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  1. J

    Explorer 8x42 Review

    Hi Lee, Thanks for this review. I'm still looking around for some reasonably compact first bins for my son He's quite big for 9 years old and growing fast. These sound,on the face of it, a nice choice for a good first purchase. Any thoughts?
  2. J

    Spurn or Flamborough?

    It looks like easterlies are expected later in the week and I happen to have rare spare time on my hands Thursday and Friday. Any suggestions as to which of the two sites, Flamborough or Spurn (or anywhere else in Yorkshire for that matter) might be likely to attract most interest and whether...
  3. J

    New nest box, new bird

    I received a silver birch nest box as a present last year. We have a patch of oak woodland as part of our land so I put the box up on one of the trees along with several existing standard boxes. Over the years we've only ever had blue tits nest. With this new style box a new species has come...
  4. J

    First bins ideas

    Thank you all. That's given me a few ideas. Don't know much about the Sightron but I think it might be a toss up between that and the Opticron Discovery. I'm impressed with what people say about the value of the latter and we have an Individual nearby which seem to specialise in that brand...
  5. J

    First bins ideas

    My nine year old son is getting more and more interested in birding and now often comes out on trips with me. He's making do with some old Zeiss Jenoptem 8x30s which have seen better days. I think he could do with some decent bins of around the same magnification. I'm looking at £150 to £200...
  6. J

    South Cornwall in August

    If you can get over to Penzance there are some great pelagic trips available. On an average day I saw a good range of Shearwaters as well as Wilson's petrel and a pod of dolphins for good measure. Porthgwarra and Pendeen if you've even more time.
  7. J

    Greetings from Hong Kong

    Thanks so much for this list. I'll have a look at some pics of these species and see if I can remember any of them though it's now a long while ago I was there. In a few years time I'll be retiring - HK and China are up there in places I'd love to re-visit. Thanks again, Julian
  8. J

    Greetings from Hong Kong

    Hi Colin, Welcome to BF. I used to live in HK in the 80s but at a time when I wasn't actively birding, something I now regret. I lived for a month or so in Said Kung then for a further year out in Discovery Bay. I'm just interested to know what common species I might have seen in either of...
  9. J

    Certainty and doubt

    Just a couple of other points. My pressure to id is self-driven as I'm a bit of a lone birder. For many there seems to be something very competitive which could be a reason for mistakes. I love seeing a new bird but like to see it well if at all possible. I don't like uncertainty so probably...
  10. J

    Certainty and doubt

    I'd say the primary factors for all your questions would be character/personality but mainly experience. While I've been birding for over 40 years I'm very cautious about any uncertain ID and will normally try for a second opinion if others are around particularly if they're more used to the...
  11. J

    Todays Quality

    I bought my 8x42 are a couple of years ago. My state of thinking at the time was that for at least the next couple of decades the pair I would choose would be my main and probably only pair. Am I just very lucky in having accessible retailers within reach? I did have to drive for an hour or...
  12. J

    Help with Nikon ED 82 eyepiece

    Just a related question. I've been using the ED82 with MC30x EP for the last few years, really enjoying it. The DS gets talked about a lot more. Is this EP better aside from the fact it's digiscoping compatible or are they both much of a muchness optically?
  13. J

    Maven s.1 80mm or Nikon ED82a ?

    Don't know about the Maven, but five years of experience with the ed82a (with MC 30x ep) has been a joy. I know zooms take centre stage these days but the fixed 30x gives such a beautiful view that I don't think I'll be looking for anything else for a long, long time. Hope this one-sided view...
  14. J

    Yorkshire Birding

    Thanks Mark. Lovely pics. It'll be Spurn or Flamborough for me tomorrow though conditions don't look great for anything spectacular. But anything can happen in either place so I'll keep my fingers crossed!
  15. J

    Name that Bird

    So...pheasant, curlew, corn bunting, nightingale, spoonbill, kittiwake, toucan, kingfisher, nightjar, waxwing, nuthatch and magpie. Fun!
  16. J

    Name that Bird

    #4 only works if you drop GS from -ing endings I think. Prefer my daughter's response on previous...
  17. J

    Name that Bird

    Enjoyed this. Got all but the knight/wind one though my 13 year old daughter immediately said 'blue tit'!
  18. J

    Best Yorkshire seawatching spot?

    I have a very rare day off tomorrow and want to use it well. The winds look unhelpful but can anybody give me advice on where best to go for a day's seawatching (or general wandering around)? Maybe it's just a question of Flamborough v. Spurn. I tried to cover both last trip, saw very little...
  19. J

    Yorkshire Birding

    Hi - Advice needed on a good place to spend a day birding on a rare day away from family and work duties this coming Tuesday. I'm in Penistone and am inclined towards something coastal though winds look unpromising westerly in the forecast. Any thoughts?
  20. J

    Fieldcraft 2

    Thanks everyone. Some titles I know from the past and many years ago I read Gilbert White's great book. The diversion of the thread in an Oddie direction was entertaining. He gets a lot of bad press but I did enjoy that TV series looking at different areas of Europe and their birds. Shame...
  21. J

    Fieldcraft 2

    Hi - I asked for ideas on a good book to improve my skills as a birder a few weeks ago but despite many views, no one got back to me with any ideas. Part of the reason I posted is that I know there are a couple of publications in the US geared towards this, 'Better Birding' to give one example...
  22. J

    Fieldcraft

    I'm now into well into my sixth decade of birding with just a few years to go until I retire and hopefully get a little more time to devote to this passion. For all that experience I still feel I have so much to learn, even about the basics at times. I know it's all relative but I'd llike some...
  23. J

    10x42sf closeouts

    Welcome to BF! Love my 8x42 SFs. Focus wheel is silky smooth, a delight. Eye-cups are the hiccup but, being a wearer of specs, I never have them out so don't really notice them. I've tried all the other Alphas. All wonderful, but for pure ease of use nothing matches the SF in my opinion...
  24. J

    Ten targets for 2017

    Good thread that I should have posted on before. I like the ten birds but have seen none so far this year. Got my first Waxwings a couple of weeks ago - not hard as they seem to be loitering around every other supermarket car park in Sheffield. WF Geese have been up the road on various...
  25. J

    Antiquarian and collectable British bird books

    If you're in the area, Castleton in the Peak District certainly had and probably still has a fine we one hand bookshop which specialises in ornithology. I think I it's called Hawkridge's - plenty of interesting material there.
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