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 »
It used to be called digiscoping. Now many birders are calling it phonescoping. But no matter its name, the goal is the same: to capture images or video using a digital camera and a spotting scope. With the advent of smartphones and their built-in cameras, most people are walking around with decent-quality cameras in their… Read more »
When a pair of MeoCaps first arrived for testing, I began wishing for an unusual thing: a good downpour in which to go out and bird with these new binocular eyepiece covers. Of course my wish was followed by 10 days of beautiful sunshine with clear, blue skies. Nevertheless, I took some time to go… Read more »
