Since it is mid-season of fall hawk migration, I thought I'd share a thought...I hate spotting scopes for hawk watching (I mean birds in flight on migration, not sitting birds). OK, hate is a strong word, but why do I feel this way? Because I think it hinders the learning process. Birders will learn how to identify raptors in flight much more quickly and accurately by taking notice of shape and flight style in their binoculars than trying to notice a plumage marking in a scope. In fact, any hawk watching field trips I lead, I ask that participants only bring binoculars. Yes, some people feel insecure without their scope and are hesitant to leave it home, but by the end of the day they always thank me for asking them to do so. You’d be surprised what you could identify in binoculars when you steady yourself! I think most people believe they need a scope to identify birds, or they think they are going to miss something that someone else with a scope can see. I used to know a guy who would scan with his scope to find the most distant bird on the horizon (in an attempt to impress someone), and then watch it for 10 minutes, only to misidentify it in the end, in the meantime he missed out on enjoying all the closer birds that had passed by. There are people who swear by scopes, and will tell me I'm crazy or just dead wrong about this subject…I’ve heard it all, and they are probably the people who have never watched without a scope. Honestly, is it fun to stare at some speck in the scope for minutes on end? I’d rather just study birds with my binoculars, and if becomes “invisible”, then oh well. Also, if you close one eye while watching through a scope, it will take you several minutes for your eyes to adjust again. I know this post is biased, but just my thoughts and those who like scopes for raptors…more power to you. Besides, it’s much easier to carry binoculars. If you are going to use a scope for flying birds, make sure you have an eyepiece that has a very wide field of view. If you can’t find the birds in the sky, then you are truly missing out on the fun of watching hawks! All comments are welcome, and I never mind if anyone disagrees with me, of course....