Dear Birders, While on the Ulster-Dutchess CBC yesterday, my birding partner and I observed a Merlin at Greig Farms in Red Hook, NY. There was also a female Northern Harrier "quarter-hunting" over the fields there.
The Merlin was noticed by my partner as it landed on a utility pole on Rockefeller Lane as we were getting into her car. At first, sidelong glance I thought it was a pigeon! (Is that why they called it a Pigeon Hawk?!) As I got out of the car to double-check, the bird, clearly a Merlin, took off southwest across the fields in very swift, direct flight. We lost sight of it, and took off in the direction of the bird to try to relocate it. We pulled into the nearby ballfields and, luckily for us, the bird was perched high atop the lone tall tree in the middle of the field, tearing apart an unidentified songbird. We were able to observe it for quite a while. While trying to set up my scope to look at it more closely (this is the OT part), the last good leg of my tripod broke apart! This was a "Manfrotto, manufactured in Italy for Bogen," purchased no more than 10 years ago and fairly lightly used. The joints holding up two of the legs had earlier come apart and were just held in place by duck tape, and then yesterday as I was setting up the last leg the tubing itself just broke, as I mentioned. This was a very lightweight tripod but clearly not up to the task, despite as I recall being well-reviewed by birders when I bought it. Questions (best answered off-list): Anyone else experience shoddy workmanship with this brand? And, more importantly, recommendations for tripods? Thanks, --Fred-- Fred Baumgarten Sharon, CT/Westchester, NY And points in-between [email protected] -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
