Hi Folks,
My name is Andy Francis, I do surveys for environmental impact assessment for wind farms. Part of the job requires plotting flight lines of birds on maps and estimating their heights at 15 second intervals. In essence this is very simple but when you think about it it's actually 3D trigonometry (which has also been said about catching a ball but its easier to know if you miss the catch!). For some reason, and in spite of the growing wind-farm development market, there is no information about methods and equipment for the purpose. I am trying to research the use of compass binoculars with reticule rangefinders (the ones with lines on which you use to measure the apparent angle subtended by an object) because laser rangefinders struggle to aquire targets at distances and are expensive. The main caveat in this method is that most compass binoculars lack inclinometers. Apart from laser rangefinding types the only model I've found with one is a 7x50 model with electronic compass that is made by Bushnell. I wondered if anyone has any experience of compass binoculars with reticules. I am hoping to engage as many bird workers as I can in discussing this matter and the methods they use to train themselves because this area of knowledge seems so un-discussed that there is practically no information on the internet and optics manufacturers don't generally seem to be making equipment for this purpose. I have attached a document for appraisal and feedback.
My name is Andy Francis, I do surveys for environmental impact assessment for wind farms. Part of the job requires plotting flight lines of birds on maps and estimating their heights at 15 second intervals. In essence this is very simple but when you think about it it's actually 3D trigonometry (which has also been said about catching a ball but its easier to know if you miss the catch!). For some reason, and in spite of the growing wind-farm development market, there is no information about methods and equipment for the purpose. I am trying to research the use of compass binoculars with reticule rangefinders (the ones with lines on which you use to measure the apparent angle subtended by an object) because laser rangefinders struggle to aquire targets at distances and are expensive. The main caveat in this method is that most compass binoculars lack inclinometers. Apart from laser rangefinding types the only model I've found with one is a 7x50 model with electronic compass that is made by Bushnell. I wondered if anyone has any experience of compass binoculars with reticules. I am hoping to engage as many bird workers as I can in discussing this matter and the methods they use to train themselves because this area of knowledge seems so un-discussed that there is practically no information on the internet and optics manufacturers don't generally seem to be making equipment for this purpose. I have attached a document for appraisal and feedback.
