Haha, I've been bonding with a lot of my birding friends lately over our shared dreams/nightmares about finding rare birds and not being able to document them. Usually I spend the whole dream fumbling with my lens cap and then taking a photo of the wrong bird.
haha makes me happy to know I'm not the only one. The nightmare used to be that I couldn't find my camera, now it is that I have my camera but it doesn't work...
Nice video, Doug! Just stumbled across your channel, subbed and will share with other birding friends here in Kentucky! Looking forward to watching more. BTW, agree on the JBL Clip 4. I lead bird walks on Sundays in the spring at Mammoth Cave NP as a volunteer, and that little speaker gives folks a chance to see some birds they wouldn't otherwise see. Looking forward to your video on the ethics of using it. I always stress to my group that playback should not be used for long and probably not any once the birds are getting on territory for breeding. Sometimes, just 30 seconds of a mobbing call in late March with Eastern Screech-Owl, and 15-20 species of warbs and vireos pop out of hiding!
I've had Swaro ELs for about 20 years now. If you can afford alpha-classed bins, definitely, definitely treat yourself. Most of these are so good that realistically they will last your lifetime without a need to upgrade. If I spread out the costs of my bins over the amount times I have used them, the cost would come out to pennies a day, if not less. Will I ever get a new pair? The advances in optical technology would need to make a massive leap first. But honestly, my older gen ELs will probably be around my neck when they close my casket and lower me into the ground.
Yes, great point. Seems like everyone should use a "divide by time used" in their calculation of if they should invest in high-end optics. Thanks for watching!
I would love to know more about the audio recording side of things. What are the qualitative differences between a parabola and a shotgun mic? I've used shotguns before to record actors, but I didn't realise they could be practical in a birding context.
binoculars are cheap, but they're also really annoying to buy. It is honestly only worth buying from the 5 or so brands. It is crazy the quality jump from my bushnell to my vortex despite them costing the same.
Agree. I lucked out buying the Vortex Viper HD 8 years ago or so. Got them for under $400 then, and absolutely love them. I keep finding myself tempted to upgrade to Swaros, Leicas, etc., but love the Vortex. Doug's comments here though make me think my next bins would be 8x something greater than 42mm!
I'm currently in Thailand, and it's common for birders here to use bird hides. Sometimes they will bait the birds with meal worms. Would love your thoughts on the ethics of bird hides and baiting.
Ugh I know it. I tested out the Zeiss DTI 4/35 last year and think about it every day. Seems like some other good (more affordable options) out there - let me know if you have suggestions. I think I need to upgrade my camera first, but thermal is next.
My son uses a Pulsar Axion 2 XQ35. It's a couple of years old and not top of the range, but does the job perfectly well. I bird the old fashioned way. We make a great team.
I always keep my binoculars and scope in my car if I'm not currently using them. I also recently bought a camera for documentation purposes, as I spend a lot of time in the field and tend to find unusual stuff as a result. I would leave that in my car at all times as well if I had the same confidence in its ability to endure cold weather as I have in my binoculars and scope. And, of course, can't forget the smartphone, which I always have on me.
Yeah I recently was out looking at gulls and found a banded one I wanted to photograph... Luckily I had left my camera in the car (hurray!) and then realized the cold had killed the battery (womp womp)
On the topic of digiscoping. This is something that improving technology has made WORSE! My phone will tey to switch between multiple cameras when I zoom in, ruining the work ive done to line up the lenses. All the worse when I'm digibinning. This frustrating phenomenon is the one thing spurring me to finally get a camera after over a decade of resistance.
So frustrating! There is a setting in iOS (in Record Video) where you can "Lock Camera" so that it won't switch _while_ recording. Doesn't help if you are just taking pictures, but that has saved me with a couple videos.
I love the concept of “everyday carry” instead of just a “gear guide” for birding. It’s the stuff you always have with you that’s important!
Thanks!
I think, that 7D mark II with 300 f/4L IS is still one of the best choices for bird photography!
I love it, but recently borrowed a friend's R7 and was blown away by how quickly it found and focused on birds in flight. Now I'm ruined.
Glad I got this recommended! Very useful guide as a birder since I always pack so much stuff in my car to prepare for birding 😂
Thanks for watching!
I'm rocking the Swarovski 10X42 NL Pures and they are absolutely amazing.
🤤
Just found your channel through this video, commenting for the algorithm and as a fellow birder 😊
Haha, I've been bonding with a lot of my birding friends lately over our shared dreams/nightmares about finding rare birds and not being able to document them. Usually I spend the whole dream fumbling with my lens cap and then taking a photo of the wrong bird.
haha makes me happy to know I'm not the only one. The nightmare used to be that I couldn't find my camera, now it is that I have my camera but it doesn't work...
Loved the quality video mate! Really an eye opener
Thank you!
Nice video, Doug! Just stumbled across your channel, subbed and will share with other birding friends here in Kentucky! Looking forward to watching more. BTW, agree on the JBL Clip 4. I lead bird walks on Sundays in the spring at Mammoth Cave NP as a volunteer, and that little speaker gives folks a chance to see some birds they wouldn't otherwise see. Looking forward to your video on the ethics of using it. I always stress to my group that playback should not be used for long and probably not any once the birds are getting on territory for breeding. Sometimes, just 30 seconds of a mobbing call in late March with Eastern Screech-Owl, and 15-20 species of warbs and vireos pop out of hiding!
Great video!
Thanks!
I've had Swaro ELs for about 20 years now. If you can afford alpha-classed bins, definitely, definitely treat yourself. Most of these are so good that realistically they will last your lifetime without a need to upgrade. If I spread out the costs of my bins over the amount times I have used them, the cost would come out to pennies a day, if not less. Will I ever get a new pair? The advances in optical technology would need to make a massive leap first. But honestly, my older gen ELs will probably be around my neck when they close my casket and lower me into the ground.
Yes, great point. Seems like everyone should use a "divide by time used" in their calculation of if they should invest in high-end optics. Thanks for watching!
Shout out Prostaff P3! My current pair haha.. looking for an upgrade in the future, but an excellent first pair for $150
I would love to know more about the audio recording side of things. What are the qualitative differences between a parabola and a shotgun mic? I've used shotguns before to record actors, but I didn't realise they could be practical in a birding context.
binoculars are cheap, but they're also really annoying to buy. It is honestly only worth buying from the 5 or so brands. It is crazy the quality jump from my bushnell to my vortex despite them costing the same.
Good point. Thanks for sharing!
Agree. I lucked out buying the Vortex Viper HD 8 years ago or so. Got them for under $400 then, and absolutely love them. I keep finding myself tempted to upgrade to Swaros, Leicas, etc., but love the Vortex. Doug's comments here though make me think my next bins would be 8x something greater than 42mm!
I'm currently in Thailand, and it's common for birders here to use bird hides. Sometimes they will bait the birds with meal worms. Would love your thoughts on the ethics of bird hides and baiting.
Great suggestion!
It's 2025. Don't forget the thermal imager!
Ugh I know it. I tested out the Zeiss DTI 4/35 last year and think about it every day. Seems like some other good (more affordable options) out there - let me know if you have suggestions. I think I need to upgrade my camera first, but thermal is next.
I forgot about this.... Would love suggestions if you have any!
My son uses a Pulsar Axion 2 XQ35. It's a couple of years old and not top of the range, but does the job perfectly well. I bird the old fashioned way. We make a great team.
I always keep my binoculars and scope in my car if I'm not currently using them. I also recently bought a camera for documentation purposes, as I spend a lot of time in the field and tend to find unusual stuff as a result. I would leave that in my car at all times as well if I had the same confidence in its ability to endure cold weather as I have in my binoculars and scope.
And, of course, can't forget the smartphone, which I always have on me.
Yeah I recently was out looking at gulls and found a banded one I wanted to photograph... Luckily I had left my camera in the car (hurray!) and then realized the cold had killed the battery (womp womp)
On the topic of digiscoping. This is something that improving technology has made WORSE! My phone will tey to switch between multiple cameras when I zoom in, ruining the work ive done to line up the lenses. All the worse when I'm digibinning. This frustrating phenomenon is the one thing spurring me to finally get a camera after over a decade of resistance.
So frustrating! There is a setting in iOS (in Record Video) where you can "Lock Camera" so that it won't switch _while_ recording. Doesn't help if you are just taking pictures, but that has saved me with a couple videos.