Optics testing

Scopes have become an essential part of the equipment of most birders nowadays, from the beginner to the expert, and one great benefit of the constant improvement in optical technology is that the smaller scopes (objective lenses of under 70mm) can often do a job that would once have been the preserve of the big boys.

They offer lightness and stowability, attractive to anyone whose birdwatching involves covering a lot of ground, on foot or by bike, or who simply doesn’t want to haul a heavier piece of equipment round all day.

For the November issue of Bird Watching, we tested six scopes from four manufacturers, covering a wide price range, and offer a guide to the performance of all. In the end, though, there’s no substitute for trying them out thoroughly yourself before you buy. Every birder’s preferences will be different, based on factors as diverse as the sort of birdwatching they do, their eyesight and physique, the scopes they’re used to, and of course their budget, and all the scopes in the test had plenty to commend them.

With that in mind, we offer a guide below to the features we looked at and that you should also test, and tips for buying.
For our test, we asked major manufacturers for up to two examples each of their 60-70mm objective lens scopes, plus a 30x (or equivalent) eyepiece. All were tested alongside each other at the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre, Rutland Water, on a single day in September. A resolution chart provided by Minox was used.


WHAT SHOULD I TEST A SCOPE FOR?
Here are the optical criteria we tested each of the scopes on – you should be looking at all these when buying. While optical quality is always likely to be a high priority, remember that you need to settle on a scope that is also easy and pleasurable to use.

FIELD OF VIEW: The wider the field, the easier you’ll find it to observe flocks of birds, or birds in flight. It is best tested by focusing on a man-made object, where the relative width of field of different scopes can be measured.

RESOLUTION: Focus each scope on the same object – a particular part of a bird, or a branch maybe – and look at the difference in detail. If at all possible, test this in low light and deep shade, to separate the very best from the rest of the field. We used a resolution chart, but placed particular emphasis on in-the-field testing.

BRIGHTNESS: All the scopes did well for brightness, impressive given their relatively small objective lenses. A smaller scope would suffer by comparison with a large one in poor light, but factors such as the type of glass used also make a big difference.

COLOUR CAST: This is not a fault – some models will have a slight blue or yellow tinge to the image. The former produces a brighter, cleaner image, with slightly reduced contrast, while the latter produces better contrast but slightly reduced colour.
COLOUR FRINGING: This is the appearance of a faint blue or yellow ‘halo’ around the object you are viewing. It is best tested by viewing an object against a pale background. All scopes are likely to suffer from it at least a little, especially towards the edge of images, but you only need to worry if it becomes distracting.


TESTING TIPS
If you can, ask other birdwatchers if you can try their scopes, and take note of any features you like or dislike.
Before you go to buy, make a shortlist of models that you’re interested in, and give your dealer a call to check that they’re available.

Make sure the shop you buy from has good viewing facilities, so you can test the scopes yourself. Some retailers hold field days at reserves and birdwatching fairs.

Compare all the models on your shortlist thoroughly before trying any suggested by the shopkeeper.

If the shopkeeper gets too technical for you, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. If he is particularly enthusiastic about a certain model, remember that profit margins vary, and that it might be one that earns him more money.
Try to compare only two models at a time, three at most.

Take your time about comparing. Don’t be hurried (good retailers will be happy to give you as long as you need), and make notes as you compare – these will be invaluable if you decide to come back later after thinking things over.
Take all factors into account – a superb image is all very well, but the scope also needs to be one that you’re comfortable using.

Test the actual scope you’re buying before taking it home.

Check that the box carries an approved importers mark – buying a ‘grey’ import can cause problems if anything goes wrong.

Hummer bathtime

Purple-collared Woodstars come down to bathe at the tiny pool connecting ponds at the lodge at Chaparri, northern Peru. (digiscoped video)

The Big Sit

Production editor Matt Merritt writes:
A forthcoming feature in Bird Watching will look at what's known as The Big Sit - that's when you position yourself in a hide, and sit and wait, and sit, and sit, and sit some more, and see which birds venture into view. To make it a bit more interesting, you only list those that venture to within, say, 15 metres of your position.
Now I'm one of those patch birders who tends to dash round as many local birding sites as possible, seeing if anything interesting is around, and moving on quickly if it's not. In my defence, it's mainly down to time constraints. Once the evenings are shorter, in particular, my available birding hours are severely restricted, so I tell myself it's necessary.
Then there's the fact that I like walking a lot. So much so, in fact, that when I got deeply into birding again eight or nine years ago (rekindling a childhood obsession), it was mainly because I was doing a lot of walking and started taking bins along to enliven the boring bits.
But anyway, yesterday I went down to one of my local nature reserves, settled into the furthest hide, and tried this Big Sit lark. Only for an hour (our intrepid feature-writers will be doing ten), and using an area of roughly 20m radius from the hide, which has visibility on three sides.
I'll be honest - I was astonished at just how many birds I saw, and their sheer variety. Coot, Mute Swan, Moorhen (18 of them), Little Grebe, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Chaffinch, Mallard, Carrion Crow, Wigeon, Gadwall, Woodpigeon, Jay, Starling, Stock Dove, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin and Goldfinch. Assuming you can count flyovers (and I have done where the Sand Martin is concerned), there were also three Buzzards, two adults and an immature. They played their part by startling the Jay into the open briefly.
It's all made me think about how I do my birding. For one thing, it encourages you to spend much more time observing the behaviour of common species, and that's always fascinating. The way the Moorhens, in particular, went about their business was entertaining and intriguing. And there's more time and comfort for picking out ID details - I methodically separated the female ducks, usually something of a blind spot for me.
It also made me think about what I didn't see. No Reed Buntings, at a site usually full of them. Victims of the wet summer, or just moved to a different spot? No Wrens, even though a family were nesting IN the hide a couple of months back.
I'll keep doing it. Maybe just once a month, because I know the urge to march around all my local sites will strike soon, but definitely on a regular basis.
Had the hide had visibility on all four sides, I could have added Kestrel to the list, because as I emerged, a pair were sat on fenceposts near the path. They took a slow look at me, then lifted off into the air, no doubt to the consternation of the local voles.

Camargue 2008: Feb 16-22 & 22-28,

Readers’ Holiday
Southern France in winter
February 16-22 & 22-28, 2008
Further information: Call Hugh Harrop of Shetland Wildlife on 01950 422 483, e-mail info@shetlandwildlife.co.uk or visit www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk

The beautiful region of Provence is a superb destination for a midwinter birdwatching holiday. Wintering Wallcreepers, Alpine Accentors, Eagle Owls and Citril Finches in Les Alpilles, raptors and wildfowl in their thousands in the Camargue, and Little Bustards, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and Calandra Larks on the Crau Plain. A superb short winter break for Bird Watching readers, and just a couple of hours flying time from home.

Look what this Bird Watching break offers.
• Six nights in the foothills of the beautiful Les Alpilles region.
• Visit the beautiful citadel of Les Beaux to see Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Redstart, Crag Martin, Sardinian Warbler, Crested Tit and Firecrest.
•Search known sites for Eagle Owls at dusk.
• Explore the wetlands of the Camargue, where thousands of waterfowl winter and herons and egrets occur. Reedbeds hold Bearded Tits, Cetti’s and Moustached Warblers and Bittern.
• Raptors include Spotted, Booted, White-tailed and Bonelli’s Eagles, Merlin, Peregrine, Marsh and Hen Harriers and Egyptian Vulture at various sites.
• Visit La Crau to see Pin-tailed Sandgrouse along with Little Bustard, Stone Curlew, Southern Grey Shrikes, Dartford Warblers, Stonechat, Cirl and Rock Buntings, Calandra Larks and Richard’s Pipits.
• Look for Citril Finch, hundreds of wintering Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Bramblings, Crossbills, Nuthatches, Marsh and Crested Tits, and maybe Black Woodpecker in the high forests of Mount Ventoux. Golden Eagle and Goshawk may be seen here.

Your holiday programme:
Price: £795 per person, based on two people sharing a twin room. Single supplement: £75. Deposit: £200. Includes: return schedule flights London Gatwick/Marseilles; six nights accommodation, all meals from dinner on day one to breakfast on day seven; transportation within France; entrance fees; local taxes; gratuities and services of professional guides.

Information: Call Hugh Harrop of Shetland Wildlife on 01950 422 483, e-mail info@shetlandwildlife.co.uk or visit www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk

To book: These trips are extremely popular, so we suggest you call or e-mail to check availability. If booking by telephone please state this is a Bird Watching magazine holiday.

Norfolk: July 3-6, 2008

Bird Watching Readers’ Break
This Bird Watching break is being arranged by Celtic Bird Tours. For further details, or to book a place call Neil Donaghy, on 01656 645 709 or 07971 983 227.

Norfolk: July 3-6, 2008
Rich in habitats and home to some of our rarest breeding birds, Norfolk is the ‘premier’ birdwatching county, with a wealth of species unlikely to be matched elsewhere in the UK. The breeding season will be in full swing and we may also encounter some scarce late migrants. A flexible itinerary will take account of tide times and weather conditions to ensure four days of excellent birding.

Look what this Bird Watching break offers:
• Look for summer plumaged Spotted Redshanks, Avocets and Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Lapwing, Ringed Plover, Snipe, Wood Sandpiper,Whimbrel, Little Stint, and Dunlin among wildfowl and waders.
• Montagu’s Harriers may be seen with local Marsh Harriers. Other raptors include Honey Buzzard, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk.
• Look for Bearded Tits, Reed and Sedge Warblers, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Little Owl, Turtle Dove, Bullfinch and Tree Sparrow.
• Garganey, Spoonbill and Little Egret are possible, plus Black Tern, Little Gull, Common, Little and Sandwich Terns. Seawatching may produce Gannet, Common Scoter and Eider.
• Visit the Brecklands, where Golden Oriole, Hobby, Spotted Flycatcher, Garganey, Yellow and Grey Wagtail , Stone Curlew, Wood Lark, Crossbill, Hawfinch, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Marsh Tit and Firecrest occur.

Programme:

Day 1: Arrive at hotel 1pm. Visit Kelling Water Meadows and Salthouse.
Day 2: Harrier watchpoint plus RSPB Titchwell for migrants, wildfowl, waders, gulls and terns.
Day 3: Visit Brecklands, Weeting Heath and Lynford Arboretum. Evening Nightjar walk.
Day 4: The Wensum Valley Raptor Watchpoint and Cley NNT. Return to hotel mid-afternoon, where tour ends.
Hotel: The Pheasant Hotel at Kelling.
Group size: Ten plus leaders. NB: This tour involves early morning start and late evening finish.
Price: £399. Single supplement £30. Deposit £50. Includes three nights dinner, bed and breakfast, packed lunches, en-suite accommodation, transport in Norfolk, service of expert leaders and reserve entrance fees. Not included: travel insurance, drinks and personal items.

Morocco 2008: February 17-27

Bird Watching Readers’ Break
Morocco: February 17-27, 2008
This Bird Watching break is being arranged by Celtic Bird Tours. For further details, or to book a place call Neil Donaghy, on 01656 645 709 or 07971 983 227.

This North African tour will visit the desert, mountains, wetlands and coast at the start of spring migration in Morocco. This exciting destination has special birds found only in the south of the Western Palearctic among the richly varied habitats – including the immense Atlas Mountains – which we shall visit.

Look what the Bird Watching holiday offers:
• Special species such as Bald Ibis, Cream-coloured Courser, Moussier’s Redstart, Black-crowned Tchagra, Thick-billed Lark, Black-shouldered Kite, Tawny Eagle and Southern Grey Shrike.
• Visit the Sahara Desert for Lanner and Barbary Falcon, Eagle Owl, Fulvous Babbler, Hoopoe Lark, African Desert Warbler and Desert Sparrow.
• Sousa Massa National Park is important for endangered Bald Ibis and many herons, egrets, Marbled Duck, Glossy Ibis, Ruddy Shelduck and perhaps Tawny Eagle.
• The ‘hammada’ or stony desert is the place to see Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Thick-billed, Desert and Temminck’s Horned Larks, Red-rumped and Desert Wheatears, Trumpeter Finch, Long-legged Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, and possibly Tristram’s Warbler and Mourning Wheatear.
• Birding in the Atlas Mountains, where Barbary Partridge, Levaillant’s Woodpecker, Blue Rock Thrush, Crimson-winged Finch, Red-billed and Alpine Chough and Golden Eagle occur.
• Other special birds include Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Woodchat Shrike, Wryneck, Nightingale, Egyptian Nightjar, Houbara Bustard, Booted, Short-toed, Bonelli’s and Golden Eagle, Black Kite and Lesser Kestrel. Expect to see 175 species.

Programme:
Day 1: Fly London/Agadir. Transfer to hotel.
Day 2: Birding the Atlantic coast, Sous Massa NP and Oued Sous.
Day 3: Drive from Agadir to Taroudant through the bird-rich Sous Valley.
Day 4-5: Drive to Boulmane Dades across the ‘hammada’. Visit the Tagdilt Track, famous for special species.
Day 6-7: From Boumane to Merzouga on the edge of the Sahara. Birding the wadi’s and oases.
Day 8: Roadside birding en route to Ouarzazate will produce migrants and lots of wheatears.
Day 9-10: From Ouarzazate through the High Atlas Mountains to a watchpoint for migrants and raptors. Arrive Marrakech and spend day exploring valleys and mountains.
Day 11: Visit city of Marrakech before return flight to London.
Leaders: Josele Saiz and Neil Donaghy.
Group size: 11 plus leaders. NB: Tour includes early starts and late finishes and some walking at altitude.
Price: £1,399. Single supplement £150. Deposit: £350. Includes: Flights London/Agadir/Marrakech/London. Transport in Morocco, all meals except lunch on first and last days. Service of expert guides and entrance fees. Not included: travel insurance, drinks, personal items, local drivers’ gratuities.

Cornwall, October 13-19, 2007

Bird Watching Readers’ Break
This Bird Watching break is being arranged by Celtic Bird Tours. For further details, or to book a place call Neil Donaghy, on 01656 645 709 or 07971 983 227.

Cornwall, October 13-19, 2007
A few places are left on this holiday based at Marazion. It will visit the valleys and headlands where rare and uncommon migrants regularly occur at this time of year. Please call Neil Donaghy on the number below if you would like to join the group.

Night-time surprise

Kevin Wilmot writes...

A very interesting thing happened at 4.15 this morning.

I was woken by the sound of two seemingly distressed Carrion Crows in the narrow treebelt behind my small suburban garden. It was if they, too, had been suddenly and unexpectedly roused from their slumbers. I didn't have to wait long for the culprit to reveal itself, as seconds later came several 'kewicks' and hoots of one, or possibly more, Tawny Owls.

I can only assume that the owls had inadvertantly come across the roosting crows as they went about their night-time hunt. I wouldn't imagine they would purposely attack the crows as, size for size, crows are somewhat larger. Who knows, but it certainly made for an fascinating 20 minutes or so before all was quiet once again in the slowly gathering light of dawn.

Reader holiday, Oct 12-14, 2007

Northumberland, October 12-14, 2007
For further information or to book on the holiday, contact Nick Mason, Tel: 07857 200 144.
E-mail: nick@realbirder.co.uk
wwwrealbirder.co.uk

Join us for a brilliant weekend’s birdwatching, loads of fun and superb company amid the spectacular and dramatic landscape of the Northumberland coast. With everything from scarce grebes to waders, seabirds to Twite, our weekend’s exploration of a wide variety coastal habitats promises to be a real treat.
The spectacular and dramatic landscape of the Northumberland coast, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is the venue for this Bird Watching weekend break. In the company of expert guides we will visit the best autumn birdwatching sites where thousands of birds will be using the coast as a staging post during migration or as a winter home.
Our hotel, on the harbour at Seahouses with views of the Farne Islands, is the perfect base for exploration of the coastal habitats which vary from grazing marsh, reedbeds and off-shore islands. The weekend will also provide a taste of the rich history and heritage of this amazing coast.

Friday night
Join the leaders for a pre-dinner welcome presentation at 6.30pm.

Saturday
We’ll drive south to visit four nature reserves in Druridge Bay – Hauxley, East Chevington, Druridge Pools and Cresswell Pond. The varied habitats include brackish lagoons, freshwater ponds, reedbeds and foreshore. Birds could include vagrant passerines, waders, terns and seabirds. Anything could turn up but likely species are Pink-footed Geese, Whooper Swan, Pintail, Gadwall, Merlin and Twite. The day will end with dinner and a guest presentation about bird conservation on the Northumberland Coast.

Gadwall by Mike Weedon

Sunday
Heading north we will explore the wild landscape of Holy Island and Lindisfarne NNR, famous for wintering Brent Geese, but expect a ‘cracking’ day with Red-throated Diver, Red-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Duck, Common Scoter, Bar-tailed Godwit, Peregrine and passerines such as Tree Sparrows. The day will end on the foreshore below Bamburgh Castle, looking for Purple Sandpiper, seaducks and divers. Return to holiday at 5pm when holiday ends.

Bar-tailed Godwit by Mike Weedon

Hotel: Bamburgh Castle Hotel situated on the harbour at Seahouses offers excellent food and en suite accommodation – and wonderful sea views.

Leaders: Tom Cadwallender is an ornithologist, BTO representative for Northumberland and the author of Birdwatching on the Northumberland Coast. Nick Mason was RSPB conservation manager for the north of England. He left last year to become proprietor of RealBirder Tours.

Price: £270 per person includes, two-nights’accommodation, all meals, picnics, reception, transport and the service of expert leaders. It does not include insurance, drinks and personal items. Sunday night stopover: dinner, bed and breakfast £70 per person.

Travel: Road: via A1 and B1340. Rail: nearest station is Alnmouth. Transfers may be possible to and from station on Friday and Sunday evening. Please let Nick Mason know if you plan to use the train.

For further information or to book on the holiday, contact Nick Mason, Tel: 07857 200 144.
E-mail: nick@realbirder.co.uk
wwwrealbirder.co.uk

The Full Monty

Production editor Matt Merritt writes:
Yesterday was one of those days when working for Bird Watching is sheer, unadulterated pleasure (not that every day in the office isn't a delight, of course!). Mike Weedon and myself ventured out into the flatlands of Lincolnshire, to see the Montagu's Harriers that have been breeding on Digby Fen. At times, reading about birds isn't enough and you just have to get out and see what all the fuss is about.
These are the rarest breeding birds of prey in Britain, being summer visitors who generally prefer the warmer parts of Europe. Climate change might alter things, but currently less than a dozen pairs each year nest, usually in southern England and East Anglia. That makes it all the more remarkable that this pair managed to successfully raise four young in the middle of a rain-lashed fenland farmer's field, with the help, of course, of RSPB protection.
We arrived to find the RSPB watchpoint already busy, and we didn't have to wait long to see one of the juveniles, looking for worms in a ploughed field on the far side of the road from the nest. What struck you immediately was how orange the breast was - field guides say rufous, but this positively glowed. As we watched him, too, a male Marsh Harrier swept past, providing a useful size comparison. Ultra-rare themselves 20 or so years ago, they're now making slow but steady progress.
A flypast from a Heron stirred things into life on the far side of the road, near the nest. At least two Montys rose to challenge it, and the Heron responded by sticking its neck out and honking "frank, frank" at them. From then on, we had regular good views of the female Monty and some of the juves (spoilt slightly by the heat haze - never happy, are we?!). And finally, in came the male, passing over the nest site and dropping a small prey item to be caught by a waiting juvenile - however many times you hear this little trick being described, it's hard to believe how casually elegant it all is until you see it. Having made his delivery, the male then darted aerobatically after a Skylark (which got away easily enough), then disappeared.
After the inevitable immense fry-up, we pushed our luck by looking for the Black Kite at Nocton Fen, just down the road. But, no matter how much we willed the resident Buzzards to become longer, slighter and generally more kite-like, we were unsuccessful. You can't have everything, but we did meet a couple of like-minded Bird Watching readers, so hopefully they had better luck once we headed back down the A15.

Reader holiday, Gibraltar Point, Sept 14-6, 2007

Gibraltar Point Autumn Migration Weekend
September 14-16, 2007

Places are still available for the exciting Bird Watching weekend break at this migration hotspot. Why not join us to see the arrival of the first winter visitors – anything could turn up..
This break is based at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s Gibraltar Point NNR where we will explore habitats ranging from freshwater lagoons, salt-marsh, sand dunes, mudflats, shrubs and trees. Seawatching may produce divers, grebes and other interesting birds.
The leaders are Bob and Ann Scott and accommodation will be in the Wash Study Centre.
Price: £165 per person.

For futher details or to book a place call
Carol Debney, tel: 01733 468 224.

Images of Glen Affric

Stonechat

Chaffinch
Bird Watching Magazine's illustrator Steve Hall has just come back from five days visiting Glen Affric, Highland, (see Go Birding, in the July 2002 issue of Bird Watching ). He says the birds were abundant and very tame and the place was superb. Here are one or two of his shots.

All images by Steve Hall

For the record

Production editor Matt Merritt writes:
It's been difficult to get out birding over the last few weeks - the moment I get my gear together and head for my usual haunts, the heavens open and there's a mini-monsoon. So, Sunday was a good chance to make up for lost time, and I hurtled around my patch while the going was good. OK, so there's a LOT more water on the ground than usual, but even that can have its advantages.
Just as it was getting towards dusk, I arrived back at Sence Valley Forest Park for a last look. All the regulars were on the main lakes (good views of Common Terns, and a Water Rail squealing somewhere in the reeds), but I headed towards a smaller pool just off the bridlepath. It's on the edge of a farmer's field, which is often used by sheep, and their constant trampling has left some good muddy patches at the water's edge. In the past, it's been a good place to see Yellow Wagtails, plus the odd wader. Usually Little Ringed Plovers, or Curlews in spring, but about three years ago it did attract a very confiding Pectoral Sandpiper.
Anyway, as I walked towards it (I was still about 300 yards away), I saw a largish wader fly in and land on the edge of the water, close to countless sheep. At first I was thinking Curlew, but I needed to get closer, because of a hedge partly obscuring the view. In the end, I was able to approach to maybe 150 yards. A quick look with the bins aroused my suspicions, and once the scope was on it, I was sure. A Whimbrel. The smaller size (than a Curlew) wasn't immediately apparent, there being no other birds nearby to provide scale, but the very distinct eye stripes made me certain. I watched it for 20-odd minutes, during which it seemed rather agitated by the sheep, scuttling around here and there in a rather un-Whimbrel-like manner.

Mike Weedon
I made the mistake of walking on a little way to the stream, to see if there were any others around, but by the time I came back it had gone. I didn't see or hear it fly away, but perhaps it went to roost near the far lake, before continuing its migration in the morning.
One thing this sighting did, though, was confirm for me once again the value of sending bird records to a county recorder. July 22nd seemed a bit early for Whimbrel to me, but back at home, I checked back through the last few Leicestershire and Derbyshire Annual reports, and found that the species usually passes through Leicestershire starting in this week in July, having arrived in Derbyshire a little earlier, if anything.
So, although debate has raged about it in the letters pages of Bird Watching over the last few months, I'm firmly in favour of sending in those records. It's not just that they help identify all sorts of national and regional population trends - they also help individual birdwatchers put their subsequent sightings in an invaluable context.

Vortex Viper

In the July 2007 issue of Bird Watching, we featured a survey of mid-priced 8x42 binoculars. One pair we inclued in the survey was the Vortex Viper. However, we accidentally included images of the Viking GR8x45 in place of those of the Viper.

The conclusions of the test and the marks given were exactly the same as published, only the photographs were wrong.

This is what the Vortex Viper really looks like.

Bempton teaser

The August issue of Bird Watching Magazine will feature an article by Mike Weedon on digiscoping seabirds at RSPB Bempton. Here are a few of his shots to whet your appetite (click an image for a larger version).

Razorbill by Mike Weedon

Guillemot by Mike Weedon

Gannets by Mike Weedon