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Re: Optics and Will Suitt Railroad



On Sat, 4 Mar 2000, Alex Netherton wrote:
> 
> Hi folks, if this gets through. I have been reading with interest the =
> thread about optics. I am one of those working folks who live from =
> paycheck to paycheck, and rarely have anything left over for kilobuck =
> binoculars. I have struggled along for years with sub $100 binoculars, =
> and have done OK. A few years ago, my wife and I bought a scope for a =
> trip we made to Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee (never saw so many eagles) =
> that cost $350. It worked quite well.
> I think that these recommendations might mislead folks starting out to =
> think that they cannot bird without a $1000 outlay for binos, and a =
> $2000 outlay for a scope.
> It would be nice if we tried to suggest to beginners a somewhat less =
> expensive optics option. I know many of us have used "budget" binos; =
> indeed, many of the birders I meet in the field are using them.
> Any suggestions for the beginners (and less affluent) amongst us?

Hi Carolinabirders,

I am presently using a pair of Orion 8x40s which cost roughly $300. This 
came after spending several months with a pair of $800 or so Leitz (the 
forerunner to Leica); the Leitz were a substitute (borrowed from my 
father, who has them back now) when my Optolyth 8x40, which I think cost 
$450 used, were stolen down in Florida. I have yet to be disappointed in 
the Orions. They are particularly outstanding for butterfly and dragonfly 
watching, as they focus to less than 6 feet! I can focus on my own shoes 
with these binoculars!! They are also waterproof, or at least were before 
I slightly dented them. Even after the dent, they work fine in the rain 
and ocean spray and let in moisture only when completely immersed (yes, I 
have completely immersed them while birding!).

I also highly recommend the Optolyths, which in my experience match the 
clarity and light-gathering of Swarowski and others for slightly more 
than half the price. They are also very light-weight. They fall short 
mainly in the durability and waterproofing. On the other hand, I'm pretty 
happy knowing that my binoculars are less durable, which means that the 
^%$(@#^%&#! who stole them won't get as many years of use as he would 
have if he'd stolen Swarovskis...

I spent yesterday afternoon with non-Carolinabirder birder Norm Douglas 
and his dog Tahoe, hiking down the old railroad bed from Will Suitt Road 
out into Falls Lake. The first 1/2 mile or so was pretty birdless, with 
the high point being Tahoe's discovery of three decomposing Raccoons 
which someone had discarded on the trail near the road. Things picked up 
as we walked by the second or third open grassy patch on the left, which 
turned out to be laden with sparrows, nearly all Song and White-throated. 
Not too long afterwards, while we were examining a mixed Chickadee and 
Yellow-rumped Warbler flock, I spotted an immature Red-headed Woodpecker 
on a snag near the lakeshore.

As we were wandering down a corridorlike stretch of pine forest along the 
trail later on, something triggered Tahoe to rush into the forest. While 
he rushed one way, and we tried to call him back, we spotted a BIG dark 
bird flushing from over the trail in a different direction! We had no 
idea then what the bird was (my guess was Black Vulture, Norm's Pileated 
Woodpecker) or whether it had anything to do with Tahoe's excitement. But 
at the end of the trail, as Norm snuck up to attempt to photograph the 
Ospreys on the nest platform there, the bird flushed again: Wild Turkey! 
Just one by itself, in an area where I've yet to see one or hear 
sightings by others. We spotted it, or another like it, on our way back 
to the car, scuttling along the railroad bed. I guess turkeys can follow 
trails as well as we can...

Anyway, the Ospreys were actively building up a nest on the platform 
here, so anyone hiking or birding here between now and August should take 
great care near the end of the trail not to disturb the birds.

Other sightings: a small flock of Lesser Scaup on the lake between us and 
I-85; a few Spotted Salamander egg masses in one of the trailside 
ditches; a small grey frog, probably some kind of Chorus Frog, in another 
ditch; several Brown Creepers, one probable Winter Wren, several 
increasingly yellow Pine Warblers, and lots of other normal winter 
landbirds. But not one single solitary kinglet of either species....

Good birding!

Josh



Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Zoology

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/