Go With the Red Light

I’ve long been of the opinion that the one feature on the BirdCam that best demonstrates its thoughtful design is the laser aiming device. This device -- a simple Class II laser (same as in a presentation pointer) is accessed in Setup Mode by depressing the laser aim button on the left face. Your target: a brilliant red spot (not so brilliantly captured in my photo, I'm afraid!) easily seen in even the brightest sunlight. It’s a definite honey! The laser is easy to use and is a true aim: pictures taken after laser sighting were framed perfectly. I think the most interesting application I’ve had was aiming the BirdCam at a section of railing where I hoped to catch an idle Hermit Thrush back in December. I used my hand as a proxy for the bird and with the help of the laser properly centered the camera at what worked out to be the bird’s center of gravity. I could not have done this nearly as well with the naked eye alone, I think. Hat’s off to Bart Stephens and whoever else thought of this feature!