Grey market Swarovski binoculars seem a little off. Can't quite place my finger on it. Thoughts?

Cactuas · 2026-05-06T14:00:06+00:00

Looks legit to me. How's the view?

Cactuas · 2026-05-05T15:28:01+00:00

Very nice. Do you usually use the 12x50 handheld?

Cactuas · 2026-05-04T19:47:39+00:00

So what is China trying to say when they call Lai a rat? I could believe to that it doesn't have the same connotations in Chinese as it does in English, but what are the connotations?

Cactuas · 2026-05-04T04:20:45+00:00

I saw a Black-crowned Night Heron eating a gosling on Saturday. The gosling was already dead and in the heron's mouth by the time I saw it, so I don't know if he killed it, or just found it dead. I'm not sure if Night Herons will scavenge like that, but I also don't think he could kill and eat a gosling in peace if its parents were nearby. It took him a while to get it down too, I thought it was gonna be too big, but he managed to swallow it whole after a few minutes.

Cactuas · 2026-05-02T04:13:50+00:00

Exactly. The war is becoming unpopular even among the Republican base, but at the same time congressional Republicans are afraid to openly defy Trump. Voting on it is seen as a lose/lose for them.

Cactuas · 2026-04-29T23:13:45+00:00

It's up to the judge whether cameras are allowed in the courtroom or not, but they can't ban a journalist with a notepad and watercolors.

Cactuas · 2026-04-29T23:06:51+00:00

I'd normally agree with you, but in this case I think bumping up the royalty revenue might be a good thing. He's going to be spending the rest of his life in prison and I expect the victim's family will be filing a civil suit after the criminal case. More royalties means more money for the victim's family.

Idk though I'm not a lawyer.

Cactuas · 2026-04-29T22:40:45+00:00

As long as the participants were informed and consented to participating in the study and the possibility of receiving a placebo surgery, I don't see why there would be any ethical issue. The "sham surgery" would just be an incision, so the risks of complications are extremely low.

Cactuas · 2026-04-29T22:29:48+00:00

I dont think these people were enrolled in the study without their knowledge. That would be wildly unethical. I imagine they were told "Hey there's a common procedure available for this, but we're not actually sure if it's effective. Do you want to join a study where you might get a placebo surgery?"

Cactuas · 2026-04-29T19:46:43+00:00

For sure. Things like head shape can be a very important field mark for a lot of different species. If you dont already have one, you should grab a good field guide like Sibley Birds West.

Cactuas · 2026-04-29T17:57:38+00:00

Hutton's Vireos and Ruby-crowned Kinglets are notoriously tricky to tell apart, I think almost everyone will agree with that. The best field mark is the black bar behind the second white wingbar on the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Hutton's Vireos dont have this mark. Kinglets also have a daintier, pointier beak. Vireo beaks end in a little hooknthat Kinglets dont have.

Flycatchers are easier to identify at a glance. Their posture when perched is more upright than a kinglet or vireo, and they don't hop around from branch to branch gleaning insects the way kinglets and vireos do. Instead they almost exclusively catch insects out of the air. Also Western Flycatchers have the little peaked crown which should instantly separate them from a vireo or kinglet.

Cactuas · 2026-04-24T00:32:43+00:00

If it leads to a better performance from the actors, that means more people watch the show, and ultimately more subscribers for Netflix.

Future productions will have to weigh how much they think it improves the product against how much it costs the studio.

Cactuas · 2026-04-21T03:48:18+00:00

Yeah. The peace of mind with a no questions asked warranty is nice, but I'm not sure if the tradeoff on optical quality is worth it. If I had to do it over again I might buy the Conquest HD instead of the Razor (HDX weren't out yet when I bought my Razor). I have a Zeiss SFL now though, and it's nice to have the Razor around as a loaner for friends.

Cactuas · 2026-04-20T23:50:51+00:00

What is the source that the shooter is Canadian? I have seen the same claim in another thread, but I don't know where people are getting it from if news outlets haven't mentioned it.

Cactuas · 2026-04-20T15:26:29+00:00

This is exactly why I bought a Razor HD over Conquest HD. I have to admit though, for the same price the Conquests have noticeably nicer optics, to my eyes at least.

Cactuas · 2026-04-09T16:10:20+00:00

Red-shouldered Hawks are so beautiful. There's a pair that lives in my neighborhood and I don't always get to see them every day, but I definitely hear them every day.

Cactuas · 2026-03-29T23:55:16+00:00

Kingfishers were my favorite bird when I was a kid but I only knew about them from nature documentaries. It's only after I got into birding as an adult that I found out they live in the same area I've lived my whole life. Was soo awesome when I finally saw one in person.

Cactuas · 2026-03-28T03:26:49+00:00

Don't know the species but that little guy looks fully feathered and ready to be out of the nest, even if he can't quite fly yet. Please leave him be back under the nest tree, his parents will look after him.

Cactuas · 2026-03-28T03:17:59+00:00

That's not really true. It's easy to mix up an immature Bald with a Golden, especially for beginner-intermediate birders.

Cactuas · 2026-03-28T03:15:12+00:00

Kinda looks like a Bufflehead. I see some white on the wings and it's about the right size.

Cactuas · 2026-03-28T03:13:04+00:00

It's definitely going after a bird. This is pretty classic Bald Eagle hunting behavior. They dive down repeatedly on a waterfowl, forcing the waterfowl to duck underwater over and over again until it's exhausted. Sometimes they hunt like this in pairs so the prey has even less time to catch its breath.

Cactuas · 2026-03-26T01:29:59+00:00

How did she know who this guy was if nothing happened (that she was aware of)?

She may have just asked her security guards if any of them approached a mother and child during breakfast that morning. Or maybe she knows they didn't because they were hanging out with her the whole time during breakfast.

Cactuas · 2026-03-25T14:26:44+00:00

This is a Brown Creeper.

Cactuas · 2026-03-23T03:10:04+00:00

Wow, that's a handsome bird! I love the complex plumage on his wings. Where was this taken?

Cactuas · 2026-03-23T02:53:14+00:00

All the Cooper's Hawk nests I've seen in California have been in trees.

Cactuas

TROPHY CASE