[TN-Bird] Save $20

I've never understood the fixation birders have for heavily padded neck 
straps, and in recent years binocular harnesses.
I carry mine in my hand, so they'll be ready when I want them. If both 
hands are busy I sling them over my shoulder. No neck strain, no $20 spent.
This is a trick I learned from Pete Dunne while participating in the 
World Series of Birding with the Leica team. Pete always lusted over our 
optics (or maybe he was being a gentlemen) but was tied to a contract 
with another German company - how many of us get paid to carry 
somebody's binoculars in the field? He exercised a third option, 
particularly in brushy terrain, of lengthening the shoulder strap and 
slinging them around the side of his neck and under one arm. This made 
the binoculars instantly available by reaching for them across his body 
and sliding them up to his eyes.
To me, the most important binocular accessory is a flip-off rain cover 
for the lenses. The Leicas come with what I regarded as a cheap 
rubberized version that the strap runs through on one side, and in their 
first year of use began to crack where the strap ran through, but then 
it stabilized and has worked like a charm for about 10 years now.
Next in line comes a small, washable cleaning cloth and a little bottle 
of cleaning solution (it only takes a couple of drops). I clean mine as 
little as possible to avoid risk of scratching the coatings, but find 
it's one thing you can do while on a long, international plane trip.
Leaving today for three weeks birding in Thailand with Kamol 
Komolphalin, illustrator of the Thai Field Guide by Phillip D. Round. 
Our main goal will be the critically endangered endemic, Gurney's Pitta 
(only 6 pairs left). New photos of GP are on the Oriental Bird Club web 
site.
I've written columns ahead, so you'll still see the column in the 
Wednesday, Friday and Sunday Outdoors page of The Johnson City Press, 
including the online edition. The birding column has returned to 
Sundays, and will remain on the Outdoors page following the pending 
redesign of the paper. Wednesday and Friday on pets and wildlife 
subjects like possum tossing, I am told, will be moved to facing the 
editorial page.
Writing three columns a week has kept down my posts on Tenn-birds, from 
the days when it was the only outlet for my occasional nuttiness. My 
colleague Gregg Powers (I'm required to say this), recently named East 
Tennessee Outdoors Writer of the Year, told me that writing a column is 
like being married to a nymphomaniac. It's a lot of fun for about two 
weeks. I'll have to ask his mama how he knows that.
See y'all when I get back.
James Brooks
Malone Hollow (the fictional Bear Run)
Jonesborough, TN


=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------- 
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
        jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx      (423) 764-3958
=========================================================

Other related posts: