_. Watching birds >it _ years the number of people interested in birds in page 28 - December 15, 1976 - North Shore News should get binoculars with either fold-down or retract-, able eyecups. In the same category as binoculars are spotting tele- scopes (scopes). There are ‘several types on the market Today in North America there are an estimated 12 million bird-watchers. This. healthy outdoor hobby, bringing together people from all w alks of life, ranks high on the Winter Naturalist Program row being sponsored by the B.C, Parks Branch. — _ North America find the Swift and Bushnell products to be variety of conditions. Some of these units allow. the attachment of a-35 mm camera (with adapter). The Bushnell unit, for example, can give a tele- Mount Seymour and Cypress provincial are rich in opportunities for bird-watchers. For newcomers to the hobby two Parks Branch employees have written an introduction to the interest and delights of “‘birding’’, the first part af which we publish below. Part two will appear 3.000 mm, depending upon the eyepiece used. In other mext week. 2 words, it will bring things 15 For further information on the Winter. to 60 X closer (relative to the unaided eye). Naturally, any Naturalist Program contact Mount Seymeur "scope must be used with a Provincial Park, 1600 Indian River Reed, North Vancouver, phone 929-1322. sturdy tripod (one with By Al Grass and David Stirling USEFUL BOOKS There are two bird books (properly, field. guides) in general use by. birders: The road to natural history began for many people when they first “‘discovered’’ birds. Birds are noticeable because they are active and colourful, and many have pleasant songs. Over the 4 Field Guide to Western Birds by R.T. Peterson (H.M. Co.; one of the North America has risen to 12 million, according to ‘ **Peterson"’ guides). a recent estimate. Bird-watching brings together people from all walks of life, from ‘‘prince to at this time. Most birders in | the most useful under a wide . photo effect of 750 mm to . - addition, pauper’’, and gets you out-of-doors, with healthful exercise and fresh air as side benefits. BINOCULARS AND BOOKS Most birders (birding is short for bird-watching) re- commend 7 by 35 binoculars. Some, however, prefer the 7 by SO because they give an extremely bright view. The extra brightness is especially useful when counting water- fowl and raptors on dull winter days. Remember, the numbers 3 by 35 and 7 by 50 refer to the strength (magni- fication relative to the ' unaided eye) and the dia- -meter of the objective lens respectively. Thus, a 10 by 50 binocular ' brings objects 10 times closer with a 50 mm _ diameter objective lens. By dividing the magnification factor into the diameter of the objective lens, a number called the exit . “*zeiss’* type and the *“mono- & | Birds of North America by . Robbins, Bruun, Zim and Singer (Golden Press). pupil is obtained. A 10 by 50 binocular has an exit pupil of — 5. Squaring the exit pupil gives another number, calied the relative brightness. A good. rule to follow is never buy binoculars with relative brightness of less than 25. Exit pupils of common binocular sizes are as follows: 8 by 30—3.8; 7 by 35-———5.0; 8 by 40-——-S.0; 10 by 50——5. 0; 7 by 50——7.1. Binoculars come in many styles and two of the most common are the .[- Both these books § are excellent and the ardent birder will want to own both. New birders seem to find the ~ second title a little casier to use. The -British Columbia Provincial Museum has a set mould” type. If you can afford it, pet the: | monomoulds because they are better sealed against dust and moisture. These are important considerations to the birder. Eyeglass wearers 7 watt fe 6 Ooposite . Ofsts 7 Coastal | / mamma: 8 Sob - 13 Harmfut te heatin 16 Chit W? Unsupported 20 Method of ' telephone of useful handbooks on a a wide variety of nature-study topics, including birds. For information and a ;rice list. write the Provincial Museum, Parliament Build- ings, Victoria. A book in wide use as reference source is Birds of y W.E. Godfrey (National Muscum of Cana- da), a little +soklet which deserves special mention is Dacks at a Distamce (25 cents), issued by the Cana-- dian Wildlife Service. This book greatly simplified the art of waterfowl identifica- tion and presents a at deal of information in. a concise and graphic manner (e.g., a chart of comparative waterfowl sizes). Field checklists are an important part of the birders kit. There are many such lists available from the B.C. Federation of Naturalists, Box 33797, Sta- tion D, Vancouver V6J 4N8, for the name of your nearest natural history club. In some Provincial parks and sanctuaries have checklists. One of the best ways of learning about birds is to join a natural history club. These groups have a wide variety of activities, including field trips. evening lectures, and sometimes classes in field identification. (Continued next week) - ~ qpuldal o be the least expensive. This year, plan on avoiding the holiday rush by placing your long distance cails early. And. take advantage of our long distance discounts, Forexample, when you dial station-to-station (112), you can save up to Ore off the regular day ‘fate on most long distance calls placed before 8:00 a.m.’ Keep this chart handy. It can help you save on vour holiday calling. | perreemnemeee Long distance discounts on most station-to-station calls vou dial yourself (112). Minimum charge 20¢ per call. Calis inside B.C. Monday — Friday “5:00 p.m. — 11 Wp. m. Saturday — Sunday 8:00 a.m. — 11:00 p.m. Calls outside B.C. Monday — Saturday 6 p.m. — Midnight Sunday | 8:00 a.m. — Midnight Christmas Day & New Year's Day . #:00 a.m. — Midnight 35h of - 60% off § regular day rate. - the local - natural history clubs. Write — I Lens only $1] 49% tree suitability test _ eye examinations arranged TRY THEM See Pty Top quality lenses. Prof- : essionally fitted with guar- anteed results Ss 874-6221 2525 Willow - (at Broadway) ‘Vancouver. CITY OF NORTH VANCOUVER NOTICE TO CITY RESIDENTS GARBAGE COLLECTION December 24th, 2th & January 3rd. December 24th - Pickups regularly made on this day will be picked up on December 31st. - December 27th - Pickups regularly made on this day will be Picked up on December 28th - Pickups regularly made ‘on this day will be picked up on January 4th. January 3rd Please have your containers in their regular location by 8:00 a.m., and leave them out until they are collected, as crews will not be on their regular. routes and it will” not be possible to call back for missed containers. T.J. Scott, City Engineer " Calls inside BC. Every night * 11:00 pum. — 8:00 am. Calls outside B.C. Every night *Midnight — 8:00 a.m. regalar day rate. i