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Everything posted by lonestranger
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I think everyone has been allowing roughly 48 hours to add a caption.
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More Water Birds, Lake County CA
lonestranger replied to Candydez12's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
There's a second Coot on the shore. -
Call - Frog, Bird or Alien?
lonestranger replied to zdgesb84's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
He'd chuck more wood if could chuck wood. A heck of lot more than if he couldn't chuck wood. -
Category Bird Photo Challenge
lonestranger replied to Candydez12's topic in Photo Sharing and Discussion
One difference is the use of old photos in this contest. TBN photo challenge has to be a new photo taken after the challenge is posted. -
Category Bird Photo Challenge
lonestranger replied to Candydez12's topic in Photo Sharing and Discussion
Thanks @Candydez12. I'm going to let @Aidan B choose the next category. -
Guess the bird by it's tail challenge!
lonestranger replied to Candydez12's topic in General Birding Topics
Ovenbird? -
Category Bird Photo Challenge
lonestranger replied to Candydez12's topic in Photo Sharing and Discussion
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Guess the bird by it's tail challenge!
lonestranger replied to Candydez12's topic in General Birding Topics
Veery? -
You have got to be kidding me. Did they really think they could cage me up with bars like these?
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Your Best or Favorite Photo of a Bird Species.
lonestranger replied to Kevin's topic in Photo Sharing and Discussion
It usually takes me a while to find photos of specific species since most of my photos aren't tagged or organized other than by date. My choice of photo was easy to find this time, I knew one of my earliest photos was still one of my best so I just jumped right to the beginning of my gallery and there it was just a few rows down from the start. Taken back in 2009. -
There's already a discussion on the go for spring migration, @tclarkwood.
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I'm not sure of the bird's orientation either. I question whether the obvious wing is the top of the far wing or the underside of the closer wing. Maybe I've been looking at too many optical illusions lately, but I can see this bird from both perspectives.
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I'm not sure where would be the best spot to include a suggestion like that. Is there already a pinned thread for how to reply to an ID request? I thought there was one that explained about providing field marks when suggesting a different ID, etc., but I can't find it. Perhaps @Charlie Spencer could incorporate it into one of his existing pinned posts.
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This pretty much sums up my view on a good reply to a request for an ID. It's the simple explanations that are included in the reply that separate a good reply from an okay or bad reply, in my opinion. Including information that explains the field marks is very handy, but if that explanation is in complex terms that some people don't understand, then it's only handy to some people. While many birders here might know that R5 and R6 are referring to tail feathers, a reply that links R5 and R6 to specific tail feathers is more useful to those that don't know that much about birds yet and therefore handy/helpful to everyone. Yeah it takes a bit longer to type things out, but it saves the other person from having to look it up themselves, or dismissing it because that's not where their research interest lies.
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I was referring to exceptions such as Canada Goose and Cackling Goose that don't fit the normal shorthand you're referring to, an exception beginners might not know about when CAGO is used. I have picked up a lot from reading the forums but many new members may find the jargon confusing, I know I did and sometimes still do.
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Guess the bird by it's tail challenge!
lonestranger replied to Candydez12's topic in General Birding Topics
I think it's a hummingbird so I'll GUESS Anna's Hummingbird. -
I think this is something that should be emphasized throughout the website, maybe even pinned somewhere. *hint hint @Aveschapines, @Charlie Spencer...tries not to be obvious...fails* While codes are helpful to those that know them, and know all the exceptions associated with them, codes are totally useless and often confusing if you don't know EVERYTHING there is to know about them. Strictly speaking for myself of course. ?
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I can't speak about the spotting scope but I'll share my thoughts on hauling a big camera and tripod around, which is pretty much the same thing. First of all, tripods can be a pain in the butt, but I think they're worth it. Obviously there's the added weight and bulkiness to contend with so I don't use mine when I am just out walking around, I use mine when I plan on spending most of my time in one general area that's not too far from the house or car. When I do move around I leave the camera on the extended tripod with the lens oriented so that it points downward when I close the legs and balance the rig on my shoulder. I don't travel far with the tripod on my shoulder and I ALWAYS make sure the camera is secured and locked in place EACH and EVERY time. When I want to walk away from the camera for more than a few seconds I spread the legs wide open so the camera is only a few feet off the ground to maximize stability. When the tripod is set up properly I am confident to leave it while I do other things, but I try to prepare for the "what if a dog's leash wraps around the legs" kind of situations, probably because that happened to me once, and once was enough to teach me my lesson. To me, having a tripod to hold my camera while I do other things is one of the advantages of having a tripod, it frees up my hands to do other things, like balancing my other camera on top for stability when using the super zoom. Like most aspects of birding, there's a trade off to be considered, is the added weight worth the added range? Being a huge fan of long lenses and getting as close a view as possible, the added weight is worth it to me.