Gear, Packs & Totes

Mountainsmith Kinetic II Recycled

Kingbirdfeeders.com is proud to add eco-friendly items from the Mountainsmith line to our product mix. Mountainsmith’s revolutionary process to recycle PET water bottles and divert them from landfills is truly visionary. These Mountainsmith products are made with REDURA ™, a soft polyester product made from recycled plastic water or soda bottles. Go eco-friendly when you go birding, hiking, biking, camping or touring. Mountainsmith packs and totes are versatile and convenient for carrying glasses, field guides, binoculars, incidentals, water and snacks. Mountainsmith products carry a lifetime warranty against materials and workmanship defects.

Mountainsmith Buzz II Recycled

Pugnacious Defender

This one has been vigorously defending my front feeder for the past several days, as hummers often do. Actually, it’s the males who are so bent on territoriality. The females, it seems, take advantage of these spats between competing males, sneaking to a feeder once a chase has led the males away.

This one also demonstrates the difficulty we sometimes have in identifying these creatures. It took a while, but several of us emailed back and forth pointing out attributes in support of our various positions. For one, the absence of color on the gorget caused some of us to speculate that this might be a Black Chinned Hummingbird. However, the head is not flat but humped as would be expected for a Ruby Throated Hummingbird. Also, concentrate on the wing in the foreground. Its longest primary (P10) is pointed. The tail is dramatically notched. Again, these suggest a Ruby Throat. Finally, habitat is a clue and we would be wise to pay attention to it. This specimen was photographed in the Lost Pines area of Bastrop, Texas. Black Chins prefer a more open habitat.

So, we conclude this is a Ruby Throated Hummingbird.

A Most Versatile Tool

Tools—our species is adept at creating them. We have so many things we want to accomplish and have active imaginations to create more. One thing we do well is find other applications for tools we already have created.

One such versatile tool is a pair of binoculars. Beyond its entertainment value, learned early in childhood, we use this item to explore our immediate surroundings as well as the distant plain. This even can be used to search the cosmos. So, if one searches the internet, one can find astronomy, birding, hunting, and sports binoculars.

What is the difference in all these? Truth be told, nothing. Really! The concepts behind each and every use are the same. Okay, I’ll admit that a hiker or a bicycler requires a binocular that doesn’t weigh much and would probably want a compact, while a pronghorn hunter might want something with a high powered objective lens. All that is admitting is there are different size and weight criteria. It does not change how the binoculars work.

On one occasion, a gift was made of a Vortex 8 x 42 Viper binocular. The first use was on a family vacation. During one evening, everyone sat outside on a hill overlooking the rolling hills of southwest Texas. The binoculars were brought out and everyone marveled at the Mule Deer spotted 300 yards away. The next occasion it was put to good use looking at the rings of Saturn. Following that, it was used to identify a phoebe near the barn. Same binocular; differently used.

Anyone looking for a great adventure consider a pair of binoculars. Put them to good use—all kinds of use.

Happy Fourth of July!

Photo credits:
Bill Ravenscroft & Roy Smallwood