Falconry World

A good pair of binoculars should be part of the kit of every falconer. Why, well not only to get the best views of yours and your friends birds (only when he’s not looking) but to pin point and find quarry. The truth be told, you could get away with a cheap pair of binoculars, if its bright and a clear day. However if its getting near sunset or grey and damp, you can really tell the difference between some cheap binoculars and a nice pair. The other false economics of cheap binoculars is in my experience, every pair of cheap’ish binoculars I’ve had, have either allowed water in and fogged up or worse still one of the prism has dropped which means you can no longer focus properly with them. I’ve had about three pairs of £80 binoculars and all of them have failed.

So although the Swift HHS Audubon binoculars retail at £269 (although if you contact me I can gets these cheaper) they are compared in build and optical quality to Swarovski 8.5×42 EL Binocular which are £950. The Classic Zeiss binocular will set you back the same amount as the swarovski’s.

The swift HHS Audubon 8.5 x 44 is a roof prism binocular, which means in simple terms they are smaller and neater to carry. They weigh a mere 720g which is light for a full size pair of binoculars and have a aluminium body for durability. 8.5 is the magnification and is about as high as you can hope to hold steady. I tried some 10X but found them much heavier and blurred unless proped up against something.

The 44 is the size of the object lense. This is the amount of light that the binocular allows in the larger the object lense the more light. To big and they are a pain in the backside to carry, to small and you can’t pick out detail in low light. Is that my friends bird and her speckeled breasts I can see on that roof top and why is his wife on the roof, that sort of thing.

All I can say is that mine have survived crow hawking, wildfowling, being dropped by me and my son on to a solid floor and being left in a dog box in the rain for two weeks. The optics are really impressive, the only real way you can get a real feel for these is to go and test them for yourself. Have a look on line for retailers, or if in the UK contact me and I might be able to sort you some out. Here’s a couple of links with other review and comments.

http://www.birdforum.net/archive/index.php/t-12649.html

http://www.betterviewdesired.com/Swift-HHS-Audubon.php

The canon 100-400mm EF f4.5/5.6 USM zoom lens has been available for some time now but is still a favorite with professional and amateur photographers alike. [Read more]

Understanding the Bird of Prey by Nick Fox, is possibly the most comprehensive book on falconry. Published in 1995 the book is 375 pages, covering everything from the structure and function of a bird of prey to hunting and training techniques.

I must admit that my falconry reading is mostly done when I take a bird from the pen and start the manning process. This means most of my books have blood stains or worse on cover to cover. It gives me an idea how much I’ve read a book. This book is quite heavily marked, so that’s a good sign. [Read more]

These are my do anything walking boots. I have had them for about two years and they fit like a pair of gloves. Although they are technically a winter boot, I have worn mine in all four season. There is a great lacing system on the boot and the tongue is shaped which adds to the overall comfort of the boot. [Read more]

Buffalo Special 6 Shirt is a jacket not a shirt. I was first put on to the Buffalo Special 6 by the head keeper on a northern England grouse moor whilst hunting. The weather there is extreme due to height and how exposed the moorland is. He still wears his every day, even in freezing driving snow with only a technical Northface shirt underneath. After some research on the web, I found that Buffalo Special 6 jackets are used by the military all over the world and the trouble is getting hold of one as the manufacture (based in Sheffield England) can’t keep up with orders and still manufactures in England. I finally bought mine online and wear it every day through winter. [Read more]