A Bird in Hand is Worth More Than Two in the Bush

"A bird in hand is worth two in the bush"- A very well known quote among birders world wide and one which I never really quite understood until I tackled the highveld grasslands with Mark and Alisha Kirk with our main purpose being to target, capture and ring some owls.  When speaking to birders, in particular birders who keep lists, they will continuously make reference to the fact that once the listing bug bites it bites hard, now this I learnt the hard way (not that I'm complaining) however I didn't think that there was another type of bug which I had to keep my eye open for and that's the 'ringing bug'.

Belonging to various birding groups on Facebook and having friends who are involved in the art of bird ringing (I say art because it is exactly that, an art which one cannot simply learn at the drop of a hat but instead a practice which needs to be perfected through hours spent in the filed being mentored by experienced ringers, learning the 'tricks of the trade' per say) themselves it was inevitable that my news feed would be filled with posts of birders sitting in weird and wonderful localities from across the world holding some or other exotic species of bird in the famous "ringers clasp" and posing ever so nicely, bird in hand, with a smile of pure joy and excitement along with the words "I'm doing all of this whilst you sit behind your office desk in the city"...Ok so maybe this text wasn't present at all but we all know the mind tricks which jealousy plays on us!

The South African Bird Ringing Unit (SAFRING)

With the picture of a friend of mine holding a Snowy Owl in hand and another picture of a gentlemen in India having just rung an Indian Pitta I fought back the nausea and asked around for further information on how exactly I could go about obtaining my ringers license and learning more about this intricate art. It was through these endeavors which allowed me to get into contact with Mark and Alisha Kirk (two of only six people who have ever managed to record 800 species of southern African birds in a calendar year) being seasoned ringers having done extensive wader ringing on the coast of Namibia, along with various other localities, where in one night they ringed over two houndred Black Terns! Mark and Alisha agreed to take me under their figurative wing and help mentor me in my ringing quest.

So before I knew it we were off, making our way down to the southern extremities of Gauteng province to the highveld grasslands around the small town of Devon a well know location for a variety of owl species which include the likes of Marsh, Western Barn, Spotted Eagle and even African Grass Owl. We arrived in Devon and were welcomed by a crisp three degree Celsius breeze which resulted in jackets and the car's heater being put on faster than Bolt running the 100's.

Driving at a casual 25km/ph we scanned every single fence pole, telephone poll and road sign in the hope of the cars spotlights illuminating a feathered figure sitting, waiting and watching. After roughly 35 minutes and a few Owl's having been flushed from the road side verges, we finally got onto a single Spotted Eagle Owl sitting atop a fence poll. Immediately the excitement levels in the car rose to an all time high as the prospect of catching one of these magnificent raptors started to dawn on us. We cautiously ambled up to the pole with each inch gained our nerves reaching an all time high, concern that the bird would be frightened off and take flight. But caution and tactical driving on mark's part proved successful and we got into a reasonable spot whereby we would place the moudry trap; we did so making sure that the owl would be able to see the trap and slowly reversed making sure that there was enough space between the trap and our vehicle which would allow the owl to feel comfortable enough to fly down to the trap. We stopped the car, turned off the engine and dimmed the headlights awaiting the characteristic spring of the trap shutting (I would just like to stray slightly and highlight the fact that the particular trap used is in fact one of the most ethical methods of capturing raptors out there and is practiced by acclaimed professionals internationally causing the bird no harm).

My first raptor in the hand, a gorgeous young
 female Spotted Eagle Owl

The suspense kept on building as the temperature kept on dropping and after a few minutes passed, which truly did feel like hours, the grey'ish figure of the owl came gliding in landing mere centimeters away from the trap whereby it began the 'assessment' process whereby it examined the trap, all of it's features and the fact that there was movement in the cages trap. Generally speaking one is to wait until the bird takes the plunge but in this case we picked up the headlights of a car speeding along the dirt road just behind the horizon and thus we had no option but to switch the car on and drive toward the trap in order to rescue it, and force the bird to move off, saving both from an unfriendly encounter with the front of one of the local farmers cars. Just as we pulled up to the trap the owl decided it wasn't about to let his supper go so easily and hopped into the trap, springing it. We had him! It was into action as quick as possible Mark, and his son Sean, hoping out of the car to grab the trap in order to bring it to safety, I ran into the road backed by our vehicles headlights in an attempt to flag and slow down the approaching vehicle, thankfully it did just that and after a quick conversation with him expressing the purpose for our presence on their roads we got underway with 'the process'. Whilst Alisha started to set up the ringing station and get all of the equipment out and ready Mark managed to safely take the owl out of the trap whereby he gave me a brief lesson on how to handle raptors and then passing me the bird, ever so gently.

It was in that moment whereby I fully understood the quote "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush" in fact I wanted to make my own slight edit and recommend it be changed to "A bird in hand is worth five houndred in the bush" because holding that Spotted Eagle Owl in my hand, looking into those deep yellow eyes, you could practically feel the gears turning as it took in every single possible detail that it could, it's head constantly fixated on the person holding it and it's gorgeous feathers like silk against your skin. Having this beauty in hand allowed me to take in details which I had never done before whilst viewing this species in the field such as the shear size of its talons, "the meat and patatoes" according to Mark and undoubtedly a part of this bird which I most certainly didn't want to get on the wrong side of, a sense of empathy creeping in for the small mammals which these birds prey on. One was able to see that we were dealing with a young bird with juvenile plumage mixed in among new emerging adult plumage a cleaner, more defined and refined feather in comparison to the dull, worn, brown older feathers.

Immediately assuming the role of student listening to teacher the absorption of pure knowledge that was spoken among the Kirk family was imperative and crucial toward my learning, knowledge which isn't gained from reading books but instead from hours and hours spent working in the field and of course thousands of bird ringed. This was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my birding career thus far and I cannot help but allow the excitement for my next ringing session to start building up as it will provide an opportunity to appreciate the birds we often take for granted.

Spotted Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus)

                                               The ringing bug has most definitely bitten...

   

Optics Review: Vortex Viper HD 10X42

http://www.vortexbirding.com/

Binoculars: undoubtedly a birders most treasured and valued possession. A birder without binoculars is much like a swordsman without a sword, a jockey without his horse, a marksman without his rifle, a sailor without his ship or a pilot without his plane. A birders binoculars could very well be more important to them than any one of their limbs and to some they assume a role of importance higher than that of their wedding ring or motor vehicle. Binoculars are not only an important and crucial birders tool but an object which enhances the world of birding taking it to the 'next level', enabling us to view the worlds variety of avian wonders up close and personal, absorbing each and every detail presented to us creating a memory based photographic imprint which will store itself in the recesses of our brain until tapped into for our own pleasure as one reminisces about that moment in time when stuck in the office or the much feared bustling city traffic and thus it is imperative that a birder makes sure  he/she has the best pair of optics which they can afford so as to help them fully maximize their birding experiences and that's where Vortex comes in. 

Martin Benadie and myself

I was privileged enough to be powered by this incredible optics brand, in a joint partnership with Whylo Dostributors here in South Africa, for my 2014 Southern African Birding Big Year and what a privilege and honor it was having been sponsored a pair of Viper HD 10X42's which were presented to me by none other than Martin Benadie, close friend, optics ambassador and staff for Whylo, as we discussed my plans for 2014 over a cup of coffee at a local restaurant.                                                                                                     From the moment I opened the box right through until the moment I connected with my 800th species for the calendar year these incredible binoculars did not disappointment me once. Having started the year off with one extreme, more precisely, Namibia's scorching temperatures, dessert and ocean to tackling the extremely humid Mozambican forests this pair of binoculars came with me everywhere I went  whether there was a torrential downpour or whether I was out at sea on a pelagic trip, they did not leave my side.

Now reading the brochure and the variety of product information you may find on the internet whilst conducting research is all fine and well, and don't get me wrong is imperative when researching a new pair of binoculars, but one can only read so much and there is always this slight air of uncertainty as to how exactly your new binoculars will fair whilst out and about tackling the extremes or simply sitting and enjoying the birds in your garden, and thus the reason for this blog is a simple one, to recount my experiences with the Vortex Viper HD 10X42's so as to provide those looking at purchasing a new pair of binoculars with a personal opinion on the brand that is on everybody's lips at the moment, Vortex. 

Being a birder, and obviously one wishing to attempt a Big Year, it was crucial that I had a pair of binoculars which would be able to withstand the elements, a few bashes here and there (maybe more than a few with all the falling I did last year!), continuous use and still be able to maintain the same level of optical brilliance as it originally had upon taking it out of it's box. Now having read the brochure, box and having conducted research of my own I already knew that the Viper HD's were waterproof and fogproof but how reliable was this information on the brochure? The answer is simple, very reliable! Throughout my travels last year I found myself in situations whereby I got carried away with chasing a bird and the heavens decided to open thus resulting in a very wet, cold me, but not at one point did I have to worry about protecting my binoculars from the rain in fear of having them damaged, instead I was able to worry about which flu I was going to contract and how wet exactly the bar one chocolate in my pocket was and was it indeed still edible?....The answer to the latter was in fact yes, it was still edible, much to my surprise! 

The joys of having a pair of waterproof and fogproof binoculars are truly fantastic: Mess a bit of juice on your bins? Perhaps you got them a bit dusty whilst caught in a small dust twister? Drop them in the sand? Well it's simple, put them under some gently flowing tap water and give them a good rinse, that will do the trick and it is an incredibly nifty feature to have, especially when one is stuck out in the middle of the bush with no other cleaning alternative. You have nothing to fear, no fogging and no water infiltration, well at least not whilst the reliable O-ring seals are in place!                                                                                                       The quality of the lenses themselves is something to marvel at: HD extra low dispersion glass helps deliver impressive clarity not only in broad daylight but in overcast and low light conditions as well whereby performance is at an all time high. This feature was of particular assistance to me whilst I was down in Cape Town at Rooi Els. My year list was sitting on 699 species with 700 in reasonable reach, I was at Rooi Els with close friend of mine, Peter Sumner, with one target in mind, the South African endemic Cape Rockjumper. After over an hour of unsuccessful searching the sun had finally started to set having just disappeared behind the Hottentot Mountain's when all of a sudden I picked up on the distinctive call of a pair of Rockjumper's calling quite some way up the hill and with that I started my ascent constantly scanning to try and pick up on any movement. All of a sudden two dark figures appeared on top of a rock, their movement's matching the sound of Rockjumper's echoing off of the surrounding cliffs. I immediately started up the hill at a much more rapid pace and eventually had no option but to stop for if I had to continue I would run the risk of  losing the birds for good. I thus, sat down, rested my Viper's on my one knee and started scanning again, when all of a sudden I finally picked the two birds up yet again, this time the excellent low light performance of the Viper's allowed me to take in every detail of this absolutely incredible, sought after bird which just so happened to take the spot of number 700 on my Big Year list, and I wouldn't have been able to get a "tick'able" view if it weren't for my Viper's, fact! 

The rubber armor is more than sufficient protection and allows for a non-slip grip, especially handy for those wet situations and the eye relief provides both birders with and without glasses the ability to adjust the eye pieces to their own specific preferences. The locking diopter is an added benefit and will make sure that your own settings are not changed whilst making us of your binoculars. 

If there is one criticism I have regarding the Viper's it is the rubber covering the eye pieces. Obviously the continued usage throughout the year as well as the extremes I put these binoculars through it all proved to be a bit too much and toward the end of the year the glue worked loose and the rubber caps started to get loose and every now and then fall off. However, as mentioned, this was due to what I put these bin's through and I am sure that any normal usage of these optics will yield no problems at all and any abnormal usage of these bin's should also yield no problems and if it does, Vortex Optics offers a life time warranty on their products which covers everything with the exclusions of loss, theft, deliberate damage or cosmetic damage which does not hinder the optics performance, a warranty a birder will be hard pressed to find in any other medium priced optics brand. 

A proud Vortex user through and through and a brand I have no doubt will continually serve me well in the field and in my future birding endeavors for many years to come. Thank you to Vortex Optics and Whylo Distributors for the opportunity to represent the brand during my 2014 Big Year and I hope to continue spreading the word on this incredible optics brand, and in so doing, opening the eyes of fellow birders who will hopefully be able to experience, as I did, more than 800 species through some top notch glass!  

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