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Thursday, January 31, 2008
Great Horned Owls and cameras
Below zero this morning with a nasty wind, but the sky was clear and the moon bright. As I rode my bicycle down a road the bisects part of one of our local forest preserves, I could hear the hoot of a Great Horned Owl. Now, that sound is a winter classic if I ever heard one. Over the years, I have taken many pics of this magnificent raptor with all sorts of equipment combinations - SLR cameras with long telephoto lenses and spotting scopes with an assortment of cameras. My favorite shot, though, was taken with an old Televue refractor and a Canon Elan 35mm film camera. That shot now hangs in my living room.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Spotting scopes for digiscoping
Getting quality pics in digiscoping is very much the same as getting quality pics in any other type of photography - it's the lens or, in this case, the quality of the spotting scope optics. The digital camera used is much less of a factor. The best spotting scopes for digiscoping are models with ED objectives or other high grade glass objectives, just as the best camera lenses are models with ED glass or other premium performance materials. By the same token, spotting scopes with high grade glass objectives do not come cheap, just as quality camera lenses do not come cheap. Good spotting scopes with ED objectives usually begin in price at about $600 and go up quickly from there.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Winter optics
The sight of Orion and Canis Major in the evening sky tells me it is winter as surely as the crunch of my bicycle tires on the snow and ice of our streets as I pedal to work. For me, winter is a solitary time. My astronomy sessions are simple things - just me, my binoculars and the wonders of the sky and, as for my bicycling, the sight of another biker braving the elements is a rare, but pleasant thing. Despite the feeling of permanence that temperatures in the single digits bestow on the landscape, I know that I will soon be dusting off the spotting scope for the beginning of the spring waterfowl migration in just another month. Despite the clouds, it has been a pretty winter for us, with enough snow cover to make for some nice scenery and memories. Stay warm.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Cold weather tip for binoculars and spotting scopes
One of the issues we experience when using optics in cold weather is the extreme change in temperature that our binoculars, spotting scopes, cameras or even telescopes experience as we go back and forth between cold air outside and warm air inside a car or house. Not only does this cause condensation to form on the equipment, it also is very hard on seals, which may lead to internal fogging of optics (a good reason to opt for waterproof models - they have better seals). One of the tricks I learned long ago to combat moisture condensing on an optic, is to keep a zip lock bag with me and place the binocular, camera or spotting scope inside the bag before going back in the house. Then, leave the optic in the bag until it return to room temperature. That way, any condensation that forms will form on the outside of the bag, not the equipment. Telescopes are more of a challenge, of course, but even placing an old towel or tarp around the optical tube before taking the scope back in the house will help.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Urban Owls
Some Long-eared Owls made the local news in the Chicago area. Seems a group of them have stopped for the winter in a park in the downtown area. This is a real treat for area birders. I have yet to brave the traffic and travel to the city to see them, but can't think of a better reason to make the trip. Although I have seen Long-eared Owls several times in Nebraska, it has been a long time for this secretive owl species. Odd as it may seem, the downtown area, along the lakefront, is an excellent birding spot. Anyone traveling to Chicago for a visit or on business would be well advised to bring a binocular or even a spotting scope when near the lake. This time of year, you have a real chance of seeing some rare gulls.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Beyond a binocular and telescope
Oh what a glorious morning! I stepped outside in the predawn darkness to check the weather and was delighted to not only discover the temperature was pleasant (for a Chicago January), but also to see that sky was clear and full of stars. I spotted Ursa Major, overhead, and then traced the curve of the Dipper's handle to Arcturus and continued on to Spica, low on the horizon. Then, a bit later, I rode my bicycle to work in the predawn darkness and used Venus and Jupiter, peeking over the horizon, low in the southeast, as my companions.
You don't always need a binocular or telescope to enjoy astronomy, but what you learn with an astronomy binocular or telescope will carry over to many of your daily activities. That's what makes astronomy such a wonderful and worthwhile pursuit. Even after all these years, I am in still awed by a dark sky filled with stars. I am truly blessed. Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Telescopes for beginners
When choosing a telescope, a common beginner's mistake is to be a bit short-sighted about what there is to see in astronomy. The objects that draw most beginners to astronomy are planets and that is understandable. Planets get most of the publicity with the general public and who doesn't love to look at the rings of Saturn? The objects, though, that typically sustain an interest in astronomy beyond those first few outings are usually deep-sky objects - star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. After all, there is only so much to see with Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, whereas there are literally hundreds of deep-sky objects to pursue. I suspect this is one reason why most beginners quickly develop "aperture fever" - the urge to buy a bigger telescope once they've begun to explore beyond our solar system. For these objects, the name of the game is telescope aperture - size of the lens or mirror. Buy the biggest telescope you can afford that has the features that you want (careful here - portability may be an important feature) is always good advice for a beginner that wants a telescope than can reach out there for the faint stuff.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Telescopes for the moon
The skies finally managed to clear out in the early morning hours. On the way to my car, just before 6 AM, the crescent moon was absolutely breathtaking and made a nice pair with brilliant Venus low in the southeast. For those brave enough to tackle the cold and get up early, a crescent moon is one of the best phases for observing fine detail and, as such, makes an excellent target for all those new Christmas telescopes. Better yet, a crescent moon is not so bright as to keep you from observing a lot of brighter deep-sky objects. Get you astronomy binocular or telescope out and see the show! While you are up, you can also make coffee for everyone else. I take mine black.
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Riding a bicycle as my only means of transportation means I have to be ever conscious of size when choosing my optics. There is only so much size and weight you can manage on a bike, especially on the road bikes I so love. This means that, as much as I would love to get back into SLR cameras and photography, I will no doubt go the small digital point and shoot camera route again this spring for my camera. Small digital point and shoot cameras are so darn good these days, I have a hard time not using one and, for my digiscoping, I consider a small digital point and shoot camera to be essential. Going small is also the only way I could have managed to get pictures on all the many thousands of miles I ride on a bicycle every year.
Like most birders, I have been eagerly awaiting spring and, since I will do nearly all my birding from a bicycle this year, I need to find an ultra light spotting scope, but one that offers premium performance. So far, my first choice is the Kowa 603 with the Kowa Z9B, 20-60 zoom eyepiece. At 25 ounces, the Kowa 603 is about as light as it gets in a 60mm spotting scope and optics are terrific. The spotting scope will go in my messenger bag and a lightweight tripod will go on my bike rack. With my cyclocross bike, there are very few trails I cannot negotiate or birding spots not within my reach. I am looking forward to a great birding year, but this year, all my birding will be green! No carbon footprints with this gal.
"The best telescope is the one you use the most," is a saying we use in astronomy to warn people that size and weight of their telescope are features to be considered, carefully. While telescope size, in terms of the diameter of the lens or mirror remains the primary factor in telescope performance, that same size can work against you if it is so large as to make you hesitate to use your telescope. Horror stories in amateur astronomy abound concerning ambitious astronomers who purchased a jumbo telescope, then stopped using it because they couldn't deal with the time and effort required to set the telescope up for a night of observing. Better a grab and go telescope that gets used than a giant telescope that does not.
Okay, it's a bit early to be thinking of spring migration, but most birders will be thinking along those lines, soon. By late February, most locations begin to see a glimmer of the waterfowl movement and by March this group of birds is very active. If you've been thinking of adding a spotting scope to your list of birding tools - and you should if you want to get serious about waterfowl and shorebirds - this is the time to start shopping. Later in spring, many of the popular spotting scopes used by birders are in short supply. By shorebird season in April and May, you should already have your spotting scope and know how to use it effectively. You should be birding, not shopping, when those precious days come our way, again.
Need something to study under that new microscope you got for Christmas? It's a little hard to find microscope specimens when there is ice on ponds and lakes, but anywhere you can find open water in the winter, you can find some fun targets for your microscope. I often stop by a park that has a damn on a river with a pool below it that rarely freezes, even in the coldest weather. I then take a small jar and scoop out some of the bottom sediment along with some water, take it home and allow it to warm up overnight. That gets the microorganisms moving. After that, just a matter of placing a small (and I do mean very small) drop of water on a slide that has some of the sediment in it. If you don't see anything moving, try making another slide. The key is to dig in the bottom sediment. That's where microorganisms like to hide.
What is my favorite place to bird? Actually, I have no specific favorite place, but I do have a favorite type of place to go birding. I guess it's part of my prairie upbringing, but I never quite as happy as when I am out on the marsh with a good spotting scope and binocular looking for shorebirds, waders, waterfowl and the like. I have spent entire days, from sunup to sundown, on a marsh, just totally immersed in the life around me. Marshes are such sensual places that go beyond mere visual treats. A marsh is also alive with sounds and smells and, on most occasions, I have a breeze, gentle or sometimes quite strong, to keep me company. I have enough memories of days on the marsh to keep me smiling for the rest of my days. Oh, how this city bound girl misses her marsh.
Just a word of advice for beginners who got a new telescope for Christmas. You should first align the finder scope before using the telescope. This is going to make life much easier when you get out under the stars and start pointing the telescope at objects. I like to do this chore by day, so I have more light to see. I then fine tune at night as needed. Remember, though, you must use a daytime object that is at a great distance, preferably on the horizon. Something a block away will not do. For more information on how to use your new telescope, see my article, Telescope FAQs.
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