Category Archives: Digiscoping

Getting Digiscoping Tips

I have been corresponding with a blogging friend from Maine, Stephen Ingraham, who is a Birding and Observation Product Specialist for Carl Zeiss Sports Optics.  He knows a lot about digiscoping and in emails today, answered questions for me and helped out a great deal.  His advice on letting the camera do a lot of the work, using some of the automatic settings, make a lot of sense.  He also recommended this video, which while aimed at Zeiss products, is applicable to any setup.  I found it pretty helpful and interesting so I’m sharing it.  
I practiced a bit out back today and here are a couple of examples of how my digiscoping went.  I’m pretty happy with it and need to get out there and shoot.
It’s about time to head south

I’ve got an itch I can’t quite reach

Beginning Digiscoping

I took my scope up to Berlin Pond today – a local hot spot for waterfowl as the ice melts and later, for migratory warblers and a host of other birds.  I’ve been fiddling with using my old SLR with a DCA adapter but am trying a new Canon SD4000IS point and shoot to see how that works.  Right now, I’m pretty low on the learning curve.

Lots of stuff is starting to show up:  Canada Geese, Ring-necked Ducks, and lots of Hooded Mergansers.  I spent a lot of time trying to identify two ducks, which turned out to be Green-winged Teal, but who persisted in sitting on the ice all tucked in, probably resting for the next flight further north.  Several pairs of Mallards showed up and I got a decent shot of them, plus one of a goose parading on the ice.

It’s nice to work without freezing fingers so I think, as I practice, things will improve.  Stay tuned.

Whoopers

Yesterday, at the halftime of the Packers game, we decided to take a quick drive up to where the Whooping Cranes were last year.  We had not heard any reports of sightings and thought we’d check it out.

Sure enough, once we got on the street (more of a rural road),  there were a few cars and pickup trucks parked and I knew what had attracted them.  There were three Whoopers, a mom and dad along with a juvenile.  They were feeding about a hundred yards from the road and oblivious to the cameras and binoculars trained on them.

I took a bunch of photos but they were too far away for good resolution.  I got out my telescope and we got a good look at them — one had two leg bands on it and the juvenile was quite brown in spots.  Very elegant birds.  I tried to digiscope using my old Rebel XT and took a few shots when something flushed them and I lost them in the scope.

We watched them gracefully fly away, taking their time deciding where to head, and slowly head back towards the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge where most of their 175 western brethren are wintering.

Seeing them slowly recede to the Northeast made me think of the 2500 mile journey they took the fall from Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada.  They are protected at the refuge and stock up on blue crabs and clams — and next spring will launch for the return trip north.  Great birds — hope to see more while we are here.

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