Spotting Scopes for Yellowstone

During the time we spent in Lamar Valley looking for wolves, I found myself wishing we had a spotting scope. On one of our trips here we bought an inexpensive one at the Hamilton stores here just to see the wolves. We've used it even at home to watch birds down by the pond. This year we left it at home. While my big lens works well for photography, it does not take the place of a scope when watching the wildlife that is only a small speck on a distant slope. And while my binoculars do allow me to watch the wolves in the distance, a scope allows handsfree viewing.

I've found that people with scopes are usually generous in letting other people see the wildlife they have found. Most of them want to share the wonders of the park with other people. I listened as they told other people about what to look for in scopes.

Things I learned:

1.You want to get magnification up to 60X - one person I overheard said that you don't really use the 80X scopes.

2. For best light gathering (for those early predawn or after sunset viewings) you want the 80mm refractor (the large lens in front)

Both Amazon and B&H Photo carry scopes. Eagle Optics is another good source for scopes. Your local camera or outdoor outfitting shop is also a good place to look.

Swarvoski scopes are probably the most expensive. They seemed to be favored at the birding festivals I attended. Leica are also pricey, but they also make a camera that can be paired with the scope for "digiscoping." While you can get adapters to attach your Digital Single Lens Reflex camera to a scope, I'm a little sceptical due to focusing issues. If I ever try digiscoping, I would like to have a good point and shoot that was designed with digiscoping in mind. I saw a display for Leica at the Rio Grande Valley Birding festival.

But for watching the distant wolves and the bears on that far slope in Yellowstone, a cheaper model with the 20-60 zoom and the 80mm refractor which can be bought fairly inexpensively at Amazon or Eagle Optics is all you really need. Obviously the more expensive models have better glass and will give you a more precise view.

Other things to think about: you will want a good standing tripod. I have camera tripods that will work just fine. You will also want one of those covers that allow you to watch while the cover is on. Weight is a slight issue if you are going to be watching for wolves, because the best viewing in Lamar Valley is generally up on top of a steep slope.

I don't know yet which scope I'll get or whether I will try for the digiscoping set up, but next time I'm in Yellowstone I do want a scope. There are too many animals that you can see better in a scope than through my 300-800mm lens.