I spent a total of 18 hours this past weekend scanning the sky for hawks with my SE 8X32 glued to my eyeballs. Sometimes I find pupil alignment challenging with the SE, but this weekend the SE was pure, effortless pleasure. Birds flew very high on Saturday’s crystal blue skies so finding and tracking them was a non-stop challenge for optics and eyeballs. Sunday’s dreary cloud cover kept the birds low, offering everyone stunning eyeball to eyeball views that humbled even the most experienced birders. If you’re interested in numbers, the tallies are at:
Saturday 9/24
http://hawkcount.org/day_summary.php?rsite=399&rmonth=09&ryear=2005&rday=24
Sunday 9/25
http://hawkcount.org/day_summary.php?rsite=399&rmonth=09&ryear=2005&rday=25
Additional observations:
8X magnification is sufficient for hawk watches as long as the optics deliver the goods. The SE’s remarkable clarity, perfect collimation, and lightweight delivered every kettle and field mark without the slightest hesitation. IMO, superior optical quality trumps magnification.
Some of the best spotters used inexpensive porro prism binoculars and never once discussed optics. They knew how to find and ID birds.
If you want a free hand tally counter that stops at 47, there’s one at the bottom of Bake Oven Knob.
John
Saturday 9/24
http://hawkcount.org/day_summary.php?rsite=399&rmonth=09&ryear=2005&rday=24
Sunday 9/25
http://hawkcount.org/day_summary.php?rsite=399&rmonth=09&ryear=2005&rday=25
Additional observations:
8X magnification is sufficient for hawk watches as long as the optics deliver the goods. The SE’s remarkable clarity, perfect collimation, and lightweight delivered every kettle and field mark without the slightest hesitation. IMO, superior optical quality trumps magnification.
Some of the best spotters used inexpensive porro prism binoculars and never once discussed optics. They knew how to find and ID birds.
If you want a free hand tally counter that stops at 47, there’s one at the bottom of Bake Oven Knob.
John
