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Hawke Endurance ED 20-60×85 Spotting Scope Review

Pros: Crisp, high-resolution image, impressively bright and sharp across the field of view. Fast, accurate focussing thanks to dual focusing knobs. Tough magnesium-alloy body. Included stay on case functional and effective. Excellent optical quality at a very compelling price point. Cons: Not many, at the price — as with most zoom eyepieces….

Vanguard Alta+ 264AO Tripod Kit

Alta+264AO

Pros: Compact, lightweight yet sturdy tripod that folds small for transport but extends to a decent height for comfortable use. Capable of supporting a full-size spotting scope or DSLR camera equipment securely. Two-way pan-head is smooth and easy to adjust with just one hand. Designed with birders in mind for spotting….

Panasonic Lumix GH5 & Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm

Panasonic Lumix GH5 for Wildlife Photography

Pros: Professional build quality and comprehensive feature set, incredibly compact and light for an 800mm 35mm equivalent focal length setup, fast accurate autofocus, superb image stabilisation in the body and the lens made hand-holding at long focal lengths possible. Did I mention it was compact and light. Cons: Autofocus sometimes….

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Review

Tamron SP 150-600mm G2

Pros: The big one is reach — at 600mm on my Nikon DX format body it gives a staggering 900mm 35mm equivalent. Excellent image quality throughout the zoom range. Autofocus is quick and responsive, with minimal “hunting” and once locked on stays locked on (as long as you can keep the….

Kite Caiman 8×42 Binocular Review

Kite Caiman Review

Pros: Solid entry-level binocular that’s comfortable and easy to use. Light, yet robust, this is an easy to handle binocular with good all-round ergonomics. Optically it delivers an impressively bright, sharp image across most of the wide field of view. Neutral colour balance, great contrast and minimal chromatic aberration. Cons: Slight….

Gear Review: Rockfish Groundhog Mens Wellington Boot

While you can pick up a perfectly functional pair of wellies for very little outlay, if you’re planning to spend a substantial amount of time in them it’s worth investing a bit extra for comfort, durability and support. That’s exactly what you’re getting when you buy the Rockfish Groundhog.

Vanguard VEO 235AP Travel Tripod and VEO 37 Bag

VEO235AP -- impressive travel tripod from Vanguard

For the wildlife enthusiast travelling light can be a real challenge. While you don’t want to lug around too much heavy equipment, you also don’t want to compromise too much on getting the best views of the wildlife you encounter while you’re away from home. The main concern, of course, is….

Vanguard’s new travel tripod impresses

Veo 235AP Travel Tripod in use

When you’re travelling, or even if you simply have a way to walk from the car to a favourite viewing point, carrying a bulky scope and tripod can be a tiresome business. There are solutions out there of course — things like scope carriers (I use the Cley Spy MulePack to….

Book review: Finding Birds in Ireland: The Complete Guide, 2nd Edition

Finding Birds in Ireland

Published in 2007, the first edition of “Finding Birds in Ireland: The Complete Guide” by Eric Dempsey and Michael O’Clery soon became the definitive guide to the best birdwatching locations in Ireland. Intelligently laid out, and impressively comprehensive, this widely praised book set a new benchmark for this type of “where to watch” field guide. You’ll….

Olivon T650 Spotting Scope Review

Olivon T650 spotting scope review

Pros: Crisp, high resolution views with good colour and contrast throughout most of the 16-48x zoom range. Excellent wide angle eyepiece delivers expansive viewing experience without “tunnel vision” common with budget scopes. Standard 1.25″ astronomy eyepiece mount means compatible with a vast range of third party eyepieces. Cons: Non-ED version reviewed does suffers slightly from some colour….

Book Review: The Helm Guide to Bird Identification

Warblers: The Helm Guide to Bird Identification

Have you ever struggled to tell your bar-tailed from your black-tailed godwit? How about differentiating your dabbling ducks, or getting to grips with gulls and grebes? No matter how experienced a bird watcher you are, there are always species that will prove tricky, and there will be times (sometimes lots of them) when you’re….

Book Review: Britain’s Dragonflies

Britain's Dragonflies Book Review

Dragonflies and damselflies are the all-stars of the insect world. Large, mobile, active predators — with the possible exception of cephalopods (octopuses, cuttlefish and squid) the odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) are about as exciting as invertebrates get. In Ireland we have 11 species of damselfly and 22 species of dragonfly, and while identifying some of….