Wot, no jargon? Cley Spy tells it to you straight.

Cley Spy's latest advert
in the birding magazines

In August 2001 Cley Spy opened in the front half of an old carrot washing barn in Glandford near the

North Norfolk coast, stocked with a handful of binoculars and telescopes. Since then we have expanded to become the biggest independent specialist optics shop in the country, with over 180 different models of binocular, over 40 telescopes and our second hand stock all on shelf to be tried and tested. Over the years Cley Spy has become the place to visit for the best advice and choice of specialist nature watching equipment.

Whatever your budget we will always give you our honest and frank advice and explain the acronyms and technical terms that you are likely to come across.

The impressive view from the back of our Glandford shop
over fields managed for conservation.

We regularly get visitors travelling from all over the country because the range of stock, viewing facilities and expertise we can offer are the best around.

Even if you can't make to us in person we are always available to offer advice over the phone or via the website.

Here are some of the terms often associated with binoculars and telescopes with a brief explanation of what they mean.

APO. Abbreviation of apochromatic. A completely apochromatic lens system corrects all chromatic aberration (colour fringing). Leica's APO-Televid scopes also have fluorite lens elements.

BK-7 and BAK-4 prisms. These are two grades of glass, boroscilicate BK-7 (generally in cheaper optics) and barium crown BAK-4 (delivering better sharpness)

Digiscoping. This is the general term for taking digital photographs through a scope. This can be done with almost any kind of camera including smartphones, but some work much better than others. For more information on digiscoping click here to read our blog on the subject.

ED, HD, HR. Terms used to denote higher-quality glass models, HD standing for High Definition, ED usually standing for Extra-low Dispersion, and HR standing for High Resolution. These terms are not standardised, one companies standard glass can sometimes be as good as another's HD. With Leica and Swarovski HD denotes models with fluorite lenses.

Eye relief. This is the distance that your eye should be from the eyepiece lens to get the optimum image. Spectacles wearers often need a longer eye relief when using binoculars with there glasses on.

Nitrogen filled. Waterproof binoculars and scopes are often filled with a dry, inert gas (most commonly nitrogen or argon) to prevent internal fogging.

Phase correction. Coatings applied to prisms to reduce dispersion, giving sharper images with better contrast and reduced chromatic aberration (colour fringing).

Roof prism and Porro prism.

These are the two widely available types of binocular. It is simply the type and layout of the prisms in the barrels (see picture). This has some minor impacts on the image, but the big difference is the smaller overall size of a roof prism compared to a porro prism of the same specification.

Spotting scope, fieldscope and telescope. These terms are often used interchangeably or just shortened to 'scope' when referring to birdwatching telescopes.

Birdwatching telescopes vs. Astronomical telescopes. Birdwatching scopes are almost without exception of the refracting type (using lenses and prisms) whereas astronomical scopes can be both refracting or reflecting (using a combination of mirrors and lenses). As a rule birdwatching scopes can be used for basic astronomy, but astro scopes do not work well for birdwatching due to not being waterproof and producing an inverted image. Astro scopes are also relatively big and heavy.

Attack of the 50mm scopes part II: The Vikings are coming!

The market for 50mm lightweight scopes was for a long time dominated by Opticron, and later Nikon set the bar with their ED50. Now there is a much greater choice with models from Opticron, Nikon, Vortex and now Viking.

The lightest, and arguably optically best, of these travel scopes is still the Nikon, but it is the most expensive of the bunch and is facing some stiff competition. This comes in the form of the Vortex Razor 50, the Opticron Mighty Midget 3 ED and their GS52 ED and Viking's 50mm ED Pro.

The new Viking 50mm ED Pro is everything you could want from a travel scope, being light, compact, and with superb feeling build quality. The supplied zoom eyepiece gives a magnification range of 12-36x (fairly typical for 50mm scopes) and retains a reasonably wide field of view throughout. Also in the box you get a gripper style case which allows you to use the scope camcorder-style. At 12x it is possible to hand hold the scope but a lightweight monopod or tripod is essential for prolonged viewing at higher magnifications. A very simple but welcome finishing touch is the lug on the objective lens cap which you can put a cord through to avoid loosing it. Using it on the dragonflies around our pond I was able to take advantage of the good close focusing that you get from small scopes, further adding to their versatility.

The Viking and all the other travel scopes are available from Cley Spy both online and to test at our Glandford shop in North Norfolk.

Cley Spy Pan listing Part 2: Signs of Spring

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

The latest additions include some encouraging sings of the turning season and an embarrassing ID slip.

One of the splashes of colour appearing all over the meadow is glorious sunshine yellow of coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara). This plant has an interesting strategy of flowering early when there is little competition from other flowers and grasses, and then later developing its wide rounded leaves that give the plant its name. Another eager flower is common field speedwell (Veronica persica) which is growing in many locations mostly around the edges of the meadow and paths.

Moss (Tortula mural)

A valuable lesson was learnt when embarking on moss identification. Growing on top of the walls around the farm yard is a moss which I took to resemble one of the only species that I know the name for Grimmia pulvinata. It looked on cursory inspection to be the same as some Grimmia pulvinata that I had pointed out to me previously, and a quick internet image search produced a photo labelled as G. pulvinata that also looked just like it. The error was soon picked up by those more knowledgeable when I posted a photo on Twitter and I have since used a proper ID guide to establish it is in fact Tortula muralis as suggested. There is also G. pulvinata on the same wall so another two species added. The moral of this story is never

assume, check, and don't trust one source on the internet!

Lichen (Xanthoria parietina)

Lichens are even harder than mosses, but I am confident in the identification of Xanthoria parietina, from both its appearance and its abundance as this is one of the most rapidly expanding lichens in East Anglia. This will be the start and finish of my attempts to ID lichens without expert help as they are fiendishly difficult.

We were also pleased to have a group of six bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) mewing in the hedge running up to the wood. A pair of carrion crows have also taken to dropping in occasionally. Add to this chiffchaffs singing and buzzards and Mediterranean gulls calling overhead and it is really feeling like spring.

Here is how the list currently stands:

1. Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) – A nice start to proceedings, feeding on the seed mix we put on the ground.
2. Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
3. Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
4. Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
5. Linnet (Carduelis cannabina) – Over the winter we have had a flock of over 150 of these talkative finches.
6. Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
7. Great tit (Parus major)
8. Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
9. Wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)
10. Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) – A young male occasionally causes a bit of stir amongst the next species when he zooms in.
11. House sparrow (Passer domesticus) – We are fortunate to have a good flock of these chirping away in the hedges and on the buildings around the yard.
12. Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) – A bit exciting this one, a cracking male drifted across the field delighting the customers who were testing binoculars at the time.
13. Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
14. Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) – Our local population is starting to display over the woods on the hill in preparation for spring.
15. Blackbird (Turdus merula)
16. Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
17. Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
18. Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
19. Pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)
20. Feral pigeon (Columba livia)
21. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
22. Reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)
23. Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
24. Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
25. Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
26. Common reed (Phragmites australis)
27. Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)
28. Dog rose (Rosa canina)
29. English oak (Quercus robur) – These were planted around ten years ago along with some hawthorn at the top of the meadow.
30. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
31. Wild strawberry (Potentilla vesca)
32. Alexander (Smyrnium olusatrum)
33. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
34. Colt's foot (Tussilago Farfara)
35. Weld (Reseda luteola)

36. 

    Ivy (Hedera helix)

    Common frog (Rana temporaria)
37. Brown rat ( Rattus norvegicus) – One dead in the middle of the meadow. Part eaten by something...
38. Ivy (Hedera helix)
39. Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
40. Lichen (Xanthoria parietina)
41. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
42. Moss (Tortula muralis)
43. Moss (Grimmia pulvinata)
44. Carrion crow (Corvus corone)
45. Common field speedwell (Veronica persica)
46. Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
47. Mediterranean gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus)
48. Common gull (Larus canus)
49. Herring gull (Larus argentatus)
50. Stock dove (Columba oenas)
51. Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Feed the birds: Hints and tips

Just some of our range of bird food.

As well as all the optical equipment and Cley Spy stocks, we also do a large range of bird food and feeders of all kinds. From peanut and seed feeders to fatballs and the ingenious Squirrel Buster, we have everything you need to keep your garden birds well fed.

Feeding garden birds is not only a great way to see them close up in a predictable location, but also can be a valuable resource for some of our declining species, especially in cold weather. Some care is required when feeding to avoid inadvertently causing harm, but by keeping clean and tidy and locating feeders sensibly you can do a lot of good.

Keep clean and carry on.

The best advice is to get into a routine of regular cleaning of feeders and changing the position of the feeding area. This will minimise the build up of droppings, which are the main way diseases are spread and the birds will get used to the times you refill and visit accordingly. Using hanging feeders is a good way of making use of limited space, but there is always some spillage, which if left overnight, can attract rats. The spilled food is not all bad, often being picked up by species that don't like to go on feeders such as dunnocks and song thrushes, but don't let it build up. If you are feeding large numbers of finches and buntings on the ground, using a dish makes cleaning up easy. Moving the location of the ground feeding is wise too, and take care not to put out more than the birds can eat in one day. When cleaning the equipment boiling water is a good way to disinfect feeders, bird tables and, in late winter, nest boxes without using chemicals.

One of the posts we hang our main feeder on.

Where to put feeders.

Small birds do not like to cross large open spaces and don't feel safe if there is no cover near by. Feeding a few feet away from bushes or trees will give the birds some shelter if they need to escape a sparrowhawk or a marauding cat. If you have nest boxes, or a particular place you know bird nest most years, it is best not to feed too close to these areas. The presence of large numbers of other birds can put them off building or make it hard for them to feed their young properly.

Your feeders will be most in demand during cold weather, especially if you put out fatballs, suit blocks, peanuts and highly desirable sunflower hearts. All of these offer a lot of energy for little effort on the bird's part,

Solid wire mesh peanut feeder

Some things to avoid.

Never put out fatballs or peanuts in the plastic net bags they are sometimes supplied in as birds can get tangled in them and die or hurt themselves in horrible ways. The Basketball Feeders we sell are a good easy to clean alternative for fatballs and a solid wire mesh tube feeder is the safe option for peanuts.

During the breeding season avoid putting out anything that could choke a chick. This includes whole peanuts, bread, suit and fat balls or blocks. At this time of year most seed mixes (without peanuts), fruit and mealworms are good bets.

Here are a few of our most popular latest lines.

The Squirrel Buster

An ingenious device that prevents anything heavier than the birds reaching the seed in the feeder. The outer casing is mounted on a spring that retracts the food inside thus stopping squirrels emptying everything before the birds have a chance. The resistance on the spring is adjustable, so if you want to have a feeder that cannot be used by jackdaws or starlings it is easy to change the weight tolerance.

Basketball feeder.

Basketballs and Chunky Dumplings.

These are a very neat and easy way to put out fatballs in a safe way for the birds and with minimal mess. They come in both hanging versions and with suckers to fit to a window. Chunky dumplings are what you fill them with, being high-quality nutrient-rich fatballs without any of the fillers that some have.

Ring-pull Feeders.

This is a whole range of superbly built, robust and easy to clean feeders that also have a comprehensive line up of accessories including poles and trays. Made of metal and very tough polycarbonate the manufacturers have the confidence to supply them with lifetime warranties.  This is a fine example of good design and engineering.

Window tray feeder.

A great little device for feeding small birds if you have little or no garden, or just want to get close views. These are ideal for filling with mealworms for robins and wrens.

UV window stickers.

If you have large windows or glass doors you may well have had an unfortunate bird not see the glass and attempt to fly straight through. A good way to help prevent this is putting stickers on the glass so the birds can see it. The ones we sell are designed to be as unobtrusive to us as possible, but reflect UV light making them obvious to birds. We have them in two designs, butterflies or maple leaves.

All of these and more are available at our Glandford shop together with a large range of bird foods.

Cley Spy “Garden” pan-listing 2014 Part 1

Scrub at the top of the Cley Spy meadow.

Inspired by Gail Quartly-Bishop (@gailqb) starting the #gardenlist2014 on Twitter and @Susie_WFE taking up the challenge, I have started compiling a list of every identifiable species in our hay meadow. The area is around half an acre, consisting mostly of wild flower meadow and includes a pond and some low scrub at the far end. This may not technically be a garden, but is a relatively small area with great potential for some interesting species of all kinds.

Pan-listing (identifying and recording everything you see) is a great way to broaden your natural history horizons and makes it possible to find interest in just about anything in your garden or local patch. So what ever the weather or when there are no birds about, there is always something new and interesting in almost any location.  I myself hope this exercise will be a great way to improve my knowledge of groups of organisms that I have not looked at in detail before.

So far I have jotted down this year's bird list and a few plants and animals found on a quick scan. Hopefully many more to come time, weather and ID skills permitting.

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)

1. Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) – A nice start to proceedings, feeding on the seed mix we put on the ground.
2. Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
3. Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
4. Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)
5. Linnet (Carduelis cannabina) – Over the winter we have had a flock of over 150 of these talkative finches.
6. Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
7. Great tit (Parus major)
8. Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
9. Wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)

10. 

    Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

    Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) – A young male occasionally causes a bit of stir amongst the next species when he zooms in.
11. House sparrow (Passer domesticus) – We are fortunate to have a good flock of these chirping away in the hedges and on the buildings around the yard.
12. Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) – A bit exciting this one, a cracking male drifted across the field delighting the customers who were testing binoculars at the time.
13. Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
14. Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) – Our local population is starting to display over the woods on the hill in preparation for spring.

15. 

    Blackbird (Turdus merula)

    Blackbird (Turdus merula)
16. Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
17. Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
18. Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
19. Pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)
20. Feral pigeon (Columba livia)
21. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
22. Reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)
23. Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
24. Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
25. Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
    
    
    Now for the plants...
26. Common reed (Phragmites australis)
27. Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)
28. Dog rose (Rosa canina)
29. English oak (Quercus robur) – These were planted around ten years ago along with some hawthorn at the top of the meadow.
30. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
31. Wild strawberry (Potentilla vesca)
32. Alexander (Smyrnium olusatrum)
33. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
34. Colt's foot (Tussilago Farfara)
35. Weld (Reseda luteola)
    
    
    And the animals
36. Common frog (Rana temporaria)
37. Brown rat ( Rattus norvegicus) – One dead in the middle of the meadow. Part eaten by something...

And one more this morning singing its heart out in the clear blue sky...

   38.  Skylark

Top five alternative uses for binoculars

It is easy to think, especially somewhere like North Norfolk, that birdwatchers are the only people who use binoculars. In fact there are a whole world of applications that optics can be put to, enhancing almost any outdoor pursuit and even some indoor ones. Below are five of the more frequent uses our customers purchase binoculars for aside from birding.

1: Entomology

Many of the most beautiful insects are not easily approached, and so a good close-focusing binocular is very useful to fully appreciate them and aid identification. As a rule a minimum focusing distance under 2m (6'6”) is suitable, but the closer the better. 8x32s tend to be the best for this, and some particularly good examples are listed below.

Vortex Viper HD 8x32 with an outstanding minimum focusing distance of 0.9m (3').

Hawke Naturetrek 8x32

Opticron Discovery 8x32

2: Aircraft spotting

Here power is important, with 10-20x being a good range to consider. A very competent model for this purpose is the Opticron Oregon 15x70. This is no lightweight and needs a steady hand being so powerful, but with practice does the job well. As an alternative that is lighter and smaller is the Hawke Naturetrek 12x50, offering slightly less magnification but with better optical quality.

3: Sporting events

A day at the races or a cricket match can be really enhanced by seeing the action up close. Almost any specification will do for this, but probably the best bet is an eight or ten times magnification with a reasonably wide field of view. For the sake of size and weight, compact binoculars can be a good bet in these circumstances. Most sports take place in reasonably good lighting conditions so the light gathering can be sacrificed for portability.
A good all-rounder for most sport and races is the Swarovski CL 10x25 which is small, light, stylish and has great optics.  A budget alternative is the Hawke Frontier 10x25 which performs exceptionally well for its size and price.

4: Art, architecture and theatre

There are features of historic buildings and paintings in galleries that can only be fully appreciated by getting a bit closer. A small binocular is a very good way of doing this without attracting the attention of security guards or carrying a long ladder around with you. There are many mediaeval churches in Norfolk with intricate carving high in the roofs or at column capitals, the beauty of which can by seen with binoculars. We also occasionally supply surveyors with binoculars and scopes for inspecting hard to reach parts of buildings.

At the theatre a decent compact binocular is a great way to get the most out of a performance even from the cheap seats.  Fancy gold and mother of pearl opera glasses are, in fact, just low magnification compacts, so an 8x20 (e.g. the Leica Trinovid) would do the job very well.

5: Hiking and hill walking

Binoculars can be a real boon when out in the hills, not just for examining a spectacular view in greater detail, but also as an aid to navigation. Being able to positively identify landscape features indistinct to the naked eye can be a real boon to ascertaining your location on a map. In this environment weight is the most important factor, so a compact binocular with a lens diameter less than 30mm is the best bet. Typically compact binoculars are available in 8x and 10x magnification and the usual factors apply, i.e.10x brings objects closer than 8x, but produces a narrower field of view and a less bright image than 8x.
A good recommendation for a good image, low weight and a wide field of view is the Vortex Diamondback 8x28.

Unlimited, Unconditional Lifetime Waranty. Vortex is causing a stir

The world of optics often takes a long time to change, being more a process of evolution rather than
revolution. The same familiar brands account for the bulk of the equipment used by birders in the UK and when a new name comes on the scene it takes good products and a lot of hard graft to be accepted. Hawke, with good products and warranties, have done this over the last few years and now Vortex are truly earning their place in the hall of fame.

Vortex and their UK importer Newpro are doing everything right, they have well made, user friendly
and sensibly priced equipment all with an extraordinary warranty. It is what Vortex call their VIP unconditional warranty and they actually mean it when they say unconditional. To quote their website:

Vortex's VIP Warranty.

 

“Other than purposeful damage or mistreatment, it doesn't matter how it happened, whose fault it was or which Newpro authorised Vortex observation optics dealer you purchased it from in the UK and Ireland”

And it really works, we at Cley Spy have sent back accident damaged Vortex binoculars for customers and free repairs or replacement have followed. On their website they use as an example a binocular that was chewed by a black bear and replaced with a new item.

A range of good quality, thoughtfully designed and well specified products is essential to compete in the optics market, but to back this up with a reliable, and unparalleled after sales service is a recipe for success.

Below is a brief round-up of the best of their range of binoculars.

Vortex Diamondback 8x28, 8x32, 8x42 and 10x42

The step up image quality wise, the Diamondback is a good bet for those with a budget up to £200. Solidly built and ergonomic, it looks the part and does the job well. The 8x28 whilst technically a compact behaves more like a full size binocular but is very neat and pocket-size.

Vortex Viper HD 8x32, 8x42 and 10x42

Excellent mid-range birding binoculars. Whilst comfort and ergonomics are really a matter of personal preference, these binoculars are a very refined piece of design that has a the Goldilocks factor of being “just right” for a lot of people. Again the image quality is very good for the price, but one of the stand out features of of the Viper HDs is their close focus distance. At a class-leading 1.5m (5.1ft) for the 42mm versions and a stunning 0.9m (3ft) for the 8x32, this makes them a sound choice for anyone with an interest in butterflies and other insects.

Vortex Razor HD 8x42 and 10x42

Vortex's top of the range. Don't expect these to be on an optical par with £1400 plus optics from Swarovski, Zeiss and Leica, but they are closer than the difference in price would lead you to believe. They are also compact for their specification, elegantly designed, light weight at just under 700g and comfortable.

...And one scope of particular interest:

Vortex Razor HD 11-33x50

This is the only rival to the Nikon ED50 Fieldscope. In terms of image quality it is on a par with the Nikon and is slightly heavier at 708g including the eyepiece (the Nikon is 618g), but it is a little more robustly built. This is an area of the scope market that has been somewhat neglected by the big names, with nothing to really rival the ED50 in terms of size, weight and image quality.

Small but perfectly formed: Compact binoculars to go anywhere.

Always to hand.
Compacts are there when you need them.

Most people will have had those moments when you wish you had binoculars with you but bringing

them was impractical or too much trouble. This is where compact binoculars come into there own. As a rule any binocular with a lens diameter of less than 30mm is classed as a compact, with 20-25mm being the most common sizes. Although by their very nature compacts cannot have the brightness of a larger binocular, they can prove to be one of the most useful instruments to own because they can be taken everywhere.

Typically compacts are available in 8x and 10x magnification and the usual factors apply, i.e.10x brings objects closer but produces a narrower field of view and a less bright image than 8x. It mostly comes down to personal preference, but if you were buying a gift for someone else then 8x is a safer bet that most people can get on with.

Pocket size.
A double hinged
compact folded.

The design of compact binoculars is generally focused on making them a small and light as possible, both in use and when folded away. Many have a double hinge, which allows both barrels to be folded into the bridge turning the binocular into a very small package for transport. This style also can be the best for younger children who can often not get full size binoculars to come close enough together for their eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

Image quality.

The Swarovski CL Pocket.

It is inevitable that in making a binocular as small as possible the image is compromised to a degree.

As a rule compact binoculars are a little less forgiving in terms of getting them into the optimum position for your eyes than full size binoculars, and the field of view is generally narrower. Compacts are no substitute for a 32mm or larger binocular if you are out birdwatching, but they are more than adequate for incidental use when out walking, in town or walking the dog. While the usual rule of the more you spend the better they get applies, the range of prices is smaller than with full size optics, starting at under £20 and stopping just over £500. The best are very good, and some of the latest, for example the Swarovski CL Pocket range, are offering image quality not far off that of their full size counterparts.

The best way to work out what you want and which binoculars suits your eyes is to test them in the kind of environment you are likely to be using them. The opportunity to do this, together with the best on-shelf range in the UK, is what we offer at Cley Spy. With two shops in North Norfolk, both with impressive views of the countryside, you can test everything you want to in a no pressure and relaxed atmosphere with expert advice on hand.

The view from our Glandford shop. The field being prepared for the conservation nectar and winter bird seed crop last Autumn.