• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Search results

thxpress_search_the_forum Search Opus
  1. Steve Gross

    Mystery Hummingbird - SW Costa Rica

    Any help would be appreciated.
  2. Steve Gross

    Costa Rica Nesting Bird?

    My initial guess on this bird is Wrenthrush. It was found on a rock face on the property of Trogon Lodge, near San Gerardo de Dota. Any other thoughts?
  3. Steve Gross

    GPS - Fairly low budget, good features for birding

    Anyone have suggestions for features I'd want on a GPS unit in the $100-250 US range and brands/models that offer those features? Thanks in advance. I'm at the beginning of my search and am open to suggestions.
  4. Steve Gross

    Guides in Veracruz?

    I have a friend who will be in Veracruz in the next two weeks, and she was looking for a knowledgeable, reputable guide. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
  5. Steve Gross

    Hummingbird ID, Lima, Peru

    A friend of a friend lives in Lima. The Lima resident sent out the following message. I'm hoping that birdforum members might be able to help her put an ID to the "mystery bird." "I've attached a drawing I did of an unregistered hummingbird I've discovered right here in Lima. It's hard to...
  6. Steve Gross

    XF vs. XW: Worth the price difference?

    I'm considering a wide-angle eyepiece in the neighborhood of 30x for my 65mm ED Pentax scope. Before I shell out the $$, I'd really like to know what the essential difference would be between the XF (very much in my budget) and XW (stretching the budget) eyepieces. Tell me all you want about...
  7. Steve Gross

    Pentax Repair Service

    I'm wondering if anyone has experience with the Pentax service department in the US. I'm thinking about sending my four-year-old binocs back to have the coating replaced on one ocular lens and the eyecups to be refitted/replaced, as they keep slipping down. Any comments on cost, turnaround...
  8. Steve Gross

    RFI Carara Preserve and Vicinity, Costa Rica

    I'm going to be near Carara Preserve in Costa Rica for a weekend soon, and am interested in as much detail about birding that area as possible, including information about: Guides - suggestions for well-qualified guides who know the area and its birds; Other - suggestions about travel tips for...
  9. Steve Gross

    Mexico City Bird ID

    A friend of mine was at a hotel in Mexico City this past January, and she saw this creature. I've looked through Howell and Webb, but cannot put an ID to this bird. Please help. My friend says that the reddish coloration was more of an orange, and the rest of the bird was a chocolate color (not...
  10. Steve Gross

    Potentially Sticky Wicket

    Preface to thread: I'm an American birder, but I spend a fair amount of time with British birders who live in the Houston area. I spend some brief time each year with Brits who come to bird the Upper Texas Coast during spring migration. (it's often those birders who find the really rare birds)...
  11. Steve Gross

    Downloadable Sound Files for Palm Device

    I've just begun using my Palm PDA for storage and playback of bird songs and calls. I've been able to use CDs to load most of what I need, but I've had trouble using files downloaded from the net. Specifically, I've had trouble with the formatting of the files. I've not been able to load .ram...
  12. Steve Gross

    Greater Flamingo on Upper Texas Coast

    For several days now, birders have been able to enjoy the presence of a Caribbean race Greater Flamingo. The bird is easily viewed from the Texas City Dike, a long jetty on East Galveston Bay. Over 200 interested individuals went to see this bird yesterday (Sunday), and the inevitable questions...
  13. Steve Gross

    A Dozen Yellow Rails

    Last night, I had the privilege of assisting with the banding of rails at San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, along the Upper Texas Coast. A previous evening of banding had netted (pun alert) four Yellows and one Black Rail. Eight or so intrepid souls accompanied a biology graduate student...
  14. Steve Gross

    New 30x eyepiece

    I just started using the 30x Wide-angle eyepiece for the Raven scope. I'm quite pleased at the general quality of it, preferring it over the original 20-60x. The exit pupil is not as wide as the more expensive scopes, but it's adequate. The sharpness is not as great as the more expensive...
  15. Steve Gross

    Coolpix 4300 questions

    We just got my dad (not a birder) a 4300 for Xmas. He has asked me to try and find the answers to a few questions: 1. What is the focal length equivalent in (35mm terms) of the 4300 with the optional teleconverter? 2. How water-resistant is the camera (he is a boater and would like to know how...
  16. Steve Gross

    400 Texas Species in 2003

    I've done it! My goal this year was to see 400 species in the state of Texas. Yesterday, that was accomplished. I was really sweating out the last 14 birds, but trips to varied habitats over much of the state (from the grasslands of NE Texas to over 7000' of elevation in the Davis Mountains to...
  17. Steve Gross

    Whooping Crane Population Reaches Record High

    This information was just released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: WHOOPING CRANE POPULATION REACHES RECORD HIGH The tallest bird in North America has something special to "whoop" about. The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge today announced the highest numbers of endangered whooping...
  18. Steve Gross

    Whooping Cranes: Triumph and Sorrow

    In case you have not heard, a poacher in Texas shot and killed a migrating Whooping Crane last Friday. I've attached a copy of the press release that was just put out, along with some good news. Here's an excerpt from the latest Whooping Crane survey conducted down the coast from me, in the...
  19. Steve Gross

    My Month in Arizona

    I had the wonderful opportunity this summer of volunteering at the Southwestern Research Station, operated by the American Museum of Natural History. In exchange for room and board, I did housekeeping work, helped with some of the research, and had a lot of opportunity to commune with the local...
  20. Steve Gross

    Western Swing (USA)

    I've just returned from a 18 day, eight state trip to the American West. From the Great Plains, to the Rocky Mountains, to the desert Southwest and back again, a friend and I saw 192 species, including 10 lifers for me. Those are listed first. I won't bore you with all of the details of each...
  21. Steve Gross

    Texas Coast Trip List

    Here's my trip list from a weekend on the northeastern section of the Upper Texas Coast. Most of the birds were seen at Sabine Woods, a migrant trap near Sabine Pass, TX. Others were seen in the Big Thicket, the piney woods area north of Beaumont. Misses include Bachman's Sparrow, Scarlet...
  22. Steve Gross

    97 Species on the TX Coast

    My friend Debbie and I went down to the coast today, hoping to find our lifer Yellow Rail at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. We dipped, but did hear a Black Rail. What follows is our day list. This was not a serious attempt at a Big Day, and we needed to be back by 5 p.m., so we did not bird...
  23. Steve Gross

    Wintering Hummers

    I popped over to a park on the SW side of Houston yesterday to get a look at the hummingbirds that have decided, apparently, to spend their winter there. Species seen: Broad-tailed Hummingbird (male): this fellow is quite vocal, and you usually hear him before you see him. Yesterday he kept...
  24. Steve Gross

    2003 Birding

    After two Christmas Bird counts and two day trips (I'm on holiday, as I'm a teacher), here's the bird list so far for the new year. I dipped on Groove-billed Ani and Purple Sandpiper yesterday, but the inland birding has been very good. Rusty Blackbird, Winter Wren (UK's Wren), three Vermilion...
  25. Steve Gross

    Texas Hill Country sightings

    Before the tremendous deluge we've had here, a friend and I were able to do some camping and birding in the Texas Hill Country for the last three days. I tied my friend Ken in TX this year with 346 species, the last being Cactus Wren seen just outside San Antonio. I took seven rolls of slides...
Back
Top