Gone Birdin'

November 7, 2021

I’ve wanted to write a post about digiscoping for a while now and finally had the perfect opportunity in Ocean Beach, CA, affectionately referred to as OB. I didn’t own a camera when I first started birdwatching and wasn’t quick with identification; I relied solely on taking as many notes as possible about a bird before it flew away. I was usually able to identify the bird based on my mental picture and notes. Other times, however, I wasn’t so lucky and had to endure the frustration of wondering what bird I’d seen.  

At some point I stumbled upon the concept of digiscoping, which is essentially taking a digital photo through some sort of an optical telescope to achieve long-distance shots. I digiscope by holding a smartphone camera up to my binocular’s eyepiece, but a spotting scope can be used for the same purpose. There are even special mounts you can buy to attach a cellphone or other digital camera to binoculars and spotting scopes. Digiscoping was a game changer for me. I suddenly had access to an effective identification tool without spending a ton of money.

Robb Field and the adjacent San Diego River tidal mudflats in Ocean Beach offer some of the best birding in San Diego. A wide variety of shorebirds, waterfowl, and songbirds frequent the area and are usually in close proximity to the walking path— a perfect formula for digiscoping. Although not seen on this particular day, several parrot species are residents of the area, as well as a Tricolored Heron who has been known to winter along the mudflats.  

A fellow birder once compared the Reddish Egret gait to that of a “drunken sailor,” which is entirely accurate and has stuck with me. The Reddish Egret above held out his wings and staggered around the mudflats in search of food, cocking his head and neck from side to side.

A Snowy Egret was hunting nearby, lifting his yellow feet out of the water every so often.  

Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets are fun to compare because although they are both big, white wading birds with black legs, they have several distinguishing characteristics. Great Egrets are larger with a thick, yellow beak and black feet compared to the Snowy Egret’s black beak and yellow feet.  

There’s just enough definition in the photo above to make out the male American Wigeon’s black-tipped, baby blue bill and green eye patch.

The male Mallard’s white collar, green head, and school bus yellow bill are also visible.  

The male Osprey above appears to have nesting material in his talons and is likely delivering it to his partner to be arranged in their nest.  This species is fairly common around Robb Field and oftentimes builds nests on top of the surrounding stadium lights.

Whimbrels have long, decurved bills…

…but Long-billed Curlew bills are even longer.  They also lack the bold crown stripes seen on Whimbrels.  

An entirely different shape, Marbled Godwits have thin, slightly upturned bills. The shot above really highlights this bird’s “marbled” caramel coloration and bicolored bill.  

Willets look a bit more muted compared to the warm tones on Whimbrels, Long-billed Curlews, and Marbled Godwits, but their flashy white wingbars are striking in flight.  

When identifying Least Sandpipers, I look for their yellow legs.

My phone’s camera was zoomed in on the Horned Larks above, eliminating the dark corners seen in other digiscoped photos. These guys were foraging among Savannah Sparrows and a high-profile Lapland Longspur reported days earlier.  

…and here he is in all his glory!  A couple of birdwatchers were nice enough to point me to the Lapland Longspur among the flock of larks and sparrows.  I snapped a few photos from afar and we moved on to hunt down a Red-throated Pipit also seen in the area.  After locating the Red-throated Pipit, I returned to the mudflat area where my car was parked. I saw a bird perched a stone’s throw away and assumed it was a sparrow, only realizing I had a killer view of the Lapland Longspur after it vocalized. Its distinct rust-colored wing patch and clear facial pattern are evident in the photo above. Digiscoping for the win!

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