As someone who started birding later in life, I was fortunate to have among my birding mentors professional guides, authors, biologists, and naturalists. Growing up as more of an “indoor girl,” this was intimidating for me, to say the least. I was not only intimidated by their knowledge and experience, I was also terrified by the equipment they used…. Read more »
by Chuck Jakubchak I have used a traditional bino harness for several years but always considered it awkward when wearing or storing. The RYO Ultra-Light Bino Harness caught my eye in a recent issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest because of its thin profile and advertised light weight. I contacted Redstart Birding and ordered the XL… Read more »
Biting bugs really love me. I’ve tried spray repellents, electronic repellent thingamabobs, wrist bands—all of it. Nothing has ever succeeded in keeping mosquito-ninjas from attacking me. I believed nothing would—except remaining behind closed doors. Until now. Earlier this year, I attended the North Shore Birding Festival on Lake Apopka near Orlando, Florida. Most of us… Read more »
Depending upon your physique, a conventional neck strap toting a full-sized binocular makes for some severe fatigue after a long session of birding. And while a crisscross harness’s design redistributes the weight more evenly across the back and shoulders, I’ve never found them to be the most comfortable. On my first excursion to Magee Marsh… Read more »
I have several birding apps on my phone, but there is only one that I really use, and I use it almost daily during the spring: the Merlin Bird ID app, produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I sing its praises whenever I get the opportunity, especially to new birders, especially to young birders…. Read more »
Back to the North from points farther south, the fellows chat throughout a winter-themed episode about such topics as suet feeding, birding in Texas and Colombia, weather and birds, winter clothing, acclimatization, fogging optics, and Ben’s new-found love of silk long johns. Bill recounts a traumatic first grade incident involving yellow snow, and his latest… Read more »
Most birders need a good, sturdy tripod, whether for a camera, a spotting scope, or both. A tripod is an important item that deserves some serious thought—after all, its purpose is to support some of the most expensive equipment we own. As you peruse the possibilities for your next tripod purchase, consider the travel tripods… Read more »
It’s a problem many birders and nature photographers can relate to: attempting to carry both a camera and a binocular without one strap interfering with the other. Too often I was forced to choose between being a good photographer and being a good birder. The latter almost always won out, resulting in my camera gear… Read more »
Winter weather is one of those things that separates the birders from the sane people. Today I spent part of my lunch break standing along the Ohio River in blowing snow and single-digit temperatures with the wind chill factor at twenty below zero, scanning for birds. It was totally worth it: I scored my first-of-year… Read more »
Bird identification can be an overwhelming and intimidating process. But the challenge of putting a name on a bird is at the heart of what makes birding fun. A new app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology aims to make bird identification a little less overwhelming and a little more fun. Designed for beginning birders, Merlin… Read more »
