When planning an outdoor adventure, we concern ourselves with variables: timing, destination, equipment, and everything in between. We scour the weather forecast. Make a checklist. Add this sweet Swarovski travel tripod kit to your list’s optics column, and there will be one less uncertainty; one less worry.
This tripod kit could easily be [...]
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Swarovski CT Travel Carbon Tripod with DH 101 Head
Monoculars: The Take-Anywhere Optic
Sometimes smaller is better. If you have ever wished for a closer view when binoculars aren’t handy or convenient, a monocular may be just the thing. A monocular is an optical instrument which is technically 1/2 of a binocular. It can be thought of as a low-powered miniature spotting scope, since it is designed to be [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Swarovski EL 42 “Swarovision”
Swarovski Optik recently announced their new Swarovski EL 42 Swarovision, a binocular that will deliver “ maximum peripheral definition, maximum contrast, and maximum color fidelity.” Isn’t it funny how every time a new high-end binocular comes to market, the superlatives used in describing its optical performance are presented as unbeatable? If the new EL [...]
Digiscoping Tech Group!
Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a resource where the latest digital cameras are field tested and discussed by expert digiscopers from around the world? Look no further than Yahoo’s digiscopingbirds tech group! It’s a great place to obtain accurate information on digiscoping adapters, accessory adapters, camera reviews, and obtain answers to all [...]
Parallax
Some people report they’re unable to bring the “two circles of light” together when using binoculars that have a short close focus (3 to 5 feet). Actually, this happens to everyone but some people are more sensitive to it than others. The optical phenomenon they’re observing is called parallax and is perfectly normal [...]
Barred Owl eating a Mourning Dove
Early on 9/7/09 at Pheasant Branch Conservancy (WI), my birding group happened upon a Barred Owl that was finishing off a Mourning Dove. We were able to identify the food item when it consumed one of the wings (not on the video, unfortunately). Nevertheless, a very cool observation! The video was captured via my Nikon [...]
