My Field Kit

 

For the first post this year I m going to explain my day to day field equipment.

This is the list of things that I have in my field kit that I take out whenever I go out surveying or wildlife watching.

I have two bags that go out with me. The main bag has my binoculars, I would love to have a pair of Swarovski but I find my current pair Bushnell 10x40 more than up to the job. They are a great little pair, perfectly weighted and with good optics for the price.

I always ensure I have a notebook and something to write with. Ideally, a good fieldworker would use a pencil but I manage with pens as long as I don’t get it wet.

For comfort’s sake, I have a small fold away stool in case I want a rest or  I am staking out a location. To help with taking records for my weekly patch survey I have a wind speed and temperature centre and spare batteries for it. It’s a simple bit of kit and only cost about £30. I have a compass to check windspeed.

I find a leatherman multi-tool useful to have. Its range of tools helps clear back twigs or bushes from a camera line of sight or help fit trail cam mounts. To maintain my trail cameras I try to carry replacement batteries for them as well as spare SDHC cards.

Lastly, my main bit of kit is a cap, I find this useful for shielding my eyes from the sun or rain and is very flexible.

In my second bag, I carry my Canon Camera with 100-400mm lens that I use to shoot wildlife.

I prefer to shoot from the hand but I do have a tripod that I occasionally use.

This kit keeps me mobile and well equipped for nearly all my needs.