As soon as Ozzie and I left the house, we could hear Canada Geese. Making our way from under tree cover, we could see numerous V’s of the birds cruising over the open lowlands surrounding the Crawfish River. For an older golden retriever, Ozzie showed a youthful eagerness, pulling at the leash as [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Wildlife Viewing’
Binoculars for Beginning Birders
What is a birder’s best friend? Their binocular, of course! Whether you’re a beginning birder or a seasoned expert, your binocular is the crucial tool needed to bring in the details of birds for closer inspection. Since part of the fun of birding is to study and identify birds, a high-quality binocular [...]
A Family’s Eagle Quest
I recently delighted in an encounter with a family–a mother and her two children who had taken a keen interest in birding. The woman brought her kids into the store, a boy and a girl, both under 10 years of age. The siblings had a day off from their northern Illinois school and [...]
Manfrotto Tripod Legs: 190 or 055 Series?
At Eagle Optics, when we help someone choose the best tripod for their use, we take these customer variables into account:
1. Height of tripod users
2. Budget
3. Scope body style (Straight or angled spotting scope)
In the Manfrotto line, for example, people often wonder whether to choose from the 055 series or the less expensive 190 series.
First, [...]
How much magnification do I need?
First, it’s good to think about the ways in which you’ll be using your binoculars. Do you need more detail at theater and sporting events, birdwatching, wildlife viewing, or hunting? Will you use your binoculars to view things close up or far away? Will you be able to prop your arms on [...]
Out for the Count
On December 26, I once again participated in my area Christmas Bird Count (CBC). For years, it had been a tradition for me and my mom on the Sunday before the new year. The two of us, often accompanied by my dad, daughter Callie, or another friend, would load into the car, well equipped [...]
The Well-Traveled (Celebrity) Sparrow
There has been a lot of excitement around the Eagle Optics store since a little celebrity showed up 8 days ago. The Golden-Crowned Sparrow visiting the feeding station outside the store’s front window normally winters in the Pacific Northwest, and is a seldom-seen visitor in this part of the country. How seldom? [...]
New Field Guide!
This month Don & Lillian Stokes will release The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America. With 3400 photographs covering 854 species, it will be one of the most comprehensive and informational field guides available to birders. In fact, it’s the first North American guide to cover all subspecies. Thumbing through an advance [...]
Otter Delight
So there I was, paddling my kayak around a mist-covered lake in northern Wisconsin one recent morning, thinking about times in my life when I’ve been grateful to have my trusty binoculars close at hand. (I couldn’t remember any time when I’ve regretted bringing binoculars along; but there have been occasions that I cursed [...]
