What did you see in your binoculars today? (21 Viewers)

[jafritten]

The yellow eyes are fascinating, unreal almost.

They are. I am in Europe, so I have never seen a Burrowing Owl. It's funny how they resemble the Little Owl. @AlphaFan Did you enhance the yellow a bit in post production?

Here's a photo of a Little Owl in Germany (I posted it in another thread a couple of days ago, that's why the resemblance occurred to me). BTW this is the first owl I spotted with my then new 7x42 UV+. The eyes are not as yellow, though.

 

[Richard D]

I saw my first Little Owl of the year yesterday - seemingly sunbathing on a shack roof. Can't resist them!

 

[jafritten]

I saw my first Little Owl of the year yesterday - seemingly sunbathing on a shack roof. Can't resist them!

Great! With its wings spread?

 

[Thotmosis]

They are. I am in Europe, so I have never seen a Burrowing Owl. It's funny how they resemble the Little Owl. @AlphaFan Did you enhance the yellow a bit in post production?

Here's a photo of a Little Owl in Germany (I posted it in another thread a couple of days ago, that's why the resemblance occurred to me). BTW this is the first owl I spotted with my then new 7x42 UV+. The eyes are not as yellow, though.View attachment 1490265

If i had to choose which bird i had to be….i would choose to be an Owl 🦉

 

[Belumat]

I just got back from a run on the forest trails above my house. On a spruce branch i saw an tawny owl a few meters away from me. We looked at each other for about a minute then i left without him getting scared. Great

 

[AlphaFan]

They are. I am in Europe, so I have never seen a Burrowing Owl. It's funny how they resemble the Little Owl. @AlphaFan Did you enhance the yellow a bit in post production?

Here's a photo of a Little Owl in Germany (I posted it in another thread a couple of days ago, that's why the resemblance occurred to me). BTW this is the first owl I spotted with my then new 7x42 UV+. The eyes are not as yellow, though.

Went back and made sure the pic attached here has colors untouched from raw image.

 

[Richard D]

Great! With its wings spread?

Not on this occasion - just leaning against the slope of the roof.

 

[mfunnell]

I've been keeping a cautious eye on my local dragons...

(Australian water dragons; watching through my new 10x40 SFLs before getting out the camera.)

 

[AlphaFan]

I didn’t realize that Macaws ran around loose in Florida.

There are small, wild-breeding populations of Macaws in South Florida, as well as a slightly larger populations of wild parrots and parakeets. However, it isn't wise to provide too much specific information about where they are found. Unfortunately, since they are non-native, Florida does not protect them and they are subject to poaching. Believe it or not, some unscrupulous people use all types of methods in attempts to capture and sell them as exotic pets.

 

[AlphaFan]

After several failed attempts was very lucky today and saw a Barrow's Goldeneye (lifer) - they are rare here on the USA east coast but one had been seen on and off the past few winters on the Maryland coastline. Sorry for the very long-range pics.

 

[Maljunulo]

Congratulations on the lifer.

Nice photos.

 

[Richard D]

I didn't really need binoculars for these fellas, they were almost running over my feet. Another group out on the slipway with three Purple Sandpipers darting between them. Apologies for quality of mobile phone snap.

 

[Robert Moore]

I took this picture today hand holding both my phone and 12x42 NL pure of a great blue heron.

 

[CharleyBird]

Hawfinch, rare here and usually shy. We waited an hour for him to arrive at the small stand of hornbeam trees then watched him feeding on seeds for about an hour, "resplendent in the winter sun".

 

[Tringa45]

Several Short-eared owls and Hen harriers (both male and female) on agricultural land at dusk between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm.
All the Hen harriers were observed in low-level flight and the best view of a Short-eared owl was of a bird sitting in the field, where my Kowa 883 offered the best compromise of magnification and brightness at 35x.
It was overcast and in failing light on the way back to the car I saw another owl in flight through my Swarovski 8x56 SLC, where I had not expected to discern anything. A binocular cannot of course improve brightness but with such large exit pupils there is often the uncanny impression of turning on a light.
Birders there with a Braunschweig (Brunswick) number plate had presumably travelled 350 km for the twitch!

John

 

[Belumat]

This morning I was watching a sparrowhawk on top of a fir tree. When it left I followed it with my binoculars and saw a goshawk further up. Following the goshawk at some point two buzzards also entered in the fov. Great observation made with opticron Aurora the favourite of my binoculars

 

[Robert Moore]

Tufted titmouse and White-breasted nuthatch, Northern cardinal. White - breasted nuthatch looked beautiful in the NL 12x42.

 

[murmeltier]

A flock of Tree sparrows in Tiolo, Valtellina. NL 10X42

 

[Belumat]

Almost thirty griffon vultures in flight and perched on pine trees at a fairly short distance. It was a great spectacle!

 

[Belumat]

Today I observed a goshawk hunting from the backyard. I think it was a male that swooped down on a collared dove almost like a falcon. Then he chased it around some trees and finally again in the open field. Eventually the collared dove managed to escape. The goshawk is one of my favourite birds.