Folks,
I have put off for years buying a scope, sneak-peeking through others' scopes or relying on a tour leader to provide scopes. Now, the opportunity to participate in the 2007-2008 fall-spring Seattle Audubon Waterbird Survey is a good excuse to finally get a scope. I am hard on optics, banging things into rocks in the field, so the upper price range $cope$ are not a wise or affordable option at this time. Eagle Optics is recommended far and wide as a reliable online ordering source. I have perused their website for options and see that they also offer pre-owned, refurbished scopes 'n related stuff. I have saved emails from many Tweeters across the years discussing various and favorite brands/models of scopes, zoom lenses, mounts and tripods and carrying cases, and tripod leg paddings, oh my, and I already feel weighed down. Help, please.

Kowa TSN-4 was highly recommended as was the Bogan-Manfrotto 3130/3221 tripod "kit." Items with these number notations are not listed for sale; numbers have changed. A 20x-60x zoom and a 60mm eyepiece seems to be a good start or is the standard, no matter what price range? Is there a local optics business to recommend as an honest source of used/older scopes and tripods? Can anyone suggest a 'starter scope/tripod set' that will allow me to adequately survey seabirds from the east Puget Sound shores. I hope to do my surveys along the Seahurst Park and, perhaps, Three Tree Point, in the Burien area. I think that budgeting up to $700 to get scope, lens, mount, tripod is what I can do right now for equipment that will serve well enough for a while. Advice/suggestions, please.
Thanks, Maureen
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Maureen Ellis, PhD, Research Scientist
Woods Lab, Toxicology Group at Roos 1, Box 354695
Lab/Office phone: 206-685-1938 Email: mj2ephd at u.washington.edu
DEOHS, SPHCM, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
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