The Leica team is catching its breath after a great few days at this year’s Birdfair, which took place at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve from 21st to 23rd August. It was a busy few days: we unveiled a fantastic new product; launched a special offer on spotting scope package; […]
Read MorePost Tagged with: "Birdwatching places"
Split or Get Off the Pot: Genetics and the AOU vs. Reality?
„Surely one of the core virtues of birding is its independent, even anarchic spirit“ (Gordon, 2015). The North American Classification Committee (NACC) of the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) comprises appointed members who pass judgment and make determinations on species limits, English names, and related issues for the birds of North […]
Read MoreBill the Adventurer heads to the North Pole!
If you have been to past ABA conventions or many US birding festivals, or if you enjoy bird photos, or if you’ve attended ABA Young birding camps… hopefully you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Bill Schmoker. The smile is real and ever present and he is one of the most […]
Read MoreKeeping up with Noah Strycker
When we last touched base with Noah he was enjoying scenery, birds and wildlife with Jennie Duberstein one of our Leica Birding Crew at famed California Gulch, in southeast Arizona (May 24, 2015). By that days end, Noah had already tallied an amazing 2625 bird species, in countless locales in 2015 alone. He […]
Read MoreMigration Magic in the Land of Milk and Honey-buzzards
May 3, 2015. I stand at my station in the Eilat Mountains, overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba, at the north end of the Red Sea. Stretching away to southwest, the mountains of Israel seamlessly give way to the mountains of Egypt, the boundary only recognizable thanks to the hand of […]
Read MoreLeica Stories: An Interview with Jennie MacFarland
“I have a question for you about volunteering for the Arizona Important Bird Areas program.” I can’t tell you how many times someone has come up to me asking something like this. “I’m not the Jennie you are looking for,” I tell them. “You are Jennie, the bird biologist who […]
Read More„An incredible thing to experience“
Roland Digby is an expert aviculturist. His skill at breeding and rearing birds has helped return cirl buntings and Eurasian cranes to parts of southern England. He’s spent long periods working in remote parts of the world including the Madagascar highlands, where he helped set up breeding facilities for the […]
Read MoreExploring Gulf Coast Waters
In most coastal areas, bird distribution off shore is generally much less understood than than that of land birds. The reason is simple, the cost and logistical difficulties of getting off shore is a challenge, requiring much greater planning and effort than merely peering into backyard brush for migrants. The water […]
Read MoreOne Gal, Three Guys and Five-striped Sparrows: Chasing Birds with Noah Strycker
Have you ever seen a Five-striped Sparrow? It’s a Mexican species that just makes its way into the United States in a few spots in southeastern Arizona. The phrase “death march” often accompany a description of an attempt to find Five-striped Sparrow in Arizona. The roads require high clearance and […]
Read MorePutting Your Scope to the Ultimate Test!
So did you hear the one about the guy who fought off a Grizzly Bear with his spotting scope?!?… Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, I know, but this is a true and amazing story. In spring 2013 the Leica Birding Facebook page was tagged in the rather random […]
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