New Spring Arrivals
This evening, first Swainson’s Hawk of season came overhead. Others, over past week: Black-headed Grosbeak, female Red-winged Blackbird (males arrived over a month ago), numerous Chipping & White-crowned Sparrows pushing through, Red-naped Sapsucker, Tree Swallows & Violet-green Swallows. Best bird was a Black-backed Woodpecker pounding on a dead fir tree, near Island Park Reservoir, this weekend.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
Re: Warning/Alert cleaning optics with air can dust remover
OK, Rich. I have two scopes if you change your mind.
Dean
Re: Warning/Alert cleaning optics with air can dust remover
Dean, that is incredibly gracious thanks for the offer. I think I’ll be OK. It’s only minimally opaque, like 95% perfect image. I’ll just get it repaired after I return from Malhuer. Take care, and have a great spring birding time. Cheers, Rich
Re: Warning/Alert cleaning optics with air can dust remover
II have a vortex spotting scope. You are welcome to borrow for your trip
Dean Jones
“A world of facts lies outside and beyond the world of words.” Thomas Huxley
208-859-0072
On Mon, May 11, 2026 at 8:54 AM Richard and Ann Rusnak via groups.io <rarusnak62=gmail.com@groups.io> wrote:
Warning/Alert cleaning optics with air can dust remover
I hope this never happens to any of you, beware.
See photo, and be very careful if you clean your optics lenses of dust using a can of compressed air, designed for PC keyboards. The issue occurs when the can is held flat or upturned, resulting in extremely cold moist air to be released.
My Vortex scope now has a damaged inner layer to the lens. Surprisingly the image viewing is not severely degraded and usable with only a tiny degree of opaqueness at all magnifications.
Huge freak out when this occurred as you can imagine, but Vortex customer support is sending me a postage paid label to return the scope for no cost repairs. This is exceptional news and worthy of the price for Vortex HD series scope.
Leaving for Malhuer tomorrow no less and this happens, LOL!😂
Cheers ya’ll, and happy lifer pursuits!
Rich Rusnak
See photo, and be very careful if you clean your optics lenses of dust using a can of compressed air, designed for PC keyboards. The issue occurs when the can is held flat or upturned, resulting in extremely cold moist air to be released.
My Vortex scope now has a damaged inner layer to the lens. Surprisingly the image viewing is not severely degraded and usable with only a tiny degree of opaqueness at all magnifications.
Huge freak out when this occurred as you can imagine, but Vortex customer support is sending me a postage paid label to return the scope for no cost repairs. This is exceptional news and worthy of the price for Vortex HD series scope.
Leaving for Malhuer tomorrow no less and this happens, LOL!😂
Cheers ya’ll, and happy lifer pursuits!
Rich Rusnak
Re: Spring birds
Yellow warblers and black-headed grosbeaks have arrived here as well.
Re: Spring birds
Oops, yeah, good catch Bill. Goldfinches and house finches… so many of them that I overlooked them!
Re: Spring birds
No goldfinches? My place is lousy with them.
Bill Moore
Hoot Owl
Inkom
no sighting – requesting beta testers
Greetings bird enthusiasts,
Warble Bird Songs, an ear-birding app, is requesting your help. Our small team is looking for beta testers to try out this nearly completed app and provide feedback. Tired of automatic app-generated identifications? Ever struggled with terminology to describe a sound? Warble Bird Songs will help! It builds ear-birding skills by developing your pattern recognition skills. It contains tutorials and provides a new and interactive approach to learning bird sound.
Warble Bird Songs contains accessibility features that make it an effective tool for blind and visually impaired users to learn ear-birding. In fact, that is the primary goal of the app. Yet sighted users will find it useful without even realizing these underlying features.
We’re a not-for-profit endeavor. Please help us improve the app that will allow the blind and sighted to become better ear-birders independently. All skill levels from beginner to advanced are welcomed. For more information or to sign up as a beta-tester, please visit https://warblebirdsongs.wixsite.com/warble-bird-songs
Much appreciated –
Nora Livingston
Lee Vining, CA
Spring birds
I thought I’d make a list of spring birds that have been around the house (Moonlight Mine area, east of Pocatello) and nearby sage and fir slopes this weekend: northern house wren, mountain chickadee, black-capped chickadee, dark-eyed junco, pine siskin, American robin, common raven, black-chinned hummingbird, hairy woodpecker, Canada goose, song sparrow, red-breasted nuthatch, yellow-rumped warbler, wild turkey, red-winged blackbird, orange-crowned warbler, spotted towhee, green tailed towhee, saw-whet owl, ruffed grouse, great-horned owl. I’m sure I’ve missed a few…