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The 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 – birding at Hazel Bazemore Park - Capturing the first rays of light – the 115-mm objective module Clay Taylor The 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 – birding at Hazel Bazemore Park - Capturing the first rays of light – the 115-mm objective module Clay Taylor The 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 – birding at Hazel Bazemore Park - Capturing the first rays of light – the 115-mm objective module Clay Taylor

The 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 –

birding at Hazel Bazemore Park

Clay Taylor took the 115-mm objective module to Hazel Bazemore Park, Texas, in fall 2020. Discover what birds he encountered.

Dawn at Hazel Bazemore Park, Texas

“Arriving at the Hawk Watch Platform at Hazel Bazemore County Park in Corpus Christi, Texas, you do a lot of “bird-listening”, not bird-watching, as the light is slowly creeping in from the East and the birds are waking up and doing their dawn songs.

Capturing the first rays of light – the 115-mm objective module - by Clay Taylor
Capturing the first rays of light with the 115-mm objective module

Setting up the ATX 115, I start to scan the telephone poles and power line towers far out across the Nueces River watershed. A mile and a half away, there is a “lump” on a tall transmission tower cross member, silhouetted against the brightening sky to the East. The 115 scope set at 70x clearly shows that the “lump” has two “ears” sticking up, and I can see them move as the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) turns its head back and forth, making a final survey of the territory before it heads to its day roost.

The 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 – birding at Hazel Bazemore Park B/ - Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
ATX 115mm diagonally front ID 1384888
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS.

FROM AFAR THIS GREAT HORNED OWL LOOKED JUST LIKE A “LUMP”.

– CLAY TAYLOR

The 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 – birding at Hazel Bazemore Park - Green Jays (Cyanocorax yncas) by Clay Taylor

The early

birds…


Now the birds are starting to come in to the bird seed that I scattered by the water drip. So it is time to attach my Mirrorless SLR camera and take photos of the Green Jays (Cyanocorax yncas), Inca Doves (Columbina inca), and Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) that are coming in for breakfast. The additional resolution and light gathering of the 115-mm objective module are a great advantage for wildlife photography.

THE BRIGHT COLORS OF THE GREEN JAY’S PLUMAGE ARE JUST AMAZING!Clay Taylor
The 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 – birding at Hazel Bazemore Park - Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) by Clay TaylorThe 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 – birding at Hazel Bazemore Park B/ - Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) by Clay Taylor

A little Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) visits the feeders and sits for a few minutes.
Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) bathes in the water drip.

The hawks’ rise

As the morning progresses, the heat comes up. Thus, thermal updrafts are forming, meaning that the hawks will soon take flight and continue their migrations south. Initially low enough for great views through my binocular, the hawks will ride the warm air currents high enough that they will look like tiny specks even with a 10x or 12x binocular.”

The 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 – birding at Hazel Bazemore Park B/ - Cooper’s Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) by Clay Taylor
The 115-mm objective module in Texas 1/3 – birding at Hazel Bazemore Park B/ - close up Cooper’s Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) by Clay Taylor
Cooper’s Hawks (Accipiter cooperii)

take advantage of thermal updrafts, which form as the morning progresses.

Swarovski Optik Spotting scope Objective module 115
115-mm objective moduleGreatness in the smallest detail
Swarovski Optik Spotting Scope ATX Eyepiece Module
ATX eyepiece moduleTHROUGH COMPLETELY NEW EYES
THAT’S WHEN THE ATX 115 WILL REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE!Clay Taylor
Clay Taylor took the SWAROVSKI OPTIK 115-mm objective module to Hazel Bazemore Park, Texas

About the author:

Clay Taylor


Clay Taylor became a birder in the mid-1970s, both watching and photographing birds in the Northeastern United States. Today, 45 years later, he still enjoys birding, especially the challenge of finding and observing birds in THEIR world, not ours. As Senior Manager of the Naturalist Market at SWAROVSKI OPTIK North America, he brings people closer to nature.

Join him and Joel Simon on their birding adventure in West Texas or check out the birdlife of the Texas Gulf Coast.

THE FIRST LOOK THROUGH THE ATX 115 WAS BREATH-TAKING - CLARITY, DETAIL AND BRILLIANCE WERE OBVIOUSLY A STEP ABOVE THE ATX 95.Clay Taylor