BirdWatching In SpainBirdwatching comes natural in Spain. No less than 1226 square kms of its surface is covered with national parks. Some of Europe’s rarest birds are to be found in Spain. WHERE TO GO? Spain’s geographical location, forming almost a natural bridge between Africa and Europe on the one hand and the enormous diversity of climates and landscapes on the other hand explain the vast numbers of birds that can be found here. No less than 456 different species are quoted, some of the species having their last European sites in Spain (Purple Gallinule, Marble Teal and White Headed Duck to name just a few)
9 RULES FOR BIRDWATCHING WITH RESPECT1. Take care not to disturb either the birds or their habitat. Walk softly on the land.2. Stay on established pathways and keep motor vehicles on established roads and parking areas. 3. Avoid harassment; don’t disturb birds that are nesting or their nesting areas. Do not handle eggs or young or tarry too long at a working nest. 4. Don’t over-use playback tapes or screech owl recordings to call birds in. 5. Don’t trespass on private property. Respect landowner’s rights to privacy. Always ask permission first. 6. If looking to find endangered species, follow local rules and regulations. 7. Avoid “tree-whacking” to arouse cavity dwellers. Undue disturbance may cause the bird to abandon its nest and young or even kill young inadvertently in an attempt to escape. 8. Divide larger groups of people into smaller, more manageable numbers. Small groups cause less disturbance. When possible, car pool. 9. Leave no litter or trash. Pack your garbage out of wilderness areas. Ingested items can kill: “Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints”. OPTICALSThe following section was made by the people over at Eagle Optics for birdwatching They have many years experience with optical equipment and how it all works in field conditions ( Since 1986!). Their staff is an assortment of birders, hikers, butterfliers, kayakers, travellers, hunters and sports fans. Knowledge of product and application is what makes them your best source for information. Plus they are a proud member of the Better Business Bureau Reliability Program.Choosing Binoculars for Birdwatching Choosing binoculars, not only for birdwatching is the most important decision you will make . Whether or not you ultimately purchase a spotting scope, your binoculars will be a part of every birdwatching experience. They will be your window into the world of birding. Making an informed decision now can prevent years of unhappy performance. What size binocular do you prefer? Full-size binoculars offer the greatest light gathering ability and over-all optical performance. Larger objective lenses and prism blocks allow for greater exit pupils, providing brighter, sharper image quality. Typical full-size configurations include the 7x35, 7x50, 8x40, and 10x40 models. Compact binoculars are much more portable than full-size models and may even fit into a purse or coat pocket. Smaller objective lenses limit the light gathering ability of the binocular, but may be ideal for day events. Examples of compact configurations include 7x21, 8x25, and 10x25 models. How much magnification do you need? Higher magnifications of 10x (“ten power”) or more will help when observing at longer distances in more open terrain. When viewing raptors, waterfowl, and large wildlife, the extra magnification will give you more detail. Keep in mind that this extra magnification requires a steady hand. However, compact binoculars are so light that it takes very little hand tremor to affect your view. Lower magnifications of 7x or 8x work equally well in all terrain and in a wide variety of situations. The fields of view are wider and images tend to be brighter. Wider fields of view make birdwatching easier to follow fast moving birds in thick woodland environments, scan for animals from a distance, and to follow action in sporting events or at the theatre. Low magnification in compact binoculars provides a much steadier view. Do your binoculars need to be waterproof? Binoculars are made to be used in the field. Most standard binoculars will stand up to light rain and humidity, but if you plan on extended use in bad weather, or if the binocular could be submerged, then waterproofing is suggested. Waterproof binoculars are becoming more popular and cost-effective as more people push into extreme outdoor situations. They are good for boaters, backpackers, hunters and birders that brave the elements. Waterproof optics are literally submersible and any water damage would be handled under the manufacturer’s warranty. If waterproofing isn’t necessary, then you can find good optical quality at considerably lower prices. Water-resistant optics will handle occasional splashes, but are not submersible. Will you wear eyeglasses or sunglasses? Many models of binoculars will allow you to view in comfort while wearing eyeglasses. These binoculars have a feature, known as long eye relief, that allows you to see the full field of view. In order to take advantage of this feature, you roll back, twist in, or pop down the rubber eyecup. Consider models with at least 15mm of eye relief. Special considerations for eyeglass wearers: If you have moderate to severe astigmatism, you will need to wear glasses for serious observing. If your eye correction is for near or far sightedness, then the binocular’s focusing travel will usually accommodate for these conditions and you won’t need to wear your eyeglasses. Out in the field you will generally use the naked eye to locate birds before looking through your binoculars and, while not optically necessary to keep the glasses on, it is much easier to do so. Constantly taking your glasses on and off is not only frustrating, but it will slow you down when tracking fast moving birds. WHAT IS DIGISCOPING?By Mike McDowell Digiscoping refers to a revolutionary method of photography using a digital camera connected to a field spotting scope mounted on a tripod. (Birdwatching and photography go hand in hand). With the combination of high magnification through the spotting scope’s eyepiece, plus the zoom of the digital camera, a long focal length can be achieved. This is precisely what is needed to get “close” to wildlife in order to capture great nature photographs. Additionally, the digital format can render extremely high-resolution detail. Ideal for birdwatching. If you have ever researched prices on long focal length telephoto lenses, chances are you were mortified at their high price tag. Depending on the manufacturer, you can expect to pay five thousand to twenty thousand dollars or more on a quality telephoto lens. Getting started in digiscoping will still require an initial investment, but chances are you may already own some of the equipment. What kind of investment in equipment am I looking at to digiscope? Field Spotting Scope $400 to $1,500 Field / Camera Tripod $100 to $230 Digital Camera $400 to $600 Digiscoping Adapter / Mount Not required, but around $100 to $180 Personal Computer Not required, but adds convenience. Image Processing Software Not required, often included with camera. Birdwatching Scope The field birdwatching scope is essential. This is your light gathering / telephotographic instrument. The disparity in price generally reflects the quality of glass, but I have digiscoped with spotting scopes at each end of the price spectrum and have achieved great results. Field / Camera Tripod A sturdy field tripod is also essential. Many birdwatching scopes weigh 40 ounces or more and cannot be hand held. Because of the weight and high magnification, the unsteadiness is too extreme to control for photography without a tripod. Digital Camera Just about any digital camera can be used, but many digiscopers favor the Nikon Coolpix series, specifically the 995 model for birdwatching purposes. It has 3.34 mega (million) pixels to offer extremely high-resolution shots, and perhaps its best feature is the swivel LCD monitor so you can rotate it away from sunlight in order to focus your shot. Another useful feature is its internal zoom that helps make it easier to connect to a birdwatching scope via a digiscoping adapter. Images are stored on small memory discs (Compact Flash, Smart Media Cards and Memory Sticks). While a single memory card is usually included with the digital camera, carrying extra larger storage capacity cards in the field is recommended. Digiscope Adapter / Mount Digiscoping under bright lighting conditions means you can obtain a fast enough shutter speed that even holding the camera against the scope’s eyepiece with your hand is possible. But eventually, you will want to photograph in other lighting situations that require slower shutter speeds. In this case, holding the camera with your hand will create too much unsteadiness and your photograph may be blurred. The solution is to use an adapter that connects your camera to the spotting scope. Additionally, the adapter can make tracking a photography subject more convenient as you pan the scope. Personal Computer A personal computer isn’t absolutely required, as you can bring your compact flash discs to a local photo developer who can make prints directly from the disc. However, with a personal computer you can upload your images and post-process them with software. This will give you the freedom and ability to make enhancements in color saturation, brightness and contrast, sharpen or blur, even crop and re-size your images. Digital cameras generally connect to a personal computer via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. All new computers have these, and computers up to four years old most likely have one. What are some advantages of digiscoping over telephoto/film setups? Perhaps the greatest advantage of digiscoping is receiving immediate feedback on the picture you’ve just taken. You can tell right away if you captured the moment or not, deleting undesirable shots. You can make any necessary adjustments and fire off another salvo of shots without the worry of wasting film. Digital cameras are much more sensitive to light than standard film cameras. Generally, you can capture more images on a single compact flash memory card versus a roll of film. Your birdwatching scope can be used as a great observational tool as well as a telephoto lens – dual functionality. Digital pays for itself over time by eliminating or reducing cost of film and processing. For example, I’ve taken nearly 3,000 images with my digital camera in five months. Dividing by 24-exposure roll of film and multiplying $8.00 processing fee is $1,000.00 I didn’t have to spend on film developing! What are some disadvantages of digiscoping? Digiscoping doesn’t work well for capturing fast action shots. The magnification is generally so high that it is fairly difficult to aim the spotting scope and digital camera at a moving object. Although it varies from one digital camera model to another, there is often a slight delay between the time you press the shutter button and the shutter actually trips. This can lead to an odd photograph of a twig with nothing perched on it as the bird has since flown away! Not much of a birdwatching experience to show for. If you own a personal computer you understand that technology rapidly becomes obsolete. With the advent of digital cameras, a veritable computer, we can expect frequent “new and improved” camera models to hit the market. The rechargeable battery can run out in several hours of heavy use. Solution: Buy a back-up battery!Thanks to Eagle Optics for this great chapter. For more info you can go to Eagle Optics , they know what they are talking about. Return from Birdwatching to Spain Holidays Advisor |