iPhone Scoping

I'd tried a couple of attempts at digi scoping recently, and after a short period of experimentation I've opted to use the iPhone in preference to a standard compact camera. (The Dslr hasn't been retired!).

The advantage of the iPhone is that images or video can be uploaded direct from the field and, perish the thought, be skyped or facetimed live from the field when that gripping rare turns up!

Hand held images were ok, but an adapter was needed to speed the accuracy up - so here's a sample of what I came up with - the back of a hard case for he 4s, and a bit if creativity from a mate...

Picture 1 - the room with a view - scope aimed at the gable end near top if picture.

2 - iPhone through scope at *30 (minimum zoom)

3 - iPhone through scope at *70 (maximum zoom)

Good start / Good End

Headed to st. Mary's this evening for an hours sea watch before dusk. Arrived as most of the others had left, with only Mark L and Alan J on watch - first bird through the scope was a close-in Sooty shearwater!

Gannets predominated viewing, with lesser numbers of kittiwake. 25 Brent geese headed north and a few wigeon. Skuas seen consisted only of Arctic, while the highlight of the watch was almost missed by Alan, as a storm petrel fluttered north in line with the yellow buoy! The investment in the new scope is paying off...

Carbon Fibre Tripod - For Sale

GIOTTOS  YTL8253 Carbon fibre leg tripod

Y-Tube centre column design - 30% more compact when folded / lightweight for travel 

Graduated leg markings on each of the lower leg sections

Quick easy lever leg locking system

3/8" to 1/4" tripod thread to use with different tripods heads

& VH 6011-658D Mini Video Head

Great for DSLR's with video recording

Suitable for scopes & digi-scoping

Die cast aluminium construction

Independent pan & tilt locks

All original boxes / tools and instructions available

Cost new £239 August 2013

For sale £200ono - email or leave comment if interested

Waders and bits at East Chevington

After a failed attempt to get common rosefinch on the county list this morning (Seaton Sluice), I headed to East Chevington for a few hours.

The north pool was very busy, with the main quarry, white-rumped sandpiper on show throughout the visit along with a good variety of waders - 25+ ruff, 10 black-tailed godwit, bar-tailed godwit, dunlin, ringed plover, redshank, lapwing, curlew, 3 little stint, snipe, 1 curlew sandpiper, some fly through sanderling and redshank.

A few pintail were amongst the teal and a single black tern occasionally came down in front of the viewing area.

From the edge of the reed bed the spotted crake continues to show intermittently, but the star of the visit was a suprise bittern that walked along the edge of the eastern shore, crossing the "crake bay".

Tried some digi-images to mixed results...

White-rumped Sandpiper

Black Tern

Test from the field!

iPhone pic of Black tern at East Chevington...

Local chat

With the realisation that the coast would be chocca with charvas, I opted to cycle around Cramlingtons finer sights this afternoon - having missed the mornings marsh harrier at West Hartford it made sense to start there - no harrier nor sanderling / little stint, but compensation in the form of 4 whinchat and a single wheatear.

Onwards to Arcot and the belated addition of garganey to the bike list. Lots of teal, some mallard and a stack of coot too.

With the sun shingles it was then back home for ice cream. More later?

Evening potter

...to Tynemouth - greenish warbler calling occasionally next to the Haven car park and a pied flycatcher. A satisfactory day all in all, just a pity the booted wasn't available...

Booted off

News of the Booted Warbler at Hadston on Saturday came too late for me - experimenting with DIY had reached a point of no return...

Sunday commenced with another rapid response trip to West Hartford to collect the little stint that had dropped into say hello to the seemingly resident sanderling. Another great Cramlington year-tick.

Little Stint and Sanderling - an unlikely duo at West Hartford - picture through the scope...

With the biggy (smally?) in the bag, I headed up the coast - negative news already from Hadston, so I called into East Chevington for a decent couple of hours. The spotted crake resides, and at time has forays out into the open - chasing off snipe, redshank and teal while I was there.

A black tern dropped in and fed actively over the northern section of the north pool, while waders were complimented with spotted redshank and ruff.

Spot Shank - again through the scope

With the sun breaking through I headed to Hadston Carrs - no sign of the booted warbler, and a quick look to sea provided manx shearwater, gannet, arctic skua and hods of kittiwake.

Cresswell had greenshank, 2 spotted redshank, avocet and a ruff. Otherwise quiet.

Sprinter.

Tonight I RAN (yes, RAN) to see (twitch) a sanderling! Well done Gordon... A sanderling at West Hartford. 

Cramlington's first I think...

After spot

Headed up the coast for a couple of hours - 7 Manx shearwater off Snab, the up to Cresswell: lots to look at, with spotted redshank, 5 greenshank, common sandpiper, single black-tailed and bar-tailed godwit, avocet, 3+ yellow wagtail and a pintail...

Return to work..

The penalty for two weeks off work is the return, and it was with great dismay when the 04:30 alarm call went off today. More on today later.

The weekend consisted of light birding - Saturday was spent with Mark, visiting Arcot (Garganey still present) and then up the coast - no sign of any whinchat at Hadston, but a decent 3 spoonbill at Hauxley along with a wood sandpiper, common sandpiper and two greenshank. At Newbiggin, a minimum of 7 mediterranean gull mixed with the bhs'.

Sunday was meant to be spent out on the bike, but the cycle to a barren West Hartford was suffice to curtail efforts. 3 buzzard at Boghouses poor conciliation.

Monday morning and I'm back at work, and news of the delivery of a new Swarovski scope was sufficient to keep motivation levels up...

First trip out was to Arcot - again the garganey was present, along with water rail and common sandpiper. I didn't have any joy with shoveler, nor digi-scoping.

In the house, garden birds were a doddle with a compact camera hand-held against the scope... out in the field? nightmare! Perhaps the target was a little ambitious? Drap duck, distant, dull and windy (the weather, not me)... and uncertainties of camera settings to use. I eventually opted for manual focussing, and the first image is appended here... "could do better" perhaps is the comment to mark this shot!

Anyhoo, I'm not intending to digiscope with any real interest...

...but the option to do so would be nice

... any practical tips?

Digi-scoping aside, the scope is great - I've been scope-less since May and I dare say I've missed it...

Altitude

Patch birding had been put to one side as Mr and Mrs Sometimes headed to Switzerland for a week or so of hiking around Zermatt. This was the first trip that the "big camera" did not travel, instead opting to take the recently acquired bridge.

Birding was limited to the path side, and most anticipated species were seen, with exception of both Serin and Snow Finch (seen here on our last visit to Zermatt in 2003).

Highlights included a pair of Honey Buzzard residing in the valley, squalls of Alpine Chough on the mountain tops, a single Rock Bunting, Alpine Accentor, Western Bonelli's Warbler, Melodious Warbler, plenty of Raven (affectionally known as "pig birds" by the Mrs -  apparently thats what the call is like!) and loads of willow tit. Our last walk included a close encounter with an immature golden eagle, and raptor interest continued right to the airport with black kite, honey buzzard and peregrine all noted above the runways at Geneva.

The morning after we arrived back in blighty included a quick pitstop at Arcot - Garganey secured for the patch year list...

More spots

Another Saturday, more spotting spotteds... A crake today, with the elusive East Chevington bird on show for a matter of seconds! 

Whimbrel and black tailed godwit also present, while at Newbiggin I continue to not see roseate tern.