Hi folks.....my name is Gary and I'm new to MBF....thanks Ian for allowing me onboard. I'm certainly no expert but really enjoy all aspects of the countryside and wildlife, especially birds. Birds have always caught my imagination, their song and calls, their behaviours and appearance. Im forev...
We have taken in today, on Commission Sale, a nearly new Manfrotto tripod kit that is a superb one for birding, and in fact is what I personally use! It is the Manfrotto 055XPRO3 legs with the 128RC Head. It is all boxed and complete and, knowing the customer, has only been used about 3-5 times, so is in min...
A pair of 8x42 Vortex Viper HD Binoculars arrived in the shop yesterday for a Commission Sale for one of our very local customers. These are in excellent condition but have no box, however, all the standard accessories are still with the binoculars including the carry case. These are hardly used and s...
We have a second pair of Zeiss Victory 8x42 FL Binoculars just arrived on Commission Sale yesterday. They are in mint condition and come boxed and complete with Case, Strap, Rainguard and Objective Covers. This is a later model with the water shedding Lotutec Coating on the lenses. The asking price f...
We have on Commission Sale a Swarovski 20-60x Zoom Eyepiece that fits the current range of ATS and STS scopes. It also fits the immediate precursors of these scopes the ATM/STM and original ATS/STS scope bodies. It is in Good Condition but isn't boxed. The customer is asking £239 for this eyepiece, a s...
We have a pair of Zeiss Victory 8x42 FL Binoculars currently on Commission Sale. They are in good condition and come complete with Case, Strap, Rainguard and Objective Covers. The asking price for this binocular in the premium Victory range of Zeiss binoculars is only £729. The link to pictures is he...
My first butterfly of the year - a quick flypast Peacock - at Hartshead Pike, Mossley whilst doing the BTO English Winter Bird Survey. -- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 15th of February 2019 01:27:52 PM
Hello all,Ive been lurking around here for a little while but have never posted, however I felt that this is something that should be shared. Im aware that some members on here live in Worsley or one of the surrounding areas but most will not. A patch of Greenbelt land close to where I live in Boothstow...
Following on from John Tromans' post earlier today on the Bits & Bobs thread, I had to nip back into the city centre this afternoon to see a customer so I stopped off here on the way. - 1 Yellow-legged Gull only (2.44pm, camera says 3.44pm in the image, the time has now been corrected) - 1 Herring Gull (...
The Blyth's Reed Warbler will soon be entering its third week and I expect nearly everyone who wanted to connect will have seen it by now. As has become apparent it has been remarkably elusive at times, even when the weather seems favourable. I wondered how many visits it had taken for some to get adequa...
I spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica on a holiday with my wife from 06.12.17 - 2120.12.17. While it wasn't a bird watching holiday I took the opportunity to get out each morning for around three hours and went on a number of tours to the cloud forest, Nicaragua and the Pallo Verde national park. I took the Helm gui...
This is a private reserve for which a permit & key are needed but I recommend it highly and it doesn't cost too much to become a member. You have the reserve virtually to your self and can pop in on Wales trips to use the 'bathroom' facilities and have a peek at the bird lfe on the reserve. Just recently a...
26/4/09 Spot of sea-watching with Jimmy Meadows : 2 f. Velvet Scoters were close in on the rising tide all morning, giving good views in flight and at rest, Red-throated Diver, Razorbill, 5+ Sandwich Tern, 4 Common Scoter, 4 Guillemot, Gannet, 20+Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover, 5 Knot, Sanderling, Whimbr...
In March 2016 I asked the question does anyone know anything about John Maclair Boraston, a bird book author from Stretford. Wrote Nature's Tones and Undertones 1921. Wrote about birds around Stetford and beyond. Well, if anyone is still interested I have found out. The 1911 census gives him as Buye...
As many of you already know just after Christmas we had news of the passing away of Tony Murphy, the founding father of Focalpoint, the original owner and the person who gave us our name. This is not long after his wife Enid died, and as they were inseparable in life, so now they are together again. Tony's...
Focalpoint in conjunction with Feldyfare Birdfoods have launched a photo competition to celebrate the Big Garden Birdwatch this coming weekend. Just like both the Focalpoint and Feldy Facebook pages, share both on your timeline and submit up to 5 photos to be in with a chance of winning a range of pr...
Bolton (20mile radius) is the main UK epicentre for this dog disease, which is nearly always quickly fatal. The latest case is at Lostock, and warning notices are at the Dam and St John's Wood. The 26 cases recorded, within the above radius, are more than large parts of the UK including London. P...
I've never been particularly comfortable when it comes to bird topography, I'm never 100% sure if I'm looking at median coverts or greater coverts, but I thought that I had primaries sorted at least. For example the patterns and shape of the mirrors on P9 & P10 can help with gull identification,...
We have, on commission sale, a great little pair of bins, ideal for a second pair or travel pair, but also perform excellently in their own right. They are the Nikon HG 8x32s and are in good condition. These come complete with strap and rainguard ready for use. So why not treat yourself and head down to o...
We have just had a visit from our Opticron Rep, Chris, and are pleased to be able to pass on news of Opticron's latest promotion. It is a £50 Cash Back offer on all purchases from now until New Years Eve 2018 on the current Countryman range of binoculars. All purchasers of the Countryman BGA HD+ range, 8x4...
A customer has brought in some lovely compact binoculars which have to be sold due to a bereavement. They are the highly regarded Swarovski Pockets in the 10x25 model. They are approximately 18 months old so still have a substantial warranty left on them (8.5 years). They are in excellent condition a...
we have on commission sale a ready made set-up for digiscoping. It is the Swarovski DCB II adapter (ATS type fit) and the Panasonic FS7 Compact Digital Camera. This was brought in not long ago, but for a quick sale has recently been reduced from £199 to ONLY £170. Please call 01925 730399 for availabili...
We have a one-off offer on a brand new Zeiss spotting scope, when it's gone then this will not be repeated. We are short of quality scopes in the used section, so we have reduced this one to as near cost as possible to bring it into a lower price bracket. It is the Zeiss 65mm Diascope T*FL, being sold as a kit w...
Goosander 4 Barnacle Goose 1 - presumably feral or captive-bred. Tame, grazing with c100 Canada geese. Yellow 'coil' on right leg (it looked full-winged so may turn up elsewhere)
The Watergrove Reservoir hide is well hidden amongst the trees to the west of the windsurfer's club house. Someone has been asking where it is earlier this week. So to get to it, you go through the gate next to the club house (by the feeding station) and turn immediately right across the open ground wher...
I've upgraded most of my 'stuff' recently, but before I condemn my previous tools to the back of a cupboard for emergency use only, I would like to give those particularly on a tight budget the chance to buy (I might then be able to afford another battery ) Canon Powershot SX510 HS c5 years old (4377 shot...
