Crypt of Creepers
November 18, 2008
Article in: Birding
A murder of crows, a parliament of owls, a colony of gulls, a raft of ducks…but what would you call a collection of Brown Creepers? Over the weekend we had a fun (but cold) outing with our local bird club and while the bird diversity was a bit low, the birds we saw were enjoyable.
For starters, we found what we identified as an “Oregon” race of Dark-eyed Junco. This photo was taken by Dakota who was briefly borrowing the camera to practice on feeder birds.
Then, we found a large gathering of Brown Creepers in the woods. There were about six or seven of these birds in a group, which according to Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion, rarely number in more than six at a time. It was something that no one in our group had witnessed before. So, due to their cryptic coloration, we decided to call this a Crypt of Creepers.
Brown Creeper
Lastly, we found this strange looking Canada Goose which we were unsure if it was some sort of hybrid or just some sort of color aberration with a long scientific sounding name that essentially means “oddly colored”.
Bird Photography Weekly #12
November 17, 2008
Article in: Bird Photography Weekly
Bird Photography Weekly #11 had 17 species.
Please join in again this week!!
Join in Bird Photography Weekly #12
The list:
- Barred Owl
- Milky Stork
- Chipping Sparrow
- Greenfinch
- Tri-colored Heron
- Blue-throated Bee-eater
- Common Koel
- Trumpeter Swan
- Killdeer
- Yellow-billed Magpie
- American Kestrel
- Red-necked Grebe
- White-throated Sparrow
- Peregrine Falcon
- Brewer’s Blackbird
- parrot sp.
- Eastern Bluebird
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Review of Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas
November 16, 2008
Article in: Book Reviews
In 1993 the The Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas
Edited by Troy E. Corman and Cathryn Wise-Gervais, the ABBA (not to be confused with the musical group) provides an unbelievable resource for bird conservationists as well as birders. This information can also prove essential when policy makers are put up to the challenge of choosing what areas are more valuable to protect. This data will provide the baseline for future surveys and studies.
Much of this survey was done by volunteers; “regular” birders like you that wished to put their skills to a worthwhile project. Some of the surveying was done by paid field crews as well, but it was the complete effort and devotion of all those involved that completed the project.
The Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas covers the process involved as well as a Arizona’s history of ornithology. Also included are complete descriptions of all the habitat types in Arizona (40 specific types in all) which are broken down into seven distinct categories.
270 species of birds are covered with two page spreads which includes photos, maps, and detailed information about nesting habitat, breeding phenology, and migratory status. The diversity of nesting birds in Arizona is astounding but undeniable.
Inside of the atlas
Breeding birds are the epitomy of bird sightings for conservationists and many birders. A confirmed breeder means a high propensity for an increase in bird populations. Compare that to the excitement of finding a rare vagrant that doesn’t add as much to the overall importance of bird conservation (although it of course is still good for birding).
As printing costs continue to rise (this book will set you back $40 or $50 and was printed in China), it is likely that these types of productions will make their way to the internet shortly. While we love printed materials, it makes sense to make use of technology that is searchable, cross-functional, and would make the information available to many more people at a much lower cost overall.
Regardless, every resident birder of Arizona and any birder planning a trip to the Grand Canyon State would benefit greatly from adding this book to their library. A quick look at the graph and breeding bird map of a particular species can help a birder find great places to look for particular birds.
And as a point of interest: the two top counties as far as number of breeding birds (207) are Cochise and Cococino. Cochise is found in the famously bird-rich area of southeast Arizona, but Cococino is way north and undoubtedly birded much less.
Rating: 10 of 10 feathers
Phriday Photo – Eastern Bluebird and the Sunrise
November 14, 2008
Article in: Photography
Everyone have a grand weekend!! We have a lot of projects in the works plus a NCIOS field trip so this looks to be a busy weekend.
Eastern Bluebird – digiscoped
Our Skywatch Friday submission is a morning scene in northern Illinois (in HDR)
Digiscoping with a Digital SLR Camera
November 12, 2008
Article in: Photography
Digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras have many advantages over traditional point-and-shoot digital cameras, many of which carry over into the realm of digiscoping. The biggest advantage is the SLR’s ability to shoot numerous shots in succession with nearly no lag time. Not only that, but you have virtually complete control over every aspect of the shot: manual focus, aperture, exposure, shutter speed, etc. Of course, learning the right settings takes time and we are at the early stages of this process.
Cedar Waxwing – digiscoped
Swarovski makes a wonderful digital camera adapter (DCA) for digiscoping. The adapter has two pieces: one attaches to the scope’s eye piece and the other threads to the digital SLR’s lens. We use the Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM lens with our current camera, the Canon EOS Rebel XTi.
The adapter fits snugly over the eyepiece, eliminating any vignetting and allowing for quick removal when done digiscoping. There is a tightening knob on the adapter so you can lock the camera in place while digiscoping. When not locked, you can still zoom in and out with the scope’s eyepiece.
It is important to leave the camera in manual focus at infinity and perform all the focusing with the spotting scope. Set your aperture down to as low as it goes and have at it.
Keep in mind that digiscoping isn’t easy but it is fun. Our setup weighs in at a bit over 11 pounds, which gets heavy when lugging it around for extended periods of time. But if you are into photographing birds, we would definitely recommend trying out digiscoping. And if you already own a great scope, you might as well give it a shot (pun intended).
Swamp Sparrow – digiscoped
We’ll have many more posts about digiscoping in the upcoming weeks and months. You can view many of our digiscoped shots at our brand new digiscoped lifelist page.
Review of Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America
November 11, 2008
Article in: Book Reviews
Jam-packed with 2,000 color photographs, the Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America
While it may be true that you can never have too many field guides, each new one that comes out is an attempt to be a better birder-serving guide to the wonderful creatures we know of as birds. The Smithsonian covers all the bases of a field guide and probably won’t replace the “big three” – Sibley, Kaufman, and Peterson.
However, the Smithsonian may fill a gap between young birders under 13 (who are drawn to the Young Birders Guide to Birds of Eastern North America) and those birders who aren’t quite old enough or experienced enough to use advanced guides. While not completely geared towards them, we feel that the Smithsonian is the bird guide for teenagers.
Accompanying the Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds is a DVD loaded with 587 bird sounds covering 138 species. While many advanced birders (in age and skill) already have a more complete selection of bird sounds (some even on tape, gasp!), teenage birders will benefit greatly from loading up their iPods with a nice collection of bird sounds to take in the field or study anywhere. While there are better CD collections available, this one is added in the price of the field guide, providing an attractive package for cash-strapped teenage birders.
Red-headed Woodpecker, a perfect coverbird
Each family section of birds is introduced with an elegant and informative passage that is well worth reading before heading out in the field. The layout is clean and uncluttered with usually only one or two species per page. Many of the species have photos of the bird perched, in flight, and in other ways that best display crucial identification marks.
Written by Ted Floyd, editor of the American Birding Association’s Birding Magazine, the Smithsonian Guide has noticeable appeal to those looking to pad their ABA area lists. The guide uses a code system to assist birders in knowing the difficulty of finding certain birds. However, this system loses its attractiveness when all but 69 of the 730 species of birds covered in the guide are under Code 1 or Code 2.
Bird Photography Weekly #11
November 10, 2008
Article in: Bird Photography Weekly
Bird Photography Weekly #10 had 14 species.
Please join in again this week!!
Join in Bird Photography Weekly #11
The list:
- Figbird
- Whimbrel
- Great Blue Heron
- Sanderling
- Australian Pelican
- Snowy Egret
- Pine Siskin
- White-winged Dove
- Whooping Crane
- Gray Jay
- American Goldfinch
- Empidonax flycatcher
- Osprey
- Ring-billed Gull
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Review of Swarovski Carbon Fiber Tripod [CT-101]
November 8, 2008
Article in: Photography
As the saying goes, “your spotting scope is only as good as your tripod” or something to that effect. This statement holds a lot of truth but finding the “perfect” tripod is a lot more difficult than finding the perfect scope.
Swarovski Carbon Fiber Tripod CT-101
There are an unbelievable amount of tripods on the market, as paging through any birding magazine will show you. The tripod we wanted most was Swarovski’s carbon fiber CT 101 model with accompanying FH 101 head. This gorgeous tripod is incredibly easy to use and packs a lot of versatility in a pretty compact package.
The tripod’s legs are broken up into two movable segments which slide silently and are locked in place with durable latches. The height is perfect for all but the tallest of birders and the legs can spread low for extreme low-angle viewing. No matter what terrain you are birding on, the tripod can be adjusted accordingly.
Swarovski FH 101 tripod head
The FH 101 head attaches seemlessly to the tripod and provides super easy movement with one hand. The head locks two ways independently: one lock stops panning motion and the other lock holds your scope in vertical position. Both locks are located ideally and require little effort to operate.
With the locks open, you are free to move the scope in any direction, perfect for following birds and especially useful for digiscoping. 
The mounting plate can be ejected in order to attach other plates such as the Swarovski balance rail (sold separately). The balance rail (shown at left) is much appreciated when digiscoping with a large camera such as a digital SLR as the weight is much better distributed. The tripod easily handles the weight of the scope and camera (about 7.1 lbs).
Weighing in at 4.3 lbs and nearly impossible to break, the Swarovski Carbon Fiber Tripod is wonderful for digiscoping and birding in general.
