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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Recent content by Ostracod

  1. O

    Juvenile Coopers? Southern California

    So consensus is a Coopers then? Hurray, I got a hawk right, haha! Minor miracle, that. I've got another one in the same tree from earlier in the day but only the back is visible so there is not much to go on. I may let that one pass. Anyway, thanks everyone for comments and direction. Craig
  2. O

    Juvenile Coopers? Southern California

    Sorry for the newbie question, but I have a tough time identifying hawks and I want to get it right before I log it on eBird. Observed this afternoon in a residential area about 40 miles inland from Los Angeles and 5 miles south of the San Gabriel foothills. Thanks!
  3. O

    Song Sparrow? Southern California

    Hi All, I was on a hike this afternoon and spotted this small bird flitting around on the ground and in the underbrush of a mixed live oak canyon at about 2,500 ft elevation in the local foothills. It was getting dark and the bird would not sit still for more than a second so this was the best I...
  4. O

    USA, Southern California, San Gabriel Mt foothills

    Thanks for the help and definitive answer. Its a humbling reminder of how poor an eyewitness one can be, haha.
  5. O

    USA, Southern California, San Gabriel Mt foothills

    That's a possibility. I don't remember seeing wing banding or yellow/green but maybe I was just too focused on the red cap and tiny, puffy stature. The internet pictures look more similar to what I remember than the pictures in my book. I wish I had stayed to take a picture but I wanted to keep...
  6. O

    USA, Southern California, San Gabriel Mt foothills

    Hi All, I'm trying to identify a small bird I spied when on an evening walk yesterday in the local foothills (about 2,500ft elev). I tried eBird and a book on So Cal birds to no avail so I'm hoping someone here can help. Perhaps it is a juvenile? Sorry I'm not a birder per se but have been...
  7. O

    Looking at buying an older Victory 8x32 T* FL (any recent changes?)

    BTW, I started a nearly identical thread back in September that you may find helpful. Good luck with your purchase. I really enjoy mine!
  8. O

    Looking at buying an older Victory 8x32 T* FL (any recent changes?)

    I have a pair (10x32) I picked up new (factory demo) a couple months ago. That piece does have a little bit of slop in it and can rotate back and forth about 5 mm.
  9. O

    Bino dealers in the countryside

    Optics4birding in Orange County, California has a nice little shop and a helpful owner. It's not in the country, but it is well-stocked and five steps to the front door presents a large, manicured parking lot (car park?) with a great variety of observing targets. Trees, flowers, grasses, mulch...
  10. O

    Possible source of veiling glare?

    Especially for something as condition-specific as glare, I would think that a direct comparison with a pair of known "benchmark" bins would be required for an observation to have much meaning, regardless of the age of the observer. That said, our eyes change as we age, although in different ways...
  11. O

    Nikon Monarch HG wins 1st Place in Field and Stream test of 13 new Binoculars.

    I agree with most here: too bad F&S felt it necessary to include a value parameter in the score when that is clearly such a personal issue. All they had to do was give the score (less the value component), the price, and the summary. I would think most F&S readers would be competent enough to...
  12. O

    New 10x32 Victory Bins Arrived Today

    Shrimpy it is, haha. Thanks for the clarification. I will add that FL in this model is for fluoride glass.
  13. O

    New 10x32 Victory Bins Arrived Today

    Good advice, thanks. Cash is definitely an issue, even with the deal I got on the Victorys. I have some astronomy equipment I want to clear out, so that may bring in enough to keep the Swaros. My wife has smaller hands so the Swaros might make a nice pair for her even though she would rarely, if...
  14. O

    New 10x32 Victory Bins Arrived Today

    I did not do a direct, head-to-head comparison with the EL as none of the retailers in this area stock the Zeiss. That left me with a "memory" comparison from when I compared the ELs and the Ultravids last summer. It's not ideal, I know, but I clearly remember the ELs still having noticeable CA...
  15. O

    New 10x32 Victory Bins Arrived Today

    Well, as-new, anyway. They are factory demo units that I picked up for 1/3rd off. I purchased them as an upgrade from my 10x30 Swaro Companions which had too much CA for my eyes. I've only had the Zeiss out for about 30 minutes of viewing but so far can't find fault with them. Just one of those...
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