Land Acknowledgement

We are located on unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səlí?lwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations

Gear Tipps and Recommendations

Binoculars and Scopes

  • Bushnell Trophy series - good binoculars for relatively small money (disadvantage: don't count on the warranty, the customer service and warranty does not really exist!)

  • Vortex - highly recommended - binoculars in different price categories, same with scopes - but great customer service and warranty. Its worth every penny. 

  • Nikon - great bionculars - super clarity throughout all classes, but pricy. No info about quality of customer service or warranty, but expected to be good. 

  • Swarovski - King-class of binoculars and scopes but also very expensive. Great customer service and warranty.  

 

Nestbox Monitoring - Gear Tipps

  • Teslong Telescopic Camera with Light, USB-C Borescope with 5FT Telescopic Pole (NTC30TP) - 69$ - works with IPhone and Android. Needs a bit of practice like all of the cameras, but it is absolutely the game changer. Has Autofocus. 

Alternatively, if you need a longer cord for higher trees/ boxes: 

  • Teslong 2MP HD Auto Focus Borescope Camera, 16.5ft Flexible Waterproof Endoscope with 8 LED Lights (NTC200-8mm-5m) - 39$ plus a telescoping pole or a sturdy pipe - is a snake-like camera also autofocus, runs IPhone and Android over USB-C and app. (Camera and brightness are better on this one!)

TIPPS:  

If you want to have both hands on the pole and you struggle what to do with your phone - mount a phone bracket for Mountain-biking onto the pole that holds your phone while you are inspecting the nests. 

Doing inspections with two people (one handles the camera, the other documents and handles the phone) has proven most handy, but is not always feasible.  

Remark
Ideally you would want a 4-way articulating boroscope but the cables are all very short and are often not long enough to reach into boxes.

 

 Height measurements (up to 7m)

  • Use a Load Height Measuring Stick with adjustable pole - 15ft+ 
Example: 

Vevor Load Height Measuring Stick - Fiberglass, with carrying bag, metric and imperial (See here)
 

Height/ Distance Measurements

  •  Nikon Forestry Pro II - Rangefinder
    decent rangefinder with affordable pricing - has it qwerks but generally does what it is supposed to do. 
    As always: issues arise where you deal with vegetation or small targets. 

  • Laser measurement tool 
    great for measuring distances if you do not want to carry a measuring tape. I was told to use a green laser but the red-laser actually worked best for me outside.     Limitations are always given in bright sunlight and with increasing distances. 
    Check out offers - the more expensive is not necessarily better, I have a cheap no-name one that works perfectly fine in the field and an expesive one, that struggles. So check out reviews and offers. Generally a good tool to have. 

Examples:  

atolla - 60m or 328 ft Digital Laser Measurement Tool - Waterproof, red laser.
- have used this for years and it is pretty good and on the cheaper side of the ranger finders. Is as accurate as they get and on large distances +/- 2mm really makes no difference.  
  
Bosch GLM165-25G - 165 ft Laser Measure, Green Beam, rugged, waterproof
- laser is weak and battery drains fast if you use it outside because you need the strongest laser beam to actually see it. Accuracy +/- 1/16 inch. Has some nice features like adding distances together or subtracting distances. 

 

Documentation of Field Work/ Field Notes

If no electronic devices like phone, tablets or laptops are used, typically field notes are handwritten. Waterproof paper is highly recommended for that. 

However, sometimes you need all hands free, you can't use your phone for recording or notes, but you still have to find a way to take notes. 
It is very handy to use a small voice recording device with a lapell microphone to clip on so that you can take notes via voice recording which then can be transcibed by hand or by AI-services. (AI-services mostly have to be purchased - usually they are paid by the minute. Some free services are available, the quality varies highly and data-security is not always guaranteed.)  

  • Waterproof Paper 
    • Rite in the Rain - Paper, Cardboard, Notebooks
    • Reton - Waterproof notepads, notebooks
    • xxx 
 
  •  Voice Recorder
    • Sony ICD-PX370
    • Sony ICD-PX470 
    • generally - all Sony devices work well, no-name devices have to be tested
 
  • Microphone
    •  PoP voice Lavalier Lapel microphone, omnidirectional, wired
      - works well and is cheap, sturdy build, good sound quality
    • there are tons of other microphones out there - pick and try, the above was used by one of the authors of this blog


  

Clothing

  Steel Toe Work Boots
  •  goretex Red Wing supersole 2.0s (8inch) - expensive but comfortable
 

 Steel Toe Rubber Boots

  • Helly Hansen Workwear Steel Toes Steel Plate PU Work Boot (Men and Women) - super comfy, fairly warm even in the winter, great slip prevention

  • Muck Boots - Model "Wetland" - great quality, a bit more expensive, but long-lasting and comfy

 
 
 
   
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)