quick comparison

In the comments section of my last post I was asked why I prefer digiscoping. The crux of my explanation was that I'm a birder first and photographer second, but I also alluded to the differences between the two set ups particularly as it relates to magnification.

The image of the Red-headed Woodpecker above was digiscoped through the Leica APO Televid 82 mm spotting scope with the D-Lux 4 camera at the equivalent of near 1800 mm lens. (ISO 100, 1/160th sec, f/2.8, +0.3 stop)

This is the same image with a bit of photoshop magic applied. I've assumed 400 mm is the most common length lens for bird photography, with a 1.5x crop factor on the DSLR body. What this means in lay terms is that the sensor in many common DSLR bodies is smaller than a 35 mm film frame so the subsequent captured image is magnified a bit to reach the size of a 35 mm film frame. The net effect is that a camera lens that is rated as a 400 mm on a film body, will offer 1.5x the magnification, or the subsequent subject size will be comparable to that of a 600 mm lens shot on 35 mm film.

At any rate, 600 mm is 1/3 rd the size of my 1800 mm so in the image above I've reduced the size of the original image to 1/3rd the size of the original. Then utilizing cut & paste techniques filled in to create a uniform sky and extended the pole to offer a the illusion of an accurate comparison of subject size difference between my image and that of someone shooting with a 400 mm lens right next to me.

I took my image of the bird from across the road on top of a phone pole. The DSLR photographer could naturally move closer, but the perspective would change dramatically and the subsequent image would be staring straight up the bird's back or side to accomodate a closer distance.

Wilson's Plover digiscoped w/ Leica APO Televid 77 & C-Lux 2 camera

The image above was taken 2 years ago on the "beach photo safari" at the Florida Bird & FotoFest in St. Augustine, FL. The walk is designed for long lens photogs to get images of gulls, terns, and shorebirds in late evening light. They are driven out to a distant point of a barrier island where these birds concentrate. When they arrive, they target a specific bird or group of birds, then drop to their bellies and slowly crawl across the sand toward their subjects.

I went along to bird and see what was out there as this point would normally require a VERY long trudge through sand taking a couple hours. As the happy photogs were slowly inching toward their subjects I happily snapped a few shots from the truck over their heads not even bothering to crouch let alone belly crawl.

Then I continued birding recording over 30 species of birds including other gems like Snowy Plover, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Northern Gannet, Red Knot, and 6 species of terns. I was the only one in the group carrying binoculars let alone a scope. About an hour later one happy photog returned to the truck wet and cold, and proudly showed me his best image. He didn't know what it was but was thrilled with the result he'd gotten and asked me what it was. I explained it was a Wilson's Plover and pulled my point & shoot out of my pocket and showed him near the exact image as seen above. So in this instance at least it seemed that digiscoping produced near the same exact result with much less effort with a lot of time left over to appreciate the many bird species out there.

Granted, if a Peregrine had winged up the beach, I would not have gotten an image likely by digiscoping, but I'd still have enjoyed the view of the mighty bird streaking past. If one of the beach bound photographers had even noticed the bird going by and knelt or stood up they might have gotten the image, but would still not have the appreciation for the powerful flight with wingtips arcing smoothly up and then rolling downward like a wave while peering through their small viewfinders.

As I said at the outset, it's just a matter of preference and perspective and under varying conditions each style of photography will outperform the other. If you are more likely to tuck the binoculars away and do without a scope, and are willing to creep or sneak in on birds to get within 20-30', then the DSLR with telephoto is likely the way for you. For me though, I prefer to simply setup the scope, mount the camera and take the shot to not miss too much of the wildlife activities around me.

Alabama & odd sightings

adult Red-headed Woodpecker digiscoped @ Fairhope, AL 10/2009

I recently returned from Fairhope, Alabama where I attended the Alabama Coastal Birdfest. The event was great fun even though a backlog of work kept me from enjoying many of the field aspects here. None-the-less, even with extremely limited field time I managed to find things to enjoy! Red-headed Woodpeckers are always a treat to observe and these birds seemed particularly abundant in and around the town of Fairhope. The bird digiscoped above was found on Saturday evening just a block south of the college where we displayed!

Brown-headed Nuthatch digiscoped Fairhope, AL 10/2009

Brown-headed Nuthatches also seemed quite commonplace and it seemed I heard their "rubber ducky-esque" calls any time I was near conifers in and around Fairhope. Of course seeing them on the trunk of a pine is not unusual but seeing one on a power line is!

Brown-headed Nuthatch digiscoped through Leica APO Televid 82 with D-Lux 4 camera

The nuthatch digiscoped on a low power line above (at least in my experience) was the first odd sighting I enjoyed and was able to get an image of. I was muttering under my breath, "Stay.. stay.. stay.." as I quickly set my scope up and slid the camera on to capture proof of the event.

dramatic skies at sunset Fairhope, Alabama 10/10/09

Being my first visit to the area, I used the last bit of fading light on Saturday to explore. I pointed my vehicle west knowing eventually I would find Mobile Bay and maybe a bird or two. Not surprisingly I saw Red-headed Woodpeckers and Brown-headed Nuthatches along the waterfront in the hillside pines here, but I was too late to see or hear much. I turned my attention to the dramatic sunset instead.

digiscoped sunset, Fairhope, Alabama 10/10/09

As the sun sank below the horizon I was hoping for a green flash or similar when I had yet another unusual sighting.

Canada Goose wrapped in reflected sunlight

The brilliant reddish-orange sunlight reflected off the water and framed Canada Geese sitting at the shore in a cool brilliant halo or aura. Unfortunately, I was not able to capture this as vividly as it appeared to my eye, perhaps due to the scope coatings designed to control stray or reflected light?!?... I don't know, but it was still neat to see and I couldn't ever remember seeing this effect so vividly.

Eastern Phoebe digiscoped with Leica APO Televid 82, Fairhope, AL 10/11/09

On Sunday evening, I was making my way toward the Mobile airport enjoying the numerous migrants that had come in on the NW winds. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Indigo Buntings were calling everywhere. I watched a tired Eastern Meadowlark and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo drop into the small waterfront park near lunch.

I decided I had time for one last stop on my way to the airport near 3 PM so pulled into the 5 Rivers Nature Center on the causeway back to Mobile. Eastern Phoebes and Bluebirds were en force here. I found my first Golden-crowned Kinglet of the fall and saw 2 different Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers here.

Eastern Phoebe, 5 Rivers Nature Center, AL 10/11/09

I'd been enjoying great photo ops all day and had been lucky/quick enough to capture 2 odd sightings in a row. I should have known my luck would soon change. After digiscoping yet another Eastern Phoebe and a male Pine Warbler, I laid my scope across the back seat and my trusty point & shoot on the passenger side floor. I continued down the main park road passing the canoe & kayak launch, viewing Northern Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers teed up at roadside, eventually reaching the proverbial "end of the road".

It was near 4 PM and the road ahead went from pavement to gravel/shell and the sign here instructed that this was accessible by employees only. As I prepared to turn around I looked out the driver's side window. A bird perched on a low fence near 40 feet away, lifted off and flew directly away up a small slope. The lighting was perfect and I noted a pale gray back and contrastingly dark tail that was splayed out and slightly notched. The bird hung and wind hovered for a bit before dropping to the ground. The shape, and color pattern struck a familiar chord and I knew that bird wouldn't be likely here so I quickly glassed it.

I noted the relatively uniform light gray head and upper back, before it lifted off and flew directly back to perch on the short fence. My initial suspicions were confirmed as I saw the unmistakable peachy underparts of a Say's Phoebe! It was so close, I was certain it would spook if I stepped out. Instead, I turned and detached my scope from the tripod in the back seat and was beginning to attach it to the car window mount when my luck ran out. The bird lifted off and paralleled the river here. With a strong wind to its back, the bird quickly drifted further and further away... 100... 200 yards then it swept across a side channel and dropped out of sight behind a large white house.

It appeared the bird had landed but my view was blocked by the taller stream side vegetation here. I spent the next few minutes looking for lingering birders but only dog walkers and folks coming in for an evening meeting of sorts.... not a binocular in sight. I tried calling the few birder's numbers I had, leaving message after message but it was time to go. I reluctantly loaded up and headed back under the tunnel to catch my flight. A good bird seen but unfortunately not confirmed.

Worse yet I had been unable to share this rarity with any locals and with light fading and no one contacted it was unlikely anyone would even get a chance to find it until the following morning. It was neat seeing a bird like this far out of its normal range, but I'd seen Say's on both of last two trips to Monterey & Colorado respectively. I know from past experience what an exciting experience seeing this bird would have been to most in the local community.

C'est la vie! You win some, you lose some. The score this time was Birds 1, Birder zero. Still win or lose, I always enjoy playing the game and had a wonderful day on the shores of Mobile Bay!

Colorado digiscoping

Bill Schmoker @ Littleton, CO digiscoping seminar

Had a great time at the recent Colorado digiscoping seminar held in Littleton, CO. The hosts and guests were great, we had wonderful dealer support... Unfortunately, the weather was less than great. On the night prior to the event, the first winter storm rolled in and temps in the teens turned rain to snow! Too cold for this FL boy. Fortunately, the Littleton, CO crowd is a tough lot and many showed to learn a bit about digiscoping.

female American Kestrel, digiscoped during seminar w/ Leica APO Televid scope

After a classroom session, we made our way out toward duck blinds where participants practiced on the many Wigeon and other waterfowl that were obscured in the fog-covered water. The overcast gray hung with us all day making the images further dull unfortunately, but I think most got the idea of how the basics work and should be able to get better images when the sun returned.

immature Black-crowned Night-Heron digiscoped October 2009

The female American Kestrel at top was sitting on a wire just behind the nature center upon returning from the duck blind. A cold, young Black-crowned Night-Heron sat along a stream edge in the image above. This was taken during the second (cooler) afternoon walk after the wind had picked up making digiscoping even less enjoyable. The organizers did a great job with every aspect of the event, but I guess the weather was out of their control! :)

Black-billed Magpie digiscoped @ road-edge, Littleton, CO 10/2009

The following morning was still cold and gray but I managed to enjoy some of the local bird species just outside the hotel. Black-billed Magpies were very abundant and it was nice to be able to study plumage variation in Lesser Goldfinch as above. All that I saw in CO, appeared consistently different than those along the California coast from weeks earlier. I may have to look into some of the known subspecific variations.

Lesser Goldfinch digiscoped with Leica APO Televid & D-Lux 4 camera

Day (and night) of the Goliaths!

male Goliath Beetle, Trinidad, 7/23/09

On one of our days in Trinidad the highlights fell not on birds, and the emphasis wasn't on digiscoping either... GASP! No on this day there was a unique treat in store, this was the day of the Goliaths!... (and an early birthday celebration).

female Goliath Beetle nearly filling my palm, Trinidad, 7/23/09

The morning started with some birding that was really great, but I won't dwell on that for now. Instead I'll talk about a personal treat, running into Goliath Beetles. The male at top (while cool looking) was unfortunately dead, but still photogenic I might add. The girl below though was an alive one I found on a chain link fence that I had to share with my friends.

positively prehistoric!

Below, Kim Kaufman finds the answer to one of nature's mysteries, "I wonder what would happen if I tried to get a picture of a Goliath Beetle on my shirt?!?..." also proving this was very much an alive Goliath Beetle. Sorry Kim, you didn't deserve it, but glad she waited to get off my hand! Perhaps it was something you said?!?.... ;p

Kim Kaufman displays her badge of honor left from the cool Goliath Beetle!

From the title you realize this adventure stretches into the night! One HUGE advantage of a summer visit to Trinidad over the typical fall & winter trips is the wondrous natural spectacle that occurs nightly on the beaches of Matura! Following our typical fabulous lunch and some mid afternoon veranda time back at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, we packed our evening picnic gear (complete with early birthday cake) and headed to the beaches. We enjoyed a hot picnic dinner prepared by the centre staff complete (naturally) with famed rum punch as the sun went down and soon the fun began.

Juie Zickefoose studies a young Leatherback Sea Turtle

We were treated to a spectacle that is rarely observed by most of us and indeed none in this group of esteemed world travelers had ever enjoyed this spectacle of nature before. Above Julie studies one of these diminutive creatures barely larger than the Goliath Beetle, as only an artist could!

the "Thopso-foose" couple in awe of these amazing creatures!

Of course it wasn't long before the curiosity just leads to pure joy that any naturalist would be sure to feel at a time like this. I think the faces say more than my words possibly could. Above Bill Thompson, III & Julie Zickefoose are clearly thankful to be able to assist in the research taking place. Below Kenn & Kim Kaufman are equally blown away!

Kenn & Kaufman study a rare close-up look of Leatherback Turtle hatchlings.

Despite the impression given by the photos, most of the time the beach is kept completely dark except for one or two dim red lights used by researchers. There are often many researchers and visiting guests on the beaches so young turtle hatchlings like these are sometimes collected and hand-delivered to the ocean so they are not accidentally trodden on. Guests donations and permit fees help to fund the project here and since its inception, the community has rallied behind the world class spectacle here. With the community support turtle nest poaching (once common) is now a thing of the past! Another example of how tourism has actually aided in preservation/conservation.

Julie takes advantage of a rare opportunity in nature!

Now these tiny swimmers hardly seem worthy of the title "Goliath" however, if they are one of the very few to beat the odds and live long enough to return to this beach to breed they will indeed be giants. The largest of the Sea Turtles, Leatherbacks typically reach over 1,000 pounds! On this night we were fortunate enough to not only see hatchings but we had multiple adults on the beach as well. At first we had two together, one did a "false crawl" where it came out of the water and did a short loop then returned not finding the precise spot it wanted. The second began digging but the sand in this spot was too soft and the sides kept collapsing. As I said, most of this is observed by whatever ambient light the moon & stars cast, and to some degree the dim red lights used by researchers. It was amazing to watch as an enormous dark shadowy form would de deposited by the black waters retreating from a wave crest. I was forunate enough to be staring toward the sea as one of these shadowed behemoths magically "appeared".

Digiscoping 4 - when is "FAR", too far?!?...

Often while working the Leica booth at some consumer show, someone will look through one of my sample binoculars and ask, "How far can you see with these?" To which I invariably respond, 'How far you can see is really dictated by atmospheric conditions. A binocular or spotting scope doesn't make you see any farther than you can with your naked eye, it only makes the subjects appear larger and/or closer depending on the power of magnification.' Of course, quality of glass, coatings, and construction of any product can make a BIG difference in the ability to resolve fine details at comparable powers of magnification, but even the best glass can't make you see any farther.

With a digiscoping rig, it is much the same. These systems allow greater magnification than any other commercially available photographic equipment (often out to the equivalent of 6,000 mm or near 120x of magnification!) None-the-less, making full use of this magnification will always be greatly affected by atmospheric conditions that change from spot to spot and from one moment to the next. When you listen to weather reports you will often hear, "...visibility is limited to X miles..." (or km perhaps) as the atmosphere allows.

large bull Elk digiscoped @ ~500 yards, Rocky Mt. National Park, CO 8/5/09

The image of the large lounging Elk above was taken with the new Leica APO Televid 82 mm scope, D-Lux 4 camera, and matched digital adapter 4. Using a Geovid range-finding binocular I was able to determine this individual was ~500 yards away - a bit over 1/4 mile or just under 1/2 km for sake of reference. As you can see the system allowed me to capture this big boy well enough. He's in focus, well lit, colors are accurate, but at that distance near mid-day, under a hot sun (especially for high elevation tundra) this is the most detail I could muster even with the best equipment!

Elk digiscoped Rocky Mountain National Park, CO 8/5/09

The elk pictured above was taken at the same time from the same spot with the same equipment. The only difference here was the subject was considerably closer, between 250 & 300 yards or near half the distance as the group shown at top. You can see here, with all else being equal how much more detail is preserved on the closer subject. Individual details like the hairs on the velvet-covered antlers, and sinewy lines on the body are that much more apparent.

The lesson learned?!?... simple, while digiscoping allows you to "reach out and capture" a very distant subject, I'm certain all who digiscope will agree that your images will always be comparatively better if you are closer and using less zoom. How good or bad these images are is often dictated by a number of factors including:

1) the quality of your equipment - your system will only perform to the maximum capabilities of the weakest link in your system obviously. e.g. the highest quality camera in the world being shot through a low-quality/low-end lens (or scope in the case of digiscoping) can not offer premium quality images. Same is true of poor quality camera through great scope!

2) atmosphere - particles in the air from wind borne dust/dirt, to relative humidity, etc. will all affect overall imaging.

Let's consider atmospheric disturbances for a moment, my friend Bill Schmoker often refers as this as "bad air". When there is a lot of atmospheric disturbance this seems to manifest itself as "noise" the tiny 'off-colored pixels in images. Noise in digital photography is similar to what we would have could grain or graininess in film photography. These odd-colored pixels detract from the overall resolution of your subject making it appear less- sharply focused.

For sake of argument if we consider this disturbance as perhaps a dirty window pane between you and your subject. When we triple the distance to our subject lets consider that we've added an additional two planes of dirty glass. You see where I'm going here. There really is almost no way to correct this short of getting closer to the subject although this could change over minutes. Bill also suggested different angles but this is only going to be marginally effective.

a view of distant Little Tobago Island taken with a Leica D-Lux 4 camera 7/2009

I know some digiscopers who won't even bother taking a distant shot as their only goal is to get and take just the highest quality images. For me though, I'm interested in recording my memories, documenting different plumages on birds, and even in some extreme cases documenting a rare sighting. As such, I always "shoot first & ask questions later"! ;p Memory cards are cheap and deleting is an easy and painless process. Most of the time when I have low expectations that a distant shot will turn out, I find I'm right, but once in a while you'll be surprised! That's why I always take a shot anyway. The image above was a scenic shot taken near the Blue Waters Inn in Tobago showing distant Little Tobago Island, a well-known breeding colony for otherwise seldom seen seabirds! You can just make out the gleam of a light-colored house (a tiny white square in the photo) siting to the left of the pass between the two smaller, nearer islands in this photo.

Tobago island house digiscoped from Blue Waters Inn, Tobago.

As I viewed this distant, now abandoned, home I thought, "I wonder how that would look digiscoped?" It was late in the day, it was warm and I was shooting across water. My expectations were real low, but this was one of these instances where I was surprised at the results. It was not overly noisy, and the details are still QUITE noticeable, see where the roof has been damaged at the right corner?... the blinds are askew in the top right window on the near side, and hey is there someone looking back out at me here?!?... ;o Just kidding here, this house is vacant.

"Small Tortoiseshell" butterfly - digiscoped in Rutland Waters, UK - 8/09

The small butterfly I digiscoped from the Leica stand at the recent British Bird Fair in the UK (Small Tortoiseshell) was also through the APO Televid 82 mm spotting scope with the new kit - D-Lux 4 camera & matched digital adapter 4. This shot was taken @ minimal focus near 12 feet (4 meters) away. At this closest range one can actually make out individual powdery scales on the hind wing of this critter. This only requires a bit of light. I'd consider this "best case", the image below represents near the worst!

Scaly-naped Pigeon digiscoped on Little Tobago Island 7/09

Normally, this image would warrant an immediate move for the "delete" key. However, this image held special purpose. Scaly-naped Pigeon is a species that has been expanding it's range through the Caribbean islands and had been recorded only 4 times in Tobago since the first sighting in 2002 (still not recorded from Trinidad a bit further south). The bird was feeding on a distant ridge on the opposite side of a large cove. The bird was TOO distant for a good clear image, the light too poor, and atmospheric disturbance too high. None-the-less, even this horrible image was enough to show overall coloration of the bird, you can see albeit not clearly that the base of the bill is red with a yellow tip, and that there is a reddish ring around the eye. Enough to show this as a Scaly-naped Pigeon. As a result of my sending this to local bird experts in Trinidad & Tobago, locals were able to be assured that we had indeed seen this species and numerous locals were able to relocate this small flock which may well represent the first colonists of this rare bird in Trinidad & Tobago. So sometimes even a "bird too far" (sounds like a movie) can have its place!

Trinidad & Asa Wright - the 1st full day

Pete Dunne, Bill Thompson, III, & Kenn Kaufman (from L) @ Asa Wright, Trinidad

After soaking up some of the veranda scenery and fueling up with a wonderful breakfast. We geared up and hit the Asa Wright trails! While the advance team intently scoured the trees for bird activity others were supplementing their breakfasts with "juicy, juicy mangos!"

Kim Kaufman & Julie Zickefoose can't resist nature's bounty!

Moving away from the veranda and its feeders, the bird diversity changes rapidly, and we immediately began seeing Bay-headed Tanagers mixing with Blue-gray Tanagers in mixed flocks. These also held Golden-fronted Greenlets which sang like miniature Red-eyed Vireos. I couldn't believe how alike these birds sounded. especially considering how much smaller they were.

Bay-headed Tanager digiscoped @ Asa Wright Nature Centre, July 2009

As I pointed out earlier, few (if any) eco-lodges have been in the biz longer than Asa Wright and we were totally amazed at the accurate signage. When we saw the sign reading "Golden-headed Manakins", we looked up and saw Golden-headed Manakins. Granted, they have had >40 years to get their signage just right, and since it was breeding season the birds are likely behaving more predictably, but still....

Golden-hooded Manakin, digiscoped with Leica D-Lux 4 camera through APO Televid scope

Many often scoff at the "Green Season" (the season formerly known as "Rainy Season") as a bad time to visit the tropics because of the misunderstanding of the term rain. Yes, it rains from time to time, but in typical monsoon fashion these quick showers move through fast and are followed by a wonderful reduction in air temperature & humidity, and also create a great deal of bird activity. Almost like a second morning chorus! This is my 6th or 7th visit to the tropics during green season and in all of this time I've never been rained out for an entire day. Yes, the bird diversity is a bit lower, but the birds that aren't present are the ones I see in my own backyard when they move north to breed or return to the tropics in winter.

However, the flip side of that coin is rates are cheaper, you have less competition for resources including, rooms, vehicles, guides, etc. and most importantly the true tropical birds are very often displaying & breeding unlike a winter visit. So with the "Green Season Advantage" we had as many as 20 male Golden-headed Manakins all vying for the affection of a nearby female. The antics were not unlike things I'd witnessed in a bar full of single men with a single female in it actually. A lot of bravado but it was fun to watch! ;p

White-bearded Manakin, digiscoped @ Asa Wright, Trinidad 7/2009

Another hundred feet down the trail and another sign read, "White-bearded Manakin" and even before you could read it you could hear the manic snapping of wings of the displaying males on this lek! There was beard puffing, and wing snapping, sliding up and down the branches, and mini hopping displays. The non-descript green female bird was hard to spot in the rich foliage but you could always tell where she was by the vigor of the performances. The fellas definitely amped it up when she came close!

harshly backlit Bearded Bellbird, digiscoped @ Asa Wright 7/2009

Even before the next sign appeared we could hear the distinctive "BONK!" of the Asa Wright signature bird, the amazing Bearded Bellbird! Not surprisingly this male sat literally straight above the large wooden sign straight above the steep path. When he was spotted we all behaved in very predictable birder fashion, setting our scopes down and peering straight up at this amazing bird with the hanging fleshy appendages dangling down forming the "beard". These were great and they would wobble to and fro with each "BONK!"

Now you remember how I said it was a steep path right?!?... somewhere between the third and fourth "BONK!" came a sickening, "CLUNK!"... the kind of sound that freezes birders in their tracks, the sound of a heavy and expensive piece of optical equipment hitting terra firma. There were gasps all around as everyone looked at the fallen scope that had tomahawked directly into the muddy path. Yep, I can happily say I've tested the new Leica scope for impact resistance and it passed with flying colors. I'm still using the same model and the only sign of the fall is the presence of some Trini mud still trapped in the filter threads of the objective lens! :)

Common Potoo adult w/ chick, digiscoped Asa Wright 7/09

While there was no sign for this attraction we were all pleasantly surprised by the addition of a Common Potoo doing its best broken stub impression. It was very humorous when a chick poked its head out of the adults breast feathers though, looking like something right out of the movie, "Alien".... peek-a-boo!

Potoos are large nocturnal insect eaters that are related to Nightjars like the widespread Common Nighthawk throughout most of North America (as an example)... but more on this bird later! We ended this all too short but very productive introduction to the Asa Wright trail system and began a leisurely stroll back to the lodge for lunch.

2 headed Night-egret! ;p

In the evening we headed to the Trincity Water Treatment plant.... my idea, I take full credit for this! As I felt this would be a good spot to find some cooperative subjects like herons and egrets, that would sit still and be good fodder to review the digiscoping equipment and techniques. Instead it wound up being yet another test of the equipment. This time I demonstrated how waterproof the Leica equipment was while testing the tolerance of our group. Remember the monsoon showers I spoke about?!?... A little tiny one blew in just as we were at the furthest point from the vehicles. Since it was pretty apparent that we were going to be hit by just a tiny corner of this shower, the crew just braved it. For our efforts we were rewarded by views of familiar birds like the crossed pair above (Black-crowned Night-Heron & Snowy Egret), Purple Gallinules, Least Bittern, and less familiar birds like Yellow-hooded Blackbirds, Yellow-billed & Large-billed Terns, Wattled Jacanas, Southern Lapwing, and the Yellow-chinned Spinetail shown below.

Yellow-chinned Spinetail digiscoped through Leica APO Televid scope with D-Lux 4

After passing the obligatory tour participant tolerance test, the crew was rewarded with treats in the form of fields full of Limpkins & rum punch and some sort of sugar cookies/biscuits as we scanned the rice fields for Long-winged Harriers. Sharp-eyed BT3 picked out the first one, a dark immature, far enough away that even an eagle would squint to see it. Fortunately, another passed moments later much closer than the first. This time it was a more strikingly-marked light adult male bird. A wonderfully fitting way to wrap up day 1!

Rain delay?!?.... No way!!!

male White-necked Jacobin digiscoped w/Leica APO Televid 82 m scope & D-Lux 4 camera

Let's face it, all of us don't always have sense enough to get out of the rain! The male White-necked Jacobin above is actually bathing in the rain, and typically - if lightning isn't flying - I tend to just don the rain coat and let 'er rip in a similar manner. Clothes dry and so will I. In the video below I was out of the rain only because I was already on the veranda enjoying Asa Wright's tea time (or more likely rum punch hour) when this short-lived monsoon blew in.

Thanks to Bill Thompson for playing camera man as I demonstrated my favorite feature of the new Ultravid HD binoculars - the Aqua Dura coatings.

When the weather rolls in I can simply leave the bins on the outside of the jacket keeping the lenses free of fog. Then when I'm ready to look at a bird (a wet male Jacobin perhaps) all I have to do is give the binoculars a purposeful flick of the wrist to clear the lens for viewing. Not having to wipe the lens or wait for the lenses to unfog as I'd encountered in the past when I tuck the binos inside the jacket, is a HUGE advantage for the user that isn't going to quit when the weather turns!