April 6, 2006
Spring singers
My broken scope has apparently found its way to Leica HQ in Germany, and I'm still not sure when I'll be getting it back. In the mean time, I'm making do with my trusty old Kowa TS-611 which had been gathering dust at my parents'. Today was a beautiful morning, so I decided to have a stab at digiscoping with it. Black Redstarts (Rougequeue noir) are back in force on campus - one has been singing continually from outside my office window for about a week.
I was impressed at how well this shot of a singing male Blackcap (Fauvette à tête noire) came out.
Chiffchaffs (Pouillot véloce) seemed to be everywhere too.
My first Willow Warbler (Pouillot fitis) of the spring was singing too, along with Serins (Serin cini), Stock Doves (Pigeon colombin), a Firecrest (Roitelet triple-bandeau) and a House Martin (Hirondelle de fenêtre). A less welcome sign of spring was the emergence of several non-native Red-eared Sliders on the campus ponds.
A lucky 'grab shot' of a Long-tailed Tit (Mésange à longue queue).
Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised by the Kowa's digiscoping capabilities. I serves perfectly well for 'record shots', such as this Woodpigeon (Pigeon ramier)...
... although close-up I think it loses something in image sharpness and colour rendition compared with the (much more pricey) Leica.
On a random note, apprently this is my 300th blog entry in just under two years of blogging. I'm starting to feel old...
Congrats on joining the ranks of those of us who feel old....
Posted by: Alison at April 6, 2006 3:04 PM