Wish someone would invent a clear sky alarm that would wake me at night to let me know a clear sky has suddenly developed. It's so rare to get a clear sky around here that it seems a shame to miss any opportunity to do some astronomy. That's why I keep an astronomy binocular and/or a small telescope ready to go at a moment's notice, but I still need a clear sky to use them. Maybe I should stay up at night and start a clear sky astronomy service. I could give call to some of our local astronomers when there is a clear sky. There are a lot of telescopes and astronomy binoculars in the Chicago area and astronomers anxious to use them.

Last quarter moon is usually a sign to us astronomers to be ready for dark skies in the near future. That means getting the astronomy binocular or telescope ready to go. Around here, the skies seem to cloud up and clear off at a moment's notice. For this reason, the astronomer with small, portable telescope has the advantage. Maybe it's time for Joanie to be thinking a new Televue 76. It's small enough I could even carry the little Televue refractor over to the park on a dark night and, if need be, run from a mugger with the Televue dangling, safely, over my shoulder. Okay, just kidding. Don't want folks thinking that getting mugged is part of life as an astronomer in the big city.

It's as tall as a full-size binocular and almost as heavy. Size is definitely the first thing you will notice when you pick up the new Televue Ethos eyepiece. You also get that feel of Televue quality, of course, from top to bottom, which, of course, suggests that this Televue eyepiece is something special. It is. When one came through our location, I couldn't resist. Being careful not to drool too much on the Ethos, I rushed to the show room and put it into an old ETX-105. Okay, not exactly a rigorous star test, but enough to get a feel for a 100 degree field of view.

Even though Televue lists the eye relief at 15mm, no way could I see to the field stop while wearing my glasses. Not saying that the view was not impressive with my glasses, but I wanted to get the full effect, so off came the glasses. Wow! Like the Televue Nagler, the Ethos provided more of a view than my eye could take in at one time, but with the Ethos, the view stretched out to an unbelievable distance to either side and was amazingly sharp all the way. It's almost as if the field of view is wrapping around you as you look - definitely a unique feel and one you cannot duplicate with conventional telescope eyepieces. Needless to say, the effect at night, under the stars would have to be mind blowing. Soon as the sky clears, I intend to find out. Stay tuned.

Have had some telescopes which have been a good match for me and some that were not. All have been good telescopes as far as optics and features, but even the best telescope in this regard is worthless if you are not inlcined to use it. As I look back over many years of observing, I find that the simple telescopes were my favorites; Dobsonians when I needed a large telescope and small, premium grade refractors when I needed a small telescope. No computers, fancy mounts or complicated setup or electronics anything. Just grab the scope and start pointing. That's me.

The birds are moving through the area. This week, I have been seeing a great many early warblers with the usual Yellow-rumped, but also good numbers of Palm Warblers. (Love seeing the warm yellow, brown and russet tones of the Palm Warbler in a good binocular.) Have also picked up more sparrows in the binocular with a gorgeous male White-throated, a Swamp, several Lincoln's and Chippies. Out on the lake, through the spotting scope, warm weather migrating ducks, the Northern Shoveler and Blue-winged Teal are here. Can summer be far away? Seems like it was snowing only yesterday.

The most common question I get from folks looking for their first telescope is, "What would be a good telescope to see the moon and planets?", since most beginners want to start with these objects. My standard answer is that any telescope can see the planets, the moon, galaxies, star clusters and nebulae, but the larger the telescope and the better the quality the telescope, the more of these objects a telescope can see and the more detail the telescope will show in these objects. Price is a very good indicator of both size and performance in a telescope, so I generally recommend that you buy the largest telescope you can afford that has the features you want.

Forty miles an hour plus winds don't make for good birding, good biking or even good astronomy, but wind is a natural part of the spring landscape, so I am not complaining, especially after our record snowfall winter. High winds do give me an excuse, though, to seek a bit of shelter afforded by the trees by cutting though the Forest Preserve trail on my daily bicycle commute. Of course, a compact binocular or my monocular is standard equipment, just in case a gorgeous bird (they are all gorgeous, of course) makes an appearance. Only downside of this "shortcut" is that it is not so short by the time I have stopped and looked at all the birds. Gets to be even less of a shortcut when I carry a digital camera, but early spring wildflowers are beckoning, already.

High and thin beats low and murky, at least as far as the atmosphere goes for using optics. Out west, where I have spent most of my life, the air tends to be dry and the altitude high, making for perfect observing conditions, either for a spotting scope, by day, or a telescope, by night. Naturally, the first thing I noticed when I moved to the Chicago area (optically, that is) was the thick, humid air filled with smog and other fun stuff. Okay, less than ideal to bring out the best in a good spotting scope or telescope, but what's a girl to do?

With the canoeing season fast approaching, some folks have been asking about digital cameras for canoeing. Should I get a waterproof digital camera for canoeing, or just take my chances with a non-waterproof model? I have used both types of cameras for canoeing. As long as you confine your photography to land and carry your camera in a waterproof case, you can take a non-waterproof digital camera canoeing, but if you are actually shooting from a canoe, you will sooner or later drop your camera onto the floor of the canoe (often wet and water filled) or, worse yet, into the water. Just a matter of time, so the choice is yours.

Digiscoping (holding a small digital camera over the eyepiece of a spotting scope to take pics) is not rocket science and that is precisely its beauty. In the old days, we used SLR cameras, expensive adapters and dealt with sometimes complicated issues of metering and, especially, focusing headaches with SLR camera focusing screens never meant to be used at high magnifications. Digiscoping with small digitals eliminates most of these woes and, even better, allows higher magnifications than could be achieved with old spotting scope photography techniques.

I still get a customer or two that frets over the megapixel count in a digital camera, but most consumers are now educated to the fact that they probably have more megapixels in their digital camera than they can use, effectively, or need. Let's face it, most of us never print our digital pics; they remain forever imprisoned on our computers, to be viewed and emailed and enjoyed at our leisure. Since our computer screens have far less resolution than our digital cameras, the MP count on our pics becomes a moot point. The only time I will lose sleep over MP on a digital camera is when I am ready to make and print enlargements to hang on the wall and, since I don't have access to a printer that can print at 10 MP of resolution, that's not going to happen anytime soon. Besides, when it comes to hanging photos on the wall (I have many), I still prefer film. Hey, film cameras aren't dead, yet. .

We just added some Swarovski digiscoping packages to our website. The packages will consist of the superb Swarovski ATS and Swarovski STS spotting scopes, a high end tripod and your choice of a Swarovski digiscoping adapter. It's everything you need to start digiscoping, except a digital camera. Only choice you have to make is whether to choose the Swarovski DCA adapter option or the Swarovski DCB adapter option. That's easy, though. If your digital camera is equipped with filter threads or threads via an accessory bracket, the DCA is for you. On the other hand, if your camera has no threads - and this includes the vast majority of digital cameras sold, today - the DCB is your only option.

Added a Red-throated Loon to my year list on a recent trip to my local suburban lake. Definitely a loony year for me on this lake with this second loon species. Wow! Wasn't even a challenge in my little Nikon monocular at 5x, but again, would have preferred to have seen this bird in a spotting scope. Also added some Red-breasted Mergansers, so maybe I should be calling this a red year, too. As an environmentalist, though, I hope and pray this is not a red year, politically. No offense, but I don't think the environment can stand another red administration in Washington. Eight years is enough. (Hey, this is a blog, so I am supposed to get political, now and then.)

Heard, rather than saw, some Wood Ducks, as they took flight from some flooded timber as I rode my bike last week through the Forest Preserve, last week. Wood duck calls are quite distinctive and, once heard, you won't forget them. Is there a more picturesque duck? Not in our area, at least. I have spent many hours behind a spotting scope and digital camera getting pics of this duck, even back in Nebraska, a predominantly prairie state. All you need for Woodies, is a small stream and a little timber. For some really great pics, all you need is a good spotting scope and a small digital camera (digiscoping).

Was overjoyed to see a couple of Common Loons at our local suburban lake the other evening. Loons are uncommon migrants in our area and they are also birds of legends and the ultimate icon of lakes in the North Woods country, where I spent much of my youth. Through my Nikon monocular, or, even without it, the two Loons I spotted got my heart pumping and made me instantly homesick for the lake country. One of these days, I will remember to strap a tripod and spotting scope to my bike rack and do some digiscoping. Would have made some great pics. What was I thinking?

One of the things I appreciate about birding is that it is much less weather dependent than my other optical pastime, astronomy. Sure, we all love a nice warm day and clear skies, even for birding, but clouds and cold, rain or snow, it is always possible to grab a binocular or spotting scope and see some birds, even here in the big city. In fact, one of the most pleasant surprises for me when I moved herer several years ago is just how good the birding can be. Cook county and all of the surrounding counties set aside many acres forest and wetland habitat many years ago and we are now enjoying the benefits.

My local suburban lake finally lost its ice this last week and, just as I predicted, waterfowl quickly found the open water. I spotted quite a few Common Mergansers and a smattering of Buffleheads. Even spotted a couple of Horned Grebes - nice birds for my '08 list. All were spotted with my Nikon monocular and had I the time, I would have packed a binocular or spotting scope. The important thing is that the birds are on the move and active. So are the frogs. Happy to report that the Spring Peepers are going. Their calls are one of my favorite sounds of spring and of better weather to come.