Dear Rob and Tweeters,

A good tripod makes a big difference.

Back when I was birding with a beat-up old Bushnell
Spacemaster, I found a Wandering Tattler at Rosario. I
had just bought a nice Bogen tripod. It was a bit odd
having a tripod that cost more than the scope sitting
atop it. Anyway, along came another birder. She had a
much better scope than mine. For some reason, however,
hers was mounted on a cheapo camera tripod. I could ID
the Tattler in the Spacemaster, held steady as it was
on the Bogen tripod. The other birder could not get on
the bird, so I put her scope on it. Voila, the bird
was not identifiable even then. We finally took her
Kowa scope and put it on my tripod, and got a really
nice view.

I just spent a few minutes last night repairing the
legs on that Bogen tripod, which I am still using
today. I wish that I had got one with quick-release
legs. The little wing-nuts are a confounded nuisance
in the field, slow to loosen and tighten.

So, features to look for in a birding tripod include
the following: rock-steady stability (which often
means more weight than is ideal); quick-release legs;
legs that can be placed at various angles (for use on
hills and other uneven surfaces); a smooth-moving head
that allows you to let go and have the bird stay in
the field of view; size that fits the range of heights
of users.

If you have an angled-eyepiece scope, you can get away
with a shorter, and thus lighter, tripod.

Yours truly,
Gary Bletsch


=====

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

near Lyman (Skagit County), Washington

garybletsch at yahoo.com




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