Birding and Hiking or Biking Binoculars

The trails beckon and the birds await and you know you’re ready. The problem has been what to carry that is lightweight but capable of rendering a good sighting. Problem solved when you carry the Vortex 8 x 28 Fury. This binocular weighs in at a scant 11.8 ounces. It measures 4.7” x 4.5”—small enough to fold into a pocket. It’s compact, durable and the optics are great. It is argon purged for water and fog proofing. Silver coated, phase corrected prisms and advanced coatings deliver superb images even in low light conditions.

Consider this gem of a binocular for travel, too. Every airplane ride causes us to consider total weight of our luggage. Yet, the Fury won’t add enough with which to be concerned. And when you get there, you still will have a great time in the field chasing down those species not found in your neck of the woods.

Afternoon Raptors at Lake Waco Dam

Photo by Bryan Stone

A little after noon yesterday we headed to the Hike and Bike Trail at Lake Waco. We thought a little picnic and walk would be nice on such a sunny day. The lake is up quite a bit. From the dam we can see that half the pavilions at Airport Park are under water. All gates were open. The roar of the water released was evident from the parking area. The wind was up, too much for small songbirds to be out. However, the raptors were prevalent. Two Ospreys were hunting the area, one below the gates and one above the dam. Other birds spotted include three Turkey Vultures, half a dozen American Crows. Additionally, a Northern Harrier was sighted near the tree line in the field below the dam. One hawk gave us a little trouble identifying it. However, I can confidently say that it was a Fuertes’ Red Tail. It flew just over the dam where the gates are and headed toward the Airport end of the trail, proving us with a long and very good look.

October Visitors

This Praying Mantis was discovered lurking outside the front door, yet still near the bushes. These creatures are intriguing. They can sit still for hours, but are extremely fast when they attack.

The butterflies have not been plentiful this summer. It is good to see them now.

Well Equipped

Well equip your birder with an outstanding birder binocular, The Vortex 8 x 42 Viper. This binocular is excellent in low light conditions often present in early morning or evening when much activity is evident. Watching Short Eared Owls frolic across open pastures feeding at dusk is greatly facilitated by the light gathering power of these wonderful binoculars. The Viper has XD glass and XR coatings to enhance image resolution and color accuracy while providing extraordinary brightness. The Viper is argon purged to extend the useful life of the binocular while providing superb water and fog proofing. It is lightweight and possesses excellent eye relief.

Couple the Viper with a wonderful field guide like the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America and your birder is set for a grand experience. The Fifth Edition of this field guide is touted as one of the best guides on the market today.

Vortex Razor HD Spotting Scope

This scope is the latest entry from Vortex Optics into the realm of spotting scopes on the market today. Its design is for ruggedness and bright, clear images. It possesses a triple apochromatic lens to eliminate fringing and chromatic aberration. This scope comes equipped with dual focus. Here is what Bird Watcher’s Digest has to say about the new Vortex Razor HD Scope.

“Truly comparable to high-end European-made scopes, the Vortex Razor amazed us when we compared all the top scopes for our review in Bird Watcher's Digest (to appear November, 2009). This is a beautifully designed, bright, sharp, rugged scope. It comes with a 20-60 power zoom eyepiece. Angled-eyepeice design. We recommend it highly. It's the only scope with truly high-end optical quality at a moderate price.”

So many features go into making this wonderful scope. The Vortex HD System plays its part in eliminating degradation of resolution and producing color fidelity. This scope sports ArmorTek—a new chemically bonded optical lens multicoat to increase light transmission, color fidelity and image resolution. High definition (HD) glass and a special optical element configuration provide unmatched edge to edge detail and accuracy. It is affordably price.