Digiscoping

I went out Bigbying this afternoon between rainshowers and added a couple more birds. Brown Creeper and Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Otherwise, I spent most of the afternoon practicing Digiscoping. Digiscoping is the art of holding a digital camera up to the eyepiece of your spotting scope. It's less expensive that buying a DSLR and 400mm lens, but it doesn't always produce pictures with the same consistency as using a DSLR. Plus, if you're like me and own a cheap end scope and camera, the amount of light, picture quality and speed suffers. It's also difficult to focus sometimes. Especially when the focus knob on your scope is the primary focusing tool and it's a mile away from the handle you use to guide the scope. There are adapters you can buy that help make your camera "hands free", but you still have to push the shutter button. I digiscope just by holding my Fuji S700 P&S up to the eyepiece, focus the scope to the range that works most of the time and let the camera do the rest.

Here's an E Bluebird that I saw today:









The "Mad" Bluebird:


It's nice when birds sit still. Bluebirds, other Thrushes, Shorebirds, feeder birds, some sparrows, waders, marsh birds and a few others all usually make good subjects because they tend to sit still a little more than other birds.
Birds like Warblers, Hawks, Seabirds, Kinglets and others don't make such good subjects because they don't sit still for very long.

This Ruby-crowned Kinglet actually did sit still just long enough to have his portrait taken before he headed off in search of insects:





Can you see the Brown creeper? 



Creepers are another that are difficult because they are constantly moving.

This Song Sparrow is a little easier because he will sit still for long periods before moving:



Fox Sparrow.  Another of the Sparrows that's easier to digiscope:




This Kinglet actually sat still for several minutes which allowed me to take multiple pictures.












More on digiscoping later.