birding-aus

Spotlighting thoughts and advice

To: "Peter Shute" <>, "birding aus" <>
Subject: Spotlighting thoughts and advice
From:
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:38:40 +1000
Peter

I bought the monocular from National Geographic for about $300 and that is
a bit less than you would pay from local outlets.  It came with a X2 lens
but I bought a X4 lens for an extra $60.  It is a fairly basic set up and
you could get a much better device if you're willing to pay for it.  The
most advanced devices (3rd Generation?) are restricted to military use
only.

The monocular has its own infra-red light source for use in very dark
conditions.  The infra-red light source creates eye reflection but there is
nothing to reflect when using the monocular unaided.

The appearance of things viewed through the monocular depends on their
light reflecting properties; some foliage is quite bright, as was the
wombat's fur.  I would imagine that a Barn Owl would stand out more than a
Boobook but I haven't had the opportunity to test that theory.

Regards

David




                                                                           
             "Peter Shute"                                                 
             <                                             
             u>                                                         To 
             Sent by:                  <>,      
             birding-aus-bounc         "David Adams" <>,  
                       "birding aus"                       
                                       <>         
                                                                        cc 
             23/07/08 01:56 PM                                             
                                                                   Subject 
                                       RE: [Birding-Aus] Spotlighting      
                                       thoughts and advice                 
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           




Some questions about the monocular:
- do things like birds stand out against foliage, or is it just like
looking for them in daylight?  Do their eyes glow at all?
- could it be enhanced by the use of an infrared spotlight?
- what sort of cost?
- what magnification?

Peter Shute

 wrote on Wednesday, 23 July 2008 1:32
PM:

> David
>
> I recently bought a relatively cheap night vision monocular
> that I have successfully used to watch Tawny Frogmouths,
> spiders, wombats, possums, etc, and on a fairly well moonlit
> night, I was able to make out horses and alpacas up to 400
> metres away (and well before they detected my presence).
>
> It is not really suitable for spotting things while you are
> on the move so I normally find a good location and wait to
> see what turns up (until I run out of patience).  The
> advantages of remaining still and not shining bright lights
> is that creatures come quite close and behave normally.
>
> I don't know whether a night vision device would suit your
> requirements but it may be worth considering.
>
> Regards
>
> David
>
>
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