Birdwatch UK October 2017

EQUIPMENT

THIS MONTH’S EXPERT PANEL

MIKE ALIBONE is

Birdwatch’s Optics

Editor. He has been

testing binoculars

and telescopes for

15 years.

STEVE YOUNG

is Photographic

Consultant for

Birdwatch and an

award-winning wildlife

photographer.

http://www.birdguides.com/birdwatch Birdwatch•October 2017 57

58

October’s photo

challenge

This month, Steve Young wants

to see your eyecatching photos of

Common Kestrel.

59

Owls of the

world

A new guide covers all species

of owl, with stunning photos and

informative text.

59

Curiouser and

curiouser

A compendium of interesting facts

about birds, for those who don’t

know much about them.

60

Mind over

matter

This attractive book looks at how

mindful birding can improve your

wellbeing.

60

Hebridean fl ing

Scottish naturalist and

author William Macgillivray’s

journals chart his development as

an ornithologist.

61

What’s new in

the Bookshop?

Our Book of the Month is

Shorebirds in Action, providing a

comprehensive look at waders.

❯

perfectly balanced, adding the

eyepiece alters the centre of

gravity and there is a tendency

for the scope to tilt backwards

when the head is not locked.

This not is a major issue and it

may not occur when the same

eyepiece is used with the larger,

80-mm body.

The eyepiece has a generous,

two- nger-deep, milled rubber

grip for positive and precise

magni cation adjustment. It turns

smoothly with ample resistance,

providing a magni cation range

of 16-48x – or 20-60x when used

with the 80-mm scope – with

increments clearly marked for

both models.

Focusing the telescope is

achieved using a very smoothly

turning, top-mounted focusing

wheel. This is milled and chunky,

providing plenty of grip, even

when wearing gloves. It’s also

very sensitive toward the highest

end of the magni cation range,

and I must confess to having

had dif culty in obtaining a

satisfactorily sharp image beyond

the 40x mark.

However, for a low-cost, 65-mm

scope, the image was bright and

sharp to the edge and I didn’t

feel hemmed in by the  eld of

view. Colour reproduction was

largely good, although a little on

the warm side with, for example,

Phragmites reedbeds tending

to re ect richer shades of straw

rather than their natural, slightly

lighter hues.

For a scope that does not

use ED glass – although it does

have a fully multi-coated optical

system – I was surprised at

how low the level of chromatic

aberration appeared to be.

It was virtually absent in the

image’s centre and only really

became noticeable in the outer

25 per cent or so. My overall

assessment of the image –

especially when the Nature-Trek’s

price is taken into consideration

• was very positive.
  If I allow one further sliver
  of negativity to creep in I would
  have to mention that I don’t really
  like the somewhat old-fashioned
  fold-down rubber eye-cup. It is
  certainly not in keeping with the
  overall modern standard of the
  scope as a whole, and I wonder
  how much it would add to the
  cost to replace it with even a
  basic twist-out cup.
  Nevertheless, this model
  still represents great value for
  the price and, although it is not
  marketed as a travel scope,
  its low weight enabled me to
  occasionally hand-hold it for
  stable viewing using the lower
  half of the magni cation range
  without much dif culty.
  The Nature-Trek comes
  complete with a removable
  tethered objective cover and
  a stay-on protective case.
  Compatible digiscoping adaptors
  with T2 rings are also available
  as optional extras. ■

Further info

■ Suggested retail price: £229.99

(including zoom eyepiece)

■ Size: 356x190 mm (including

zoom eyepiece)

■ Weight: 1,130 g (including zoom

eyepiece)

■ Field of view: 46-24.5 m at

1,000 m

■ Light transmission: not available

■ Close focus: 3.5 m

■ Gas-fi lled: yes

■ Waterproof: yes

■ Warranty: 10 years

Verdict

Image is bright and sharp –

especially for a low-cost scope

Chromatic abberation is very low

for non-ED glass

Fold-down rubber eye-cups look

dated

ROB HUME began

watching birds as a

child. He worked for

the RSPB for many

years and has written

several books.

NEIL BOWMAN

Norfolk photographer

Neil is as enthusiastic

about lepidoptera and

dragon ies as he is

about birds.

JOE HARKNESS is

the creator of Bird

Therapy, a website

looking into the

therapeutic bene ts

of birding.

HAVING spent my teenage

years delving in to my parents’

old record collection and

subsequently developing a deep

interest in electronic music,

I’ve grown up with vinyl – yet I

didn’t have anything ‘birdy’ on

my shelves, so I was intrigued

by this new recording from The

Sound Approach.

A matt-black sleeve design

with teal-green trim is punctuated

only by a title and the typically

enchanting artwork of Killian

Mullarney. Opening up the

gatefold ‘album’ reveals an

introduction to this latest work

set against an epic Alaskan vista.

Design is an important part

of any vinyl release and this

most certainly excels, but what

about the record itself? Side A

is a dedication to individual bird

songs (the exception being Red

Deer) from various ecosystems

around the globe. Each is very

individual, creating its own

distinct ambience and resonating

with the listener in different ways.

Knowing the dire plight of Yellow-

breasted Bunting, I couldn’t help

but feel melancholic as I listened

to a male utter its beautifully

rich yet charmingly simple refrain

from a perch in eastern Siberia.

In contrast, it’s hard not to smile

at the excitable chattering of

Marsh Sandpipers as they gather

on a Russian  oodplain for the

forthcoming breeding season.

While side B is also listed as

individual

species, by

the producers’

admission, they are less focused

on individual performers and

more on the general ambience

of a setting. Again, the mood

of these varies greatly – from

the freneticism of a group

of Long-tailed Ducks to the

almost haunting bellow of a

Eurasian Elk echoing around

a Polish marsh. A favourite of

mine, however, was recorded in

Kuusamo, Finland, in the early

hours of 9 June 2010. I don’t

want to spoil it – just have a

listen. It’s utterly fabulous.

Vinyl is loved for the richness

and clarity of sound it is able

to convey, and each recording

on The Beauty of The Sound

Approach is of such high quality

that, when powered through a

good sound system, makes for

a genuinely spectacular acoustic

experience.

There’s also a USB stick

included with further recordings

and biographies of the team

involved – a nice additional

feature that again demonstrates

the thought that has gone

in to this product. A pull-out

sleeve provides notes on the

recordings, with each ‘track’

described succinctly yet

evocatively. Josh Jones

• A full version of this review can
  be read at http://www.birdguides.com.

Music to your ears

MORE

INFO

Price: £20 • From: The Sound Approach • Available from:

http://www.soundapproach.co.uk/product/beauty-sound-approach/

REVIEW

The Beauty of The

Sound Approach

JOSH JONES is well

known as BirdGuides’

News Team Manager.

He has been obsessed

by all things birdy since

he was a toddler.

1710 p56-57 Expert reviews optics v3.indd 57 14/09/2017 11:38:31