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The Hazen's Notch Association is a non-profit conservation
organization located in montgomery center, vermont.
The hna
provides environmental education programs for schools, conducts a
summer camp for children, maintains a network of trails for
cross country skiing, snowshoeing and hiking on 2,500
acres of land and serves as a local land trust.
Your
membership in the Hazen's Notch Association supports our work in
conservation, environmental education, recreational trails, scientific
research and stewardship of natural resources.
- Thank you !
Support the HNA
Become a Member
Thank you
!
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Hazen's Notch
Association
Nature News
from the Green Mountains of Northern Vermont
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Nature Gear
Equipment
for
Observing Wildlife
Binoculars
This is the most important piece of equipment for anyone wishing to observe birds and animals at a distance or small animals at close range.
Binoculars are described by two numbers separated by an "x". The first number refers to the power of magnification, usually ranging from 6 to 10. Binoculars with high magnification are well suited to viewing distant objects. With this high magnification comes the greater difficulty of locating objects and then following them as they move.
 The second number refers to the diameter of the focal opening. This number should ideally be 5 times the first number. The focal opening determines how much light enters the binoculars. A smaller focal opening won't let in enough light for viewing in a dense forest.
A nice compromise is to look for binoculars with a 7x35 or 8x40 power.
Cameras
Although there are many inexpensive cameras with a small zoom lens and built-in flash, most of these are inadequate for taking photographs of wildlife. If you hope to have any success with wildlife photography, you should plan to purchase a 35mm single lens reflex (SLR) camera. The two main reasons are the lens and the shutter speed options.
Most cameras come with a 50 or 55mm lens which approximates the view one has with the human eye. With this size lens you will be disappointed to see how small objects look in your photographs when they seemed so much bigger through the viewfinder. The small zoom lens on an inexpensive pocket-style camera isn't much better.
You will need a 75-200mm zoom lens in order to make most wildlife appear large enough when viewed from a distance that doesn't alarm the subject of your photograph. Automatic focus is an important feature since you may not have time to adjust the focus while keeping your subject properly framed.
 The second reason for buying a 35mm camera is the shutter speed options. With wildlife photography you need to be able to "stop" or freeze the movement of your subject. A faster shutter speed (1/250 sec. or 1/500 sec.) will accomplish this. You may also want a sharp focus over a long distance, known as "depth of field", that comes with a smaller lens opening, or "aperture". Only 35mm cameras have this kind of adjustability.
In order to have a properly exposed photograph with this smaller aperture and faster shutter speed, you will want to purchase film that is intended for such "fast" settings. This will be a film with an ASA number of 200, rather than the typical 100, 64 or even 25 that is sold for most inexpensive cameras.
Hand Lenses
Another way to enjoy the natural world is to unlock its secrets in miniature with the aid of a hand lens (or loupe). Flowers, seeds, mosses, insects and the texture of tree bark and stone are fascinating to look at with the aid of a hand lens.
 The best hand lenses are made of glass and stainless steel. Hand lenses come in a variety of magnifications.The most useful levels of magnification are 10 x, 14 x, 16 x, and 20 x. As the magnification increases, the depth of field decreases (which means the subject will look more flat than three-dimensional). Also, as the magnification increases, so does the price (from $20.00 - $80.00).
Many plastic magnifiers are less expensive and are very good for introducing children to the natural world close-up.
Most university bookstores sell hand lenses. A good source of scientific equipment is Carolina Biological Supply Company. (www.carolina.com) They specialize in supplying science educators with materials and equipment. The Ben Meadows Company (www.benmeadows.com) also sells hand lenses and has a larger selection of binoculars. They are an excellent source of equipment for all aspects of natural resources management.- Deborah Benjamin
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the particulars. If you don't want to reveal the exact location of your
nature sighting, just tell us the town or neighborhood.
Thanks !
This page was last updated on February 16, 2006
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