John White

When looking at the heaviest bird in the world, there are two distinct categories. The first is the outright heaviest bird in the world and the second is the heaviest flying bird in the world. The heaviest bird in the world is the Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) with an average weight of 104kg. Most subspecies of the Common Ostrich weigh between 63kg and 145kg. The North African subspecies of the Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus) is however the heaviest with a maximum weight of up to 154kg and a height of up to 2.74m (9.0 ft)!   The heaviest flying bird in the world is debatable as there are a few species with a similar weight range,  but the prize probably goes to the Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori) with an average weight of 11.4kg (25 lb) and a range between 7kg  and 18kg (15 lb and 40 lb). There have been reports of big males weighing as much as 34kg (75 lb) and 40kg (88 lb).   Some claim that the Great Bustard, Dalmatian Pelican, Mute Swan or Andean Condor have higher average weights, however, all of these claims require citation in the List of Largest Birds in Wikipedia. The individual Wikipedia pages for each of these species show cited weight ranges for male birds (typically heavier than females for these species). Based on this information, the Kori Bustard shares the highest weights with the Great Bustard but has a slightly higher minimum weight. Therefore, it is fair to conclude that the Kori Bustard is the world’s heaviest flying bird.   What about the Elephant Bird? If it were not for humans driving the Elephant Bird to extinction, it would definitely have held the crown for the heaviest bird by a significant margin. The Elephant Bird (Aepyornis maximus) weighed a staggering 730kg (1,609lb) and stood 3 m (9.8 ft) tall. The bird was native to the island of Madagascar and most probably went extinct in the 17th century. David Attenborough was given this elephant bird egg whilst in Madagascar. Source: BBC   Size comparison of the Elephant Bird, Moa, Ostric etc. Source: PBS   If you have found this article useful, please share it via Facebook, Twitter, etc. Down here :point_down:, thanks :thumbsup:

Many people think that birdwatching is a hobby for the middle-aged or retirees. The 2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey, however, paints an entirely different picture. The survey shows that birdwatchers who go birding 'Away-from-Home' have an average age of 49 with 47% being under the age of 45. For ‘Around-the-Home’ birdwatchers, the average age is 54 with 33% being under the age of 45. Wildlife Watchers by Age Age Group Away-from-Home Around-the-Home 16 to 17 1.0m 1.5m 18 to 24 2.6m 4.4m 25 to 34 3.3m 10.3m 35 to 44 4.3m 10.6m 45 to 54 3.0m 16.2m 55 to 64 5.4m 20.1m >= 65 4.0m 18.0m   Another way to look at age demographics is to look at the proportion of birders within each age group. This is known as the participation rate. The participation rate is calculated by dividing the estimated number of birdwatchers in an age group by the total number of people in that age group. The table below show the participation rate of ‘Away-From-Home’ and ‘Around-the-Home’ birdwatchers. According to the study, the differences in the participation rate of ‘Away-From-Home’ birdwatchers is not statistically significant for most age groups. This means that age does not have a clear impact on the likelihood of someone being an ‘Away-From-Home’ birder or not. ‘Around-the-Home’ on the other hand does show a statistical difference between most age groups. In this case, there are statistically more ‘Around-the-Home’ birdwatchers in the older age groups. E.g. 48% in the 55 to 64 category and 23% in the 24 to 35 category. Having said that, ‘Around the Home’ birdwatchers are by no means dominated by elderly people. Wildlife Watchers: Proportion of U.S. Population Age Group Away-from-Home Around-the-Home 16 to 17 11% 18% 18 to 24 9% 16% 25 to 34 8% 23% 35 to 44 11% 26% 45 to 54 7% 38% 55 to 64 13% 48% >= 65 8% 37%   Recent articles published by the New York Times and on the National Audubon Society’s website state that the birding community is getting younger and becoming more diverse. Market research by The National Audubon Society has identified 9 million people between the ages of 18 and 35 “who share that blend of an interest in birds and environmental activism.” Source: Birdwatchingdaily There are a great number of clubs, groups and events popping up that are specifically aimed at the younger generation, for example e-Bird’s For Young Birders event which aims to bring together teenagers with a passion for birds and interested in pursuing a career in the field. Also enticing the younger set is the rise of technology; apps that keep track of birders’ checklists and rank users against each other, as well as online social networks such as Chirp Birding and BirdFellow.   Birdwatching age distribution according to the 2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey The 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation undertaken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the latest survey available from the US. In the 2016 survey, birders fit into the ‘Wildlife Watchers’ category. There are two groups of ‘Wildlife Watchers’. The first is defined as ‘Around-The-Home Wildlife Watchers’ and the second as ‘Away-From-Home Wildlife Watchers’.   Around-The-Home Wildlife Watchers In 2016, the US population of people 16 years or older was nearly 255 million and of those, 32 percent wildlife watched around their homes. Of these 43.8 million Around-the-Home wildlife watchers, 38.5 million or 88% of them watched birds (see chart below). Therefore, it is fair to say that Around-the-Home wildlife watchers are representative of the Around-the-Home birdwatching population. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service     Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service     Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service     Away-From-Home Wildlife Watchers In 2016, 23.7 million people 16 years and older took trips away from home to feed, observe, or photograph wildlife and they comprised 28 percent of all wildlife watchers. Of these 23.7 million Away-From-Home Wildlife Watchers, 17 million or 72% are categorised as birdwatchers. Therefore, it is also fair to say that away from home wildlife watchers are representative of the Away-From-Home birdwatching population.   Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service     Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service     Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service    

The rare birds of Kruger National Park is a list of South African species that are generally only seen in Kruger National Park. For example, 2,956 of the 2,981 (99%) of Yellow-billed Oxpecker sightings were seen in Kruger National Park. So, it’s safe to say that Kruger is the place to visit if you want a good chance to tick the Yellow-billed Oxpecker on your life list. Although some of these species may be commonly seen in Kruger National Park, all of them will not be commonly seen anywhere else in South Africa. The lists are compiled from over 13 million SABAP2 records and are divided into two components. The first is a list of birds that are uncommonly seen outside of Kruger but pretty commonly seen within the park. The second is a list of species that are rarely seen in South Africa but when they are, most sightings of them are in Kruger National Park. It is this second list that will be the focus of the article as these are difficult birds to see even for those of us who have visited Kruger multiple times. List 1: Birds not often seen outside of Kruger but commonly seen in Kruger Common Name SA Count KNP Count KNP % Yellow-billed Oxpecker 2,981 2,956 99% Mosque Swallow 1,852 1,825 99% Brown-headed Parrot 8,282 8,033 97% Greater Blue-eared Starling 10,150 9,706 96% White-crowned Lapwing 2,344 2,219 95% Hooded Vulture 3,315 3,130 94% White-headed Vulture 1,890 1,746 92% Saddle-billed Stork 5,083 4,552 90% Steppe Eagle 478 426 89% Southern Ground Hornbill 4,300 3,795 88% Mourning Collared Dove 3,324 2,927 88% Bateleur 15,861 13,748 87% Northern Carmine Bee-eater 3,314 2,670 81% Stierling's Wren-Warbler 2,739 2,165 79% Square-tailed Nightjar 1,982 1,545 78% African Barred Owlet 1,184 922 78% Dusky Lark 887 684 77% Tawny Eagle 7,219 5,393 75% Lesser spotted eagle 1,460 1,089 75% Retz's Helmetshrike 3,183 2,309 73% Verreaux's Eagle-Owl 2,927 2,120 72% Senegal Lapwing 1,440 1,027 71% Ethiopian Boubou 2,112 1,504 71% Dark Chanting Goshawk 2,033 1,441 71% African Scops Owl 4,181 2,950 71% Marabou stork 5,323 3,735 70% Lappet-faced vulture 3,642 2,543 70% List 2: Birds rarely seen in South Africa but mostly seen in Kruger National Park Common Name SA Count KNP Count KNP % Northern Wheatear 12 12 100% Egyptian vulture 4 4 100% Southern Hyliota 5 5 100% Miombo Blue-eared Starling 3 3 100% African Hobby 1 1 100% Racket-tailed Roller 167 166 99% Dickinson's Kestrel 129 128 99% Böhm's Spinetail 273 269 99% Arnot's chat 171 166 97% Pennant-winged nightjar 128 124 97% Orange-winged Pytilia 78 73 94% Mottled Spinetail 141 120 85% African Golden Oriole 81 67 83% Three-banded Courser 320 263 82% Senegal Coucal 162 129 80% Collared Palm Thrush 13 10 77% Madagascan Cuckoo 7 5 71%   Where are these rare birds (List 2) normally seen within Kruger National Park? Most of the birds in List 2 are normally seen in the far North of Kruger in the in the Makuleke Contract Park and Pafuri section of the park that lies between the Limpopo and Luvuvhu Rivers. See the sighting locations for each species at the bottom of the post. Heatmap of birds rarely seen in South Africa but mostly seen in Kruger National Park   Visiting the Makuleke Contract Park and Pafuri section of Kruger The only issue with visiting this area of Kruger is there are only two rest camps in the area, Pafuri Camp and The Outpost, both of which are pretty expensive private camps. You can drive through from Punda Maria Rest Camp, however, private vehicles are not permitted on the dirt roads to the North of the main road to Pafuri Gate. The only vehicles allowed on these roads (with the best birding in my opinion) are the Pafuri Camp and The Outpost safari vehicles. My wife and I stayed at The Outpost as part of our honeymoon and were lucky enough to get a sighting of the Bohm’s Spinetail and the Dickinson’s Kestrel – definitely worth the money! Bohm’s Spinetail in the North of Kruger National Park   Dickenson’s Kestrel in the North of Kruger National Park   What is SABAP2 (aka Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2)? “SABAP2 is a citizen science project that is driven by the energy of several hundred volunteers who are mapping the distribution of birds across several southern African countries. SABAP2 is the follow-up project to the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), which took place from 1987-1991. The second bird atlas project started on 1 July 2007 and is still growing. The project aims to map the distribution and relative abundance of birds in southern Africa and includes: South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, eSwatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia. To gather data, volunteers select a geographical ‘pentad’ on a map and record all the bird species seen within a set time frame, in order of species seen. This information is uploaded to the SABAP2 database and is used for research and analysis by several different agencies, including the South African National Biodiversity Institute, BirdLife South Africa, as well as academics and students at various universities.” ADU   How did I generate these lists from the SABAP2 data? The purpose of the analysis was to see which South African bird species are almost exclusively seen within Kruger National Park. To do this I downloaded the latest SABAP2 data from GBIF.org (7 October 2019) GBIF Occurrence Download https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.9k98vu, all 13 million records of it! Working with this much data is not a simple task so I had to import the 6.7GB csv file into a database and manipulate the data from there. The first step in compiling the lists was to count the number of SABAP2 observations of each species in South Africa. The second step was to count the number of SABAP2 observations for each species in Kruger National Park. The third step was to simply divide the number of Kruger observations by the number of South African observations to find the proportion of observations originating from Kruger. For example, SABAP2 has 129 records for Dickinson's Kestrel and 128 of these records are from the Northern sections of Kruger National Park.   What about the rest of the countries in the Southern African Region? The SABAP2 dataset that I used only includes observations from South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. No observations were included from Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe or Mozambique. So, if you are prepared to travel out of South Africa, then some of the species in these lists (especially the second list) may be easier to see elsewhere in Southern Africa. If, however, you are working on maximising your South African life list, then the ‘Birds rarely seen in South Africa but mostly seen in Kruger National Park’ list will be a good place to focus your attention.   Heatmaps of rare bird sightings (List 2) within Kruger National Park Racket-tailed Roller sightings in Kruger National Park   Dickinson's Kestrel sightings in Kruger National Park   Böhm's spinetail sightings in Kruger National Park   Arnot's chat sightings in Kruger National Park   Pennant-winged nightjar sightings in Kruger National Park   Orange-winged Pytilia sightings in Kruger National Park   Mottled Spinetail sightings in Kruger National Park   African Golden Oriole sightings in Kruger National Park   Three-banded Courser sightings in Kruger National Park   Senegal Coucal sightings in Kruger National Park   If you have found this article useful, please share it via Facebook, Twitter, etc. Down here :point_down:, thanks :thumbsup:

Someone with a casual interest in birds who likes to quietly observe their garden comings and goings, or who enjoys seeing birds on their Sunday walk is likely to be described as a birdwatcher. Could this sort of activity be considered a sport? No, probably not. And for most of us the idea of ‘sport’ conjures up images of participants at least trying to break into a sweat. Not something you are likely to do from a garden bench with a pair of binoculars. Birding on the other hand is a whole different story and certainly has the atributes to be considered a sport. It’s adrenaline-fuelled and active, chasing a rare bird into the depths of a thorn-infested woodland for hours is exhausting. Its competitiveness knows no bounds, if you’ve ever seen The Big Year, you’ll know what I’m talking about.   Birdwatching vs. Birding? Defining these terms is not a particularly easy task as there are many grey areas and, this may surprise some of you, although they are often used interchangeably birdwatching is not the same as birding. They are completely different beasts. And if you are someone who enjoys this activity, you will likely know which category you fall into. Looking back at the origins of the word birding explains why it’s used differently to birdwatching. The term birding was first used for the practice of fowling or hunting birds with firearms (Source: Wikipedia). This goes some way towards explaining why the active pursuit of seeking out birds is now more commonly referred to as birding and the passive activity of observing birds is described to as birdwatching. The table below gives a high-level overview of how birdwatching differs from birding.    Characteristics Birdwatching Birding The activity Passive Active Physical effort involved Less More Skills Requirement Less More Do people compete? No Yes Do rules apply? No Yes   Birdwatching sits comfortably in the category of pastime; a largely gentle activity conducted at a slow, ambling pace through the countryside whilst enjoying the twittering of birds in the hedgerows. As a birdwatcher you probably still own a pair of binoculars but you didn’t need a second mortgage to buy them and although you probably also have a bird book, it’s not the latest edition, nor is it one of a whole shelf-full. However, dropping everything to chase a rare bird definitely makes you a birder. As does having many life lists – a backyard list, a county list, a country list, a region list – you get the picture.    How is a sport defined? The Oxford Dictionary defines sport as: “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” According to this and other popular dictionaries, sport therefore has the following main characteristics: An activity, competition or game Requires physical effort and skill Competition amongst individuals or as teams Has a set of fixed rules   Is birdwatching an activity, competition or game? Birdwatching is most certainly an activity and birding is both an activity and a competition. The act of birding is a bit of a treasure hunt where everyone is looking for a prize. The benefit with birding is that everyone that sees the bird gets to share and enjoy the prize. The competitive aspect of birding is based on individual life lists or potentially even team lists. Whilst a casual birdwatcher will probably keep a life list, they are undoubtedly not too phased about how many birds they have seen comparative to others. And they probably won’t travel to the next county to get a chance at adding another bird to their list. Birders normally compete formally or informally based on the number of species in their life list. A person’s global life list consisting of the total number of birds they have seen anywhere in the world can be disaggregated into smaller geographical units, such as into a regional life list (e.g. North America), a country life list (e.g. USA), a State/Province life list (e.g. California) and then even into a protected area life list (e.g. Yosemite). So, if I were to see a new lifer in Yosemite, it would increase my Yosemite, California, USA and North American lists by one species. It is these consolidated or separated lists that serious birders use to compete against one another.   Does birding require physical effort and skill? Birding requires physical effort, and in some cases, a lot of it! I have had to climb trees, wade though water and trek through dense forest all to get a glimpse of a lifer. A birdwatcher would most likely take a less energetic approach and just sit and watch birds come to a bird feeder but this limits them to seeing only the few species that occur in their garden. If you are keen to experience the amazing diversity of species that the world has to offer, then you have no choice but to get off your butt and make the effort to find them. There are also a multitude of skills that you need to master to become a good birder. The ability to remember and identify hundreds of species of birds, sometimes by nothing more that it’s call, is an incredible skill. Apart from the skill of identifying birds, here are a few other skills required to make you a competent birder:   1.    Patience to find what you are looking for: Wild animals do not always play by the rules. It doesn’t matter how much effort and planning you put into a seeing a specific species, sometimes it is just not meant to be. Successful birders are incredibly patient and are prepared to put in hours and hours to find their quarry.   2.    Ability to spot birds: Learning to spot birds by sound and in your peripheral vision is not a skill that you can achieve overnight. Most people have difficulty noticing shapes and movement outside of the near-peripheral vision. This makes it very difficult for them to see birds unless they are specifically pointed out to them. If you take a trip with a professional birding guide, you’ll be amazed at how they can pick up on subtle sounds and get eyes on birds way before anyone they are guiding. The only way to improve your spotting skills is thorough practice and experience in the outdoors. Field of View   3.    Identifying birds visually: One of the first skills that birdwatchers learn is to categorise birds into their various groups. This is a crucial step as it simplifies the identification process by significantly narrowing down the focus area. As you become more experienced and have encountered more and more species, you will find yourself recognising birds in the field that you may have only ever seen in a book. That is a good feeling and a nice reward that the time you have spent reading about different species is starting to pay off! Source: All ABout Birds   4.    Identifying bird calls: Identifying birds by their call is a skill that most birders only start learning once they are more experienced. It can give you a distinct advantage when searching for what you are looking for or even if you are trying to help someone identify a bird they heard. Taking it to a whole new level are the people who can imitate bird calls. This can be very useful with territorial birds who will respond to and approach you if you are able to imitate their calls. Probably the most amazing example of this is by a guide by the name of Sonto Tembe at Ndumo Game Reserve in South Africa. <br /> Sonto Tembe imitating Southern African bird calls   5.    Approaching birds: Approaching birds without scaring them off is another skill that is important to birders. Whenever you are out birding, you generally want to get close enough so that you can observe a bird in a natural and unstressed state. As soon as you get too close, they will become concerned about your proximity and will change their behaviour. The trick is to know your limits for different species of birds. For example, some species will be comfortable with someone within 15 yards of them and others will be ready to fly if you get within 100 yards of them.    Do birdwatchers compete as individuals or as teams? We’ve already touched on this criteria above, the birders amongst us will definitely be in tune with their competitive side and use their life list to compete. Birdwatchers, not so much. There are also a number of team birding events such as the Champions of the Flyway and the New Jersey Audubon World Series of Birding where competition is the name of the game and winning the top prize will be something a birder can dine out on for quite a while.    Does birding have a set of fixed rules? Yes, birders are subject to fixed rules. At least the serious ones of us anyway. Members of the American Birding Association (ABA) who submit a life list or other lists to the ABA’s “Listing Central” must observe the ABA Recording Rules.  Here is a list of the 5 ABA rules. For interpretation of the recording rules, please visit the ABA Recording Rules and Interpretations. ABA RECORDING RULES: (1) The bird must have been within the prescribed area when encountered, and the encounter must have occurred within the prescribed time period. (2) The bird must have been a member of a species currently listed on the ABA Checklist for lists within the ABA Area, on the AOS Check-list for lists outside the ABA Area and within the AOS Area, or on the Clements Checklist for all other areas. (3) The bird must have been alive, wild, and unrestrained when encountered. (4) Diagnostic characteristics, sufficient for the recorder to identify it to species, must have been seen and/or heard and/or documented for the bird encountered. (5) The bird must have been encountered under conditions that conform to the ABA Code of Birding Ethics. Source: ABA   So, how many people participate in the sport of birding? There’s a sign at Roma Bluffs, part of the World Birding Centre that claims that birding is the most popular sport in the United States. In fact, data from 2016 suggests that cycling (road and mountain) claimed the top spot at nearly 46 million people whilst birding had a total of 45 million people, 18 million more participants than golf. Whatever the numbers, and however seriously you take it, it is clear to say that birding is an activity that is good for your physical and mental health. The real ‘sport’ of it may mostly be about the chase and one’s competitive prowess but it’s the taking part that counts. We don’t all have to run marathons to be a runner.   If you have found this article useful, please share it via Facebook, Twitter, etc. Down here :point_down:, thanks :thumbsup:

Digital photography has been a game changer for birders and given rise to bird photography at a level never seen before. More and more birders have added long lens cameras to their birding equipment arsenal and have begun identifying birds based on their photographic records rather than just what they see through their trusty binoculars. Choosing the correct size (aka focal length or magnification) camera lens for bird photography has therefore become a really important decision. A camera lens for bird photography needs to have sufficient magnification so that you are able to fill a large proportion of the frame with a bird without having to excessively crop the image. Having enough magnification to avoid cropping images will help provide enough detail so that your images not only look good but are good enough to positively identify what you have photographed. Another important consideration is whether the magnification of the lens is variable, allowing you to zoom in and out to frame your subject to your choosing. With camera lenses, this magnification is described as either fixed focal length (prime lenses) for lenses with no ability to vary the magnification, and variable focal length for lenses where you can rotate a ring on the lens to vary the magnification. Variable focal length lenses with a maximum focal length of between 400mm and 600mm are by far the most popular lenses for bird photography as they provide 8X magnification at 400mm and 12X magnification at 600mm when shooting with a full frame sensor camera. If you consider that the most popular birdwatching binoculars are in the 8X to 10X range, it makes sense that the same would apply to camera lens magnification. Some of the most popular long lenses are the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS mk I & II and the Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens both of which fit neatly into the 8X magnification range for full frame cameras and 12X magnification range for crop sensor cameras.   What is the magnification value of a camera lens? Camera lens sizes are measured in mm focal length rather than an 8X or 10X magnification value as they are for binoculars and video cameras. At first glance, focal length and magnification seem difficult to compare, however, there is a very easy way to calculate an equivalent magnification value. A 50mm camera lens is the equivalent of 1X magnification and comparable to what is seen by the human eye. Source: Nikon To calculate the magnification value of a lens, the focal length value of the lens needs to be divided by 50mm, the 1X equivalent magnification. So, for example, a 400mm lens on a full frame sensor camera has a binocular-equivalent magnification of 8X (400mm divided by 50mm). See the focal length to magnification conversion table below. Camera Lens Magnification Lens Focal Length Full Frame Nikon APS-C Canon APS-C 50mm 1X 1.5X 1.6X 100mm 2X 3.2X 3X 200mm 4X 6.4X 6X 300mm 6X 9.6X 9X 400mm 8X 12.8X 12X 500mm 10X 16.0X 15X 600mm 12X 18X 19.2X   The table below shows the 50mm equivalent range of full frame and crop sensor cameras taking a photo at a range of 30 yards. Remember that a 50mm lens on a full frame camera has a 1x magnification and is equivalent to the human eye. So, for example, the table shows you that if you are photographing a bird at 30 yards with a Canon APS-C camera and a 400mm lens, it would be the same as standing 2.3 yards away from the same bird with a 50mm lens. This table helps give you a sense of how much magnification you can expect over a reasonable range of 30 yards. 30 Yards Equivalent Distance with a 50mm lens Lens Focal Length Full Frame Nikon APC-C Canon APC-C 50mm 30m 20m 18.5m 100mm 15m 10m 9.4m 200mm 7.5m 5m 4.7m 300mm 5m 3.3m 3.1m 400mm 3.8m 2.5m 2.3m 500mm 3m 2m 1.9m 600mm 2.5m 1.7m 1.6m   Don’t be confused with the zoom range factor that some camera manufacturers use. This is typically the zoom range of a lens. For example, a Canon 100-400mm lens would have a 4X zoom range (400mm divided by 100mm) and a magnification of 2X at 100m and 8X at 400mm.   Do crop sensor cameras impact lens magnification? Yes, crop sensor cameras do impact lens magnification. If you are shooting with a full frame sensor camera, then the lens magnification will be proportional to the focal length value of the lens divided by 50mm as described above. If, however, you are using a crop sensor camera, then you will get further magnification over and above that produced by the lens. This is due to the magnification effect of your camera sensor being smaller than a 35mm full frame sensor. For Nikon APS-C crop sensors, this multiplier effect is 1.5X whereas for Canon’s APS-C crop sensor it is 1.6X. Look at the crop factor diagram below for more information on this.   With this in mind, the Canon 100-400mm lens on a crop sensor camera such as the Canon 7D Mark II would have an equivalent focal length of a 160-640mm lens. Use a lens such as the Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 on the same crop sensor camera and you will get an equivalent focal length of a 240-960mm lens. This is a pretty significant difference and is a great way to get some serious magnification for those long-distance shots or when you purposefully want to avoid disturbing a bird. The image quality will probably suffer at those distances, however, in most cases the quality will still be sufficient for you identify birds in long distance photos. I have found my Canon 100-400mm on a Canon 7D mk II really useful for identifying birds that are beyond the range of my 10X binoculars. So, carrying a long lens camera around, especially one with a crop sensor, has some of the benefits of spotting scope.   What about using teleconverters to increase magnification? An easy way to increase a lenses focal length is to use a teleconverter. A teleconverter is a small device that is mounted between the lens and the camera to increase the focal length of the lens by between 1.4X and 2X in most cases. Use a 2X teleconverter and a lens with a maximum focal length of 400mm and it will be boosted all the way out to 800mm on a full frame camera and a whopping 1,280mm equivalent on a Canon crop sensor camera. This magnification boost makes teleconverters a handy accessory to keep in your camera bag. Take a look at the lens magnification table below for the magnification achieved by a full frame and crop sensor cameras using 1.4X and 2X teleconverters. Camera Lens Magnification Lens Focal Length 1.4X Teleconverter 2X Teleconverter Full Frame Nikon APS-C Canon APS-C Full Frame Nikon APS-C Canon APS-C 50mm 1.4X 2.1X 2.2X 2X 3X 3.2X 100mm 2.8X 4.5X 4.2X 4X 6.4X 6X 200mm 5.6X 9X 8.4X 8X 12.8X 12X 300mm 8.4X 13.4X 12.6X 12X 19.2X 18X 400mm 11.2X 17.9X 16.8X 16X 25.6X 24X 500mm 14X 22.4X 21X 20X 32X 30X 600mm 16.8X 25.2X 26.9X 24X 36X 38.4X   The table below is the focal length equivalent after factoring in the additional magnification from teleconverters and crop sensors. So, a 600mm lens and 2X teleconverter on a Canon crop sensor camera would give 38.4X magnification and a focal length equivalent of 1,920mm. Teleconverter Focal Length Equivalent Lens Focal Length 1.4X Teleconverter 2X Teleconverter Full Frame Nikon APS-C Canon APS-C Full Frame Nikon APS-C Canon APS-C 50mm 70mm 105mm 112mm 100mm 150mm 160mm 100mm 140mm 210mm 224mm 200mm 300mm 320mm 200mm 280mm 420mm 448mm 400mm 600mm 640mm 300mm 420mm 630mm 672mm 600mm 900mm 960mm 400mm 560mm 840mm 896mm 800mm 1200mm 1280mm 500mm 700mm 1050mm 1120mm 1000mm 1500mm 1600mm 600mm 840mm 1260mm 1344mm 1200mm 1800mm 1920mm   There are, however, three drawbacks of using teleconverters: Firstly, adding a teleconverter reduces the maximum aperture by 1 stop for 1.4X teleconverters and by 2 stops for 2X teleconverters. If you have paid a small fortune for something like a Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L, you will probably be somewhat loathed to lose the benefits of your f/2.8 aperture. Secondly, adding a teleconverter to your setup introduces more glass between the incoming light and the camera sensor. Adding more glass, even something as thin as a UV filter, will reduce image quality. Thirdly, depending on the camera and lens you are using, you may lose autofocus functionality or have reduced autofocus performance. This is because DSLR’s have a minimum aperture that they can autofocus at. Most Canon DSLRs can only focus at an aperture of at least f/5.6 or wider. When the teleconverter is added it reduces a lenses maximum aperture by 1 stop for a 1.4X teleconverter and 2 stops for a 2X teleconverter. So, if you are using a f2.8 lens with a 2X teleconverter, you will still be able to autofocus as your maximum aperture is reduced from f2.8 to f5.6. However, if you were to use the same 2X teleconverter on a f4 lens, your maximum aperture is reduced to f8 and autofocus will stop working. Maximum Lens Aperture Teleconverter 1.4X 2X f1.8 f2 f2.8 f2 f2.8 f4 f2.8 f4 f5.6 f4 f5.6 f8 f5.6 f8 f11   So, as a rule of thumb, teleconverters are great for occasional use but you should consider getting a longer lens if you rely on it for all your photography.   Fixed vs variable focal length lenses Fixed focal length (prime) lenses are lenses with a fixed magnification (focal length) whereas variable focal length lenses allow you to adjust the focal length or magnification. There are a few pros and cons of fixed vs variable focal length lenses that need to be considered. Probably the first and most important thing to consider is cost. High magnification (long) fixed focal length lenses are generally pretty expensive. In contrast, variable focal length lenses with high focal lengths are available in a wider variety of qualities and prices. For example, you can get a lower quality variable focal length lens such as the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III for around $200 or a high-quality lens such as the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM PRICE. On the other hand, the best value for money 300mm fixed focal length lens would probably be the Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM at around $1,350. The second most important consideration would probably be versatility. A variable focal length lens gives you a lot more options in the field. With something like the Canon EF 100-400mm, you could be snapping away at a bird at your feet one minute and then zoom into a bird at distance the next minute. Variable lenses also allow you to keep a single lens on your camera which means you carry less gear and spend less time changing lenses when you could be taking photos. This is probably what makes lenses such as the Canon EF 100-400mm best sellers. The third consideration is image quality. Because fixed focal length lenses have fewer moving parts, they tend to deliver higher quality results when compared to variable focal length lenses. This difference in quality is especially noticeable when it comes to cheaper lower end variable focal length lenses. Finally, weight is another factor in a decision between fixed vs variable focal length lenses. For shorter focal length lenses below 500mm, fixed lenses tend to be lighter than variable lenses. E.g. the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto lens weighs about 2.8lb compared to about 3.46 lbs for the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II. For longer focal length lenses above 500mm, fixed lenses tend to be heavier than variable lenses. E.g. The Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto lens weighs about 5.5lb compared to about 6.31 lbs for the Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Sports DG OS HSM Lens.     Fixed Focal Length Variable Focal Length Cost Generally expensive Wide range dependant on quality Versatility Lower Higher Image quality Higher Lower Weight >500mm lenses Lighter Heavier Weight <500mm lenses Heavier Lighter   If you have found this article useful, please share it via Facebook, Twitter, etc. Down here :point_down:, thanks :thumbsup:

Looking for a new pair of birdwatching binoculars and wondering if you should be going for 8x or 10x magnification? 8x or 10x simply refers to the magnification or how much closer an object will seem when looking though the binoculars. The small difference in magnification may seem trivial, however, it has a significant impact on factors such as the weight of binoculars, the level of detail that is visible, the ability to locate and focus on close birds, maintaining a stable image, low light conditions, the distance birds are from your lens and how fast birds are moving. These are important considerations for birders as it could mean the difference between seeing or missing that next lifer! Don’t let anyone tell you outright that one is better than the other. The truth is that they each have distinct advantages under specific conditions. So, whilst 10x binoculars may be better in some circumstances they will perform worse than 8x in other circumstances. Below is a summary of how well 8x and 10x binoculars perform under various conditions.     Importance 8X Binoculars 10X Binoculars Distance from birds High Close Far Locating close birds (FOV) High Easier More difficult Focusing speed Low Faster Slower Minimum focus distance Low Closer Further Tracking fast moving birds Medium Easier More difficult Maintaining a steady image Medium Easier More difficult Binocular weight Medium Lighter Heavier Low light conditions Medium Better Worse   Are 10X binoculars better than 8X at seeing detail? The distance you are likely to be from the birds you are viewing is probably one of the most important factors to consider when choosing binoculars. Due to the additional magnification, 10x binoculars will have a distinct advantage when it comes to seeing enough detail to positively identify birds at a distance.    Binocular magnification (Source: Canon)   Are 8X better for locating nearby birds than 10X binoculars? If you are birdwatching in conditions where birds are likely to be pretty close or close and moving fast, then 8x binoculars are generally more suitable. This is due to the field of view (FOV) being wider for 8x compared to 10x binoculars. The wider field of view provides you with more background, making it easier recognise where you are pointing and get a lock on your target. So, if you have any birding trips planned where you are going to be birding in thick bush or forest, then you will probably be better off with a pair of 8x binoculars. Focusing speed When you increase magnification, either by moving closer or increasing your lens magnification, your depth of field will decrease. So, in theory, 8x binoculars will have a slightly wider depth of field compared to 10x binoculars. Consequently, 8x binoculars (with a wider depth of field) should be able to get an object into focus slightly quicker and also keep it in focus for longer without focus adjustments. So, if you are birding somewhere where birds are likely to be close and personal, then 8x binoculars will give you a bit of an edge, especially if birds are frequently and quickly varying their distance from you. Depth of Field (Source: photographylife.com)     Minimum focus distance for 8X vs 10X binoculars As a general rule of thumb, the minimum focus distance increases as magnification is increased. I have tested the minimum focusing distance of my Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 10x42 binoculars and found that I was able to get focus on objects at only 1.7m. So, is minimum focusing distance going to be a reason to choose 8x over 10x binoculars? In my opinion, there are very few occasions when you will be so close to a bird that you will be inside the minimum focusing distance with a pair of 10x binoculars. I can honestly not think of a single occasion where I needed to use binoculars at such close range. When I have been this close to birds, I have generally had my camera out trying to get a closeup photo.    Maintaining a steady image With higher magnification comes increased shake. Every millimetre of shake is magnified by 8 times or 10 times for 8x and 10x binoculars respectively. Think of how difficult it is to look through binoculars in a moving vehicle and now imagine shaking this much when you lay eyes on a rare lifer! The ability to hold binoculars steady is also compounded by the fact that 10x binoculars are generally slightly heavier than 8x binoculars. If you have a steady hand, then you are unlikely to have any trouble holding a pair of 10x binoculars steady. If you don’t have a steady hand or are going to be birding in situations where holding binoculars steady will be a challenge, then you are probably better off using 8x magnification binoculars.   Are 8x binoculars lighter than 10x? Higher magnification binoculars tend to have larger lens elements and/or more lens elements to get the higher magnifications. As a consequence, 8x binoculars tend to be slightly lighter than 10x binoculars. So, if you are doing a lot of walking or walking through difficult terrain where you will be constantly hopping over rocks and clambering under branches, then a lighter pair of 8x binoculars may deliver a more comfortable experience. If you are simply birding from home, a bird hide or just taking easy walks, then the weight difference is not really going to be noticeable.   Are 8x binoculars better than 10x in low light conditions? Yes, all things being equal, the lower the magnification, the better binoculars will perform in low light conditions. The performance measure for binoculars in low light is called Exit Pupil, with a higher Exit Pupil delivering better performance in low light. Exit Pupil is calculated by dividing a binocular’s objective lens diameter by its magnification. For example, 42mm/8x = 5.25mm or 42mm/10x = 4.2mm. The theory is that your eyes pupils open from about 2mm in bright conditions to around 7mm in low light conditions. In ideal conditions, your binoculars Exit Pupil size will match your pupil size in low light condition. Any larger than your pupil and light will fall on your iris and essentially be wasted. By matching your pupil size, all the light flowing in through the front lens (e.g. 42mm) will make its way into your eye and onto your eye’s retina. This concentration of light from a large diameter lens onto your eye is what gives binoculars their low light performance. So, if low light performance is important to you, then binoculars with a low magnification and high objective lens diameter will give you the best performance. Or if you don’t want to sacrifice magnification or low light performance, then you could get almost the same low light performance from a pair of 8x42mm binoculars (Exit Pupil of 5.25mm) as you can from a pair of 10x50mm binoculars (Exit Pupil of 5mm). For a detailed explanation of Exit Pupil, take a gook at the excellent overview in the video below.     So what binoculars do I use? I went with a pair of 10X binoculars (Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 10x42) because I really value the extra magnification at longer ranges. The majority of my birding takes places at ranges in excess of 20m so I very rarely have issues locating or tracking close birds through my binoculars. My eyesight is also still pretty good so if I see anything closer than 20 meters, I can generally see sufficient detail to make an identification with the naked eye. The Bushnell’s I use are also pretty lightweight and compact, so I haven’t really had any issues on long hikes or in difficult terrain. I am also really impressed with their low light performance and haven’t been in many situations where I felt I needed better performance. Hope this helps you find the binoculars that meets you needs.   If you have found this article useful, please share it via Facebook, Twitter, etc. Down here :point_down:, thanks :thumbsup: