Digiscoping: A Beginning

Ah some geeky techno stuff for those of you with a fondness for anoraks and car coats, preferably purchased from C & A. I happen to have a top of the range telescope, a Kowa 883 and it is a brilliant sighting tool, especially for shore birds, although its use in forests and more confined areas is slightly limited, just a little bit!

Now on starting to look at birds seriously I soon realised that it is possible to fit a camera to a telescope and take advantage of the lens for taking photographs: digiscoping. As I have come to realise this is an art form and until recently it has only been an idea in the recess of my head. I was really unsure about how to get started specifically what camera to use and how to fix it to my scope.

Well we are up and running. Here are some offerings from a combination of my Kowa 883, 20 - 60 mm eye piece and Nikon P5100. Please allow me a learning curve!

A large-billed crow, Lumphini Park, Bangkok

Some turtles, Phutthamonthon Park, Bangkok

Silhouetted oriental magpie robin

 Phutthamonthon Park, Bangkok

Monitor lizard, Phutthamonthon Park, Bangkok

Asian openbill, local, Ratchaburi

Cattle egret, local, Ratchaburi

Open bill, local Ratchaburi

now you know why it is called "openbill"!

Streak-eared bulbul, local, Ratchaburi

again you can see why it is called streak-eared!

My dear readers I am hopelessly smitten. The potential of digiscoping is frightening. Let us say, however, it is fraught with difficulties and I have quite literally stuck my toe into a very large pond. Progress has been difficult, much frustration, but initial results tell me it is very promising.

Oh and I have the notebook back, repaired and upgraded and it appears to be in very good order. More later and expect improvements as I now have an instruction manual for the camera.