362-7757

If you have questions about where to send a binocular for repair, please feel free to call Eagle Optics at (800) 289-1132.

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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Demystifying Spotting Scopes

Perhaps you’ve looked at a bird through a spotting scope during a field trip and were completely awed by the intimacy of the experience. When it comes to observing a bird, nothing personalizes the experience better than the view through a scope. Intricate feather detail is revealed as a bird raises its crest, preens, or gobbles down a caterpillar. Maybe you’ve witnessed the stoic glare of a Great Horned Owl’s huge irises looking back at you. Spotting scopes also offer the birder the opportunity to watch birds that are often unidentifiable because they’re far away on a body of water like a large lake or ocean. These are some of the offerings that await the birder who hasn’t yet acquired their own spotting scope. For some, there’s a perception that spotting scopes are just plain difficult to use.

Binoculars versus Spotting Scopes

A fundamental difference between a binocular and spotting scope is that you actually wear your binocular and it feels intuitively like an extension of your vision. On the other hand, a spotting scope is discernibly extra. It’s separate, less portable, and because you have to carry it around, your hands aren’t always free to use your binocular. Because spotting scopes offer higher magnification than binoculars, they naturally have a narrower field of view. While this makes aiming and following a subject inherently more difficult, veteran birders say that with practice one can become very adept locating even warblers through a spotting scope. All of the above points will affect your style of birding.

As someone who has been selling spotting scopes for a decade, I occasionally sense first-time scope buyers have a perception that spotting scopes are also more mechanically complex than a binocular. A quick way to dispel this notion is to keep in mind that a spotting scope is essentially just half of a binocular! By examining what’s inside the barrel of a binocular and spotting scope, you can see the same components: There’s an objective lens that gathers light, a prism block, and an eyepiece where the image is brought into focus.

Angled versus Straight

Spotting scopes are usually available in two body styles, straight and angled. This just means how the eyepiece mounts or is fixed to the body of the spotting scope. A straight scope’s eyepiece is merely an extension of the body, while an angled scope’s eyepiece is fixed or installed at a 45 degree angle from the body. Though the majority of spotting scope buyers go with the angled format, the advantages and disadvantages of both types is worth mentioning. The main advantage of the angled design is that it works best when the scope is being shared with a group of people - the tripod center post doesn’t need to be raised or lowered according to the height of the person viewing through it. This advantage is obvious when viewing wildlife, because the subject you’re viewing generally has to be reacquired with each tripod center post adjustment. Another advantage to the angled design is that the scope doesn’t have to be elevated as high on the tripod center post to reach a comfortable viewing height, thus providing greater stability.

Aperture Size versus Portability

The objective lens size represents the aperture of the spotting scope and serves the function of gathering light. Smaller aperture spotting scopes (60mm, 65mm, etc.) are made for a good reason; they’re smaller and lighter in weight. Lugging around a large spotting scope (80mm, 85mm, etc.) and tripod can become burdensome on long hikes, and the nominally lighter weight scopes do seem to make a difference for individuals who suffer from neck or back trouble. As I stated above, larger aperture spotting scopes gather more light, thus they perform better in low light and render greater detail at distances compared to their smaller aperture cousins. Additionally, if you intend to do photography through your spotting scope, the larger aperture scopes will generally provide better results. This is the essential compromise when it comes to aperture - portability versus light gathering. Thus, your decision rests on priority: are you going to place an emphasis on photography, or would carrying a lighter weight spotting scope benefit your outdoor excursions?

Conclusion

Owning a spotting scope doesn’t obligate you to take it out every time you go birding. When I anticipate increased songbird activity during spring migration, sometimes I’ll leave my spotting scope at home and simply enjoy birding with my binoculars. But if the lighting is remarkably good, perhaps I’ll consider the possibility of doing a little digiscoping that particular morning. When observing gulls or shorebirds, a spotting scope is invaluable for making accurate identifications. There’s also nothing like the participant’s smiles during a field trip when I aim my spotting scope on an owl’s face! It’s ultimately up to you, but now you know a few of the trade-offs to make a more informed decision before purchasing a spotting scope.

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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Congratulations Class of 2009 Whoopers!

Operation Migration and the Class of 2009 Whooping Cranes have completed another arduous journey from Wisconsin to Florida! This is the second time since the tragic loss of the 2006 class to a severe storm that young whoopers were split into two groups, thus lessening the impact of a possible mortality event on a single group of birds. The two wintering locations for the cranes are St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.

Not all of the eastern North American population of Whooping Cranes have been led via Operation Migration’s fleet of ultralite aircraft. In the fall of 2009, nine cranes were reared in captivity and released with older cranes who will “teach” them the migration route. This effort is called “Direct Autumn Release” (DAR) and serves as a complement to the ultralite trained group by reintroducing a larger number of cranes each season to the eastern population.

In 1941 Whooping Cranes were near the brink of extinction with only 16 individuals remaining in the wild. Today, almost 70 years later, there are close to 400 of these majestic birds flying free on account of amazing and heroic conservation efforts. While around 85 of them are members of the eastern group, over 200 whoopers nest at the Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and winter at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

If you would like to help the Whooping Cranes, please visit Operation Migration or the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP) on the web for further information!

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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This is Shrike Country

Shrike country is open country. Shrike country has peripheral perches, scrubby habitat, and lots of prey items. For as long as I’ve been visiting Pheasant Branch Conservancy, a Northern Shrike has claimed its snowy prairies throughout the winter months. Occasionally there’s been more than one shrike. Even though I’ve observed a shrike there just once so far this winter, I enjoy the thought that it’s there, perhaps perched atop a skinny branch protruding from the dogwood or willow thickets, intensely surveying its territory. I can also picture it hovering over the field and calling as it searches for a meal.

I know it isn’t the same shrike that’s been visiting, because there’s been a mix of adults and juveniles over the years. But I think this speaks to the suitability of this particular habitat for shrikes. If there have been repeat visits by a particular bird, its sort of fun to imagine the prairie belonging to it. (Or do shrikes belong to the prairie?) I’m unsure what the lifespan is for these sojourners from the north, but I would assume it’s longer than your typical songbird.

Hark - hark - from out the thickest fog
Warbles with might and main
The fearless shrike, as all agog
To find in fog his gain.

Hi steady sail he never furls
At any time o’year,
And perched now on winter’s curls,
He whistles in his ear.

- Henry David Thoreau

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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Vortex Razor 20-60×85 HD!


Vortex Razor 20-60×85 HD

I recently spent a few hours evaluating the Vortex Razor 20-60×85 HD spotting scope alongside some of its market rivals. Considering the comparatively friendly price of the Vortex Razor scope at $1,599.00, I was curious how it would stack up against my personal favorite high-end spotting scopes. Under overcast lighting, I compared it with a Swarovski 80 HD, Zeiss 85, Kowa 88 Prominar, and Leica 82 APO on a resolution chart placed at 100 yards.

To my critical eye, the Kowa Prominar and Swarovski HD offer marginally better detail at 60x, viewing a resolution chart at 100 yards. Compared to the other scopes, the Zeiss 85 exhibits a distracting warm colorcast, with whites tinged yellow. The Leica and the Kowa beat everything else in terms of brightness under low light. All but the Zeiss 85 has excellent edge-to-edge sharpness. These were the obvious differences in optical performance that most scope observers should be able to discern.

For an 85mm aperture scope, the Vortex Razor HD is very compact. At 65.7 ounces, it may feel a little heavy when holding it in your hands, but it’s well-balanced when mounted on a tripod. The Leica APO 82 is the heaviest at 68.16 ounces. Like many other scopes on today’s market, another ergonomic features is the dual coarse and fine focusing system.


Vortex Razor Digiscoping Adapter


Vortex Razor digiscoping setup

Of particular interest to me was the Razor’s digiscoping adapter (sold separately). Like the extremely popular Digital Camera Adapters made by Swarovski and Kowa, the Razor DCA is thread-based and includes adapter rings in these sizes: 30mm, 37mm, 43mm, 52mm, 55mm, and 58mm. This adapter will support the best point-and-shoot digital cameras for digiscoping as well as a DSLR coupled to the spotting scope’s eyepiece.

The top feather was digiscoped with a Swarovski 80 HD and the bottom through a Vortex Razor HD. I can tell the top image is a little sharper in some detail areas, but admit they’re pretty close. Again, when considering the price difference by performance, the Vortex Razor HD is a very attractive option even for digiscoping. So, if you’re in the market for a new spotting scope but want to keep the price tag under $2,000.00, there’s nothing out there that’ll beat the Razor HD in its price class. At the same time, you’ll enjoy optical performance that’s right up there with the top scopes!

Strengths:

  • Optical views comparable to rival high-end scopes at a fraction of the cost.
  • Vortex HD System: XR coatings, XD Objective lens elements, XT Optical Design.
  • Digiscoping Friendly!
  • Eyepiece included!
  • Waterproof & Fogproof (Argon gas purged).
  • Dual (fine and coarse) focusing system.
  • Unconditional Warranty.

Weaknesses:

  • A bit heavy at 65.7 ounces.
  • At present, only available in an angled body format.

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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Posted in Birding, Blog, Bushnell, Digiscoping, Spotting Scopes, Vortex | 1 Comment »

Best $200 Binocular!

Apart from its lack of name recognition, the Atlas Optics Sky King 8×42 at $199.99 is one of the best binocular deals on the market right now. Its optical quality compares very favorably, and sometimes exceeds, binoculars that cost nearly twice the price. When I bought my 8×42 EO Rangers nearly ten years ago, I would have loved to have had the Sky King as an available option. A view through the Sky King makes it obvious that improvements in optical engineering and technology have come a long way since that time. Compared to other binoculars in its price class, the Sky King topped out on features like contrast, edge-to-edge sharpness, and center resolution. Other specifications, like Eye Relief (17mm), Close Focus (6 feet), and a Field of View of 365 feet at 1,000 yards are well within the ranges that qualify it as a winner. The Sky King’s only negative characteristic is its 26.7-ounce weight, but this is still lighter than a typical high-end binocular.

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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Posted in Atlas Optics, Binoculars, Birding, Eagle Optics | 1 Comment »

New Store Bird!

We recorded our 71st bird species at Eagle Optics on Monday, a Red-bellied Woodpecker!  OK, so it’s not that uncommon of a bird and I’m surprised it took one this long to find our feeders. During the winter months, our parking lot is filled with Dark-eyed Juncos and House Sparrows. By May, Chipping Sparrows are the most numerous birds coming to our feeders. Considering we’re in a business park, I think we’ve been pretty fortunate to spot some pretty interesting birds over the years, including Peregrine Falcon, Scarlet Tanager, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Northern Shrike.  You never know what’s going to show up!

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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The Christmas Bird Count

Most people in the birding community have heard of the Christmas Bird Counts (aka CBC), but many probably aren’t aware how this annual tradition started.  Frank Chapman, a founder of the National Audubon Society and Curator of Birds at the American Museum of Natural History, began the CBC as a way to draw attention to the plight of birds before they were federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

Chapman, an avid hunter, was repulsed by Christmas “Match Hunts” where teams of marksmen would fan out across fields and woodlands, shooting and killing any wild animal.  Sadly, due to their commonness, birds took the brunt of the slaughter.  Whichever team had amassed the largest pile of game by the end of the day was declared the winner.  Chapman reasoned, why not create an event that combines  conservation with a competitive spirit without killing and senseless waste?  Chapman pitched his idea to like-minded friends and the CBC was born.

The first CBC was held on December 25th, 1900 and tallied 18,500 individual birds by 27 participants.  Today, sponsored by the National Audubon Society in cooperation with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the event has become the most popular and comprehensive wildlife census of any kind with over 50,000 birders tallying over 100 million individual birds. CBC census data, which is systemically collected in circles and regions that don’t overlap, has helped to illuminate ornithological patterns, such as the cyclical nature of winter finch invasions, population densities and ranges of winter bird populations, and more.

CBCs are generally organized by Audubon chapters and other birding or conservation organizations.  Each individual count is performed in a count circle with a diameter of 15 miles.  Several volunteers, including a compiler to manage logistics, count in each circle. They generally break up into small parties and follow regular assigned routes, identifying and counting every bird they see. Anyone can participate in a CBC.  Each citizen scientists who braves snow, wind, or rain makes an important contribution to bird conservation. To learn more about participating in a CBC near you, visit Audubon.org at the link below.

Link:  All About the Christmas Bird Count

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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Aperture and Digiscoping

Though digiscoping has opened the doors of nature photography to thousands of birders and other outdoor enthusiasts, it’s still not a silver bullet when it comes to obtaining good results. However, I do feel it’s a compliment to digiscoping whenever it is compared, albeit somewhat skeptically and critically, to high-end super-telephoto setups that cost thousands of dollars more. A common question is what effect will a smaller aperture scope have versus a large one when it comes to digiscoping.

Due to a typically large focal ratio (between aperture and focal length), spotting scopes are inherently optically slow even before you attach a camera. Light gathering is crucial when digiscoping. A small aperture spotting scope lets in less light, which directly results in slower shutter speeds, so if you’re unable to achieve a shutter speed of at least 1/125th of a second, it will be very difficult to freeze subtle movements of even a perched bird. Low shutter speeds often result in blurry images, one of the most common pitfalls facing both novice and seasoned digiscopers.

Less light being gathered also means a slight decrease in resolution, color, and contrast. Some of this can be fixed by post-processing your work with image editing software and tweaking things like contrast levels, brightness, and sharpness. While I’ve seen exceptional results taken with several of the high-end APO, HD, and ED 60mm to 66mm spotting scopes, I personally recommend 80 millimeters or greater for the best possible digiscoping results.

Smaller aperture spotting scopes exist for a good reason; they’re smaller and lighter in weight. Lugging around a large spotting scope and tripod can become burdensome on long hikes, and the relatively nominal lighter weight scopes do seem to make a difference for many individuals, especially those with neck or back problems. It essentially comes down to a question of priorities: are you going to place an emphasis on photography, or would carrying a lighter weight spotting scope benefit your outdoor excursions? It’s ultimately up to you, but now you know what the tradeoffs are to make a more informed decision before purchasing a scope.

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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Birds and Citizen Science

Birdwatching is generally enjoyed as an aesthetic pastime with nature‘s bountiful and beautiful feathered creatures. However, there are many ways your ornithological observations can contribute to real science. A sighting of a bird or birds at a particular location and habitat type can be considered to be a veritable piece of data, a small piece of a much larger story. A single list of bird species may not represent a critical contribution to science, but if enough birdwatchers share their personal sightings with professional ornithologists, the accumulation of data may help to provide valuable and interesting clues to bird breeding and migratory behavior.

The Internet has made sharing your bird data easier than ever before. There are both short-term and long-term projects and efforts you can actively participate in. In some cases, you can merely glimpse at the online data for your own curiosity. Who can participate? Anyone who watches birds, from backyards to city streets to remote forests, can help researchers better understand birds and their habits. In some cases there is a nominal charge for materials to get started, but others are totally free; your time is your only expendture.

Project FeederWatch

Operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies of Canada, Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broad scale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Anyone with an interest in birds can participate in Feeder Watch. Past participants include people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs. There is a $15.00 sign-up fee for participation.

More:  http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/

Project NestWatch

NetstWatch is a nest monitoring project developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in collaboration with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and funded by the National Science Foundation. As the name of this project indicates, this effort is all about collecting data and observations on nesting birds; nest site location, habitat, species, and number of eggs, young, and fledglings.

More: http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nest/

Great Backyard Bird Count

For those desiring less of a time commitment for citizen science, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society have organized an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are across the continent. All are welcome to participate whether you’re a beginner or expert bird watcher. Time commitment ranges from 15 minutes on one day, or you can count birds for as long as you like each of the four days. It’s fun, free, easy, and helps birds!

More:  http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

eBird

A real-time, online checklist program, eBird has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports and accesses information about birds. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.

In just a few years, eBird has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports bird observations and data about birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society teamed together in 2002 to provide one of the fastest growing data resources for professional and amateur ornithologists for accessing information on migration, ranges, abundance, trends, and breeding. As the eBird database and network continues to grow, it will help scientists better answer questions about bird distribution and conservation efforts to help protect their habitats.

There’s no fee to use eBird, but you must sign-up with a userid and password. Once you’re logged in, you can begin setting up your observation locations. It’s even encouraged to enter any hardcopy lists you have from years past!

More:  http://ebird.org/

State Ornithological Records

Rare and vagrant birds that visit your backyard or are observed at a natural area are usually worth reporting. Many state ornithological societies keep records of early and late records by species, as well as unique species that have low frequency or have never been reported in your state before. Such societies generally have a records committee who will critique your observation with a pretty rigid level of scrutiny; therefore it’s necessary to write detailed notes (or take photos if possible) of the bird you observed. Don’t be dismayed if the record’s committee doesn’t accept a rare bird report you submitted. Sometimes even advanced birders don’t quite make a good enough case to be convincing of an unusual bird sighting. With continued experience in the field, and practice with honing your documentation skills, you’re likely to gain a local reputation for being a birder who stumbles upon rarities.

Conclusion

These are some of the ways that any birdwatcher, as a citizen scientist, can make valuable contributions to the science of ornithology. There is still much we don’t completely understand about bird migration. The contribution of citizen science is an invaluable effort to help uncover some of those mysteries.

Mike McDowell
Eagle Optics Staff

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