article thumbnail

Binocular snobbery

10,000 Birds

However, instead of rushing out to buy a brand new pair of bins, it was recommended that she bought herself a pair of secondhand Zeiss Dialyt 10×40, then the binocular of choice of most serious birders. In 1999 came a watershed moment when I flew to Austria for the launch of the brand-new Swarovski EL range.

Austria 192
article thumbnail

Not enough Woodpeckers

10,000 Birds

The species name “tukki” is not derived from a beloved but now extinct Eastern European car brand but from the Sumatran word for woodpecker. There is a Chinese proverb stating “Laws control a lesser person, right conduct controls a greater one.” Also, the cap of the females is not even red but black.

article thumbnail

“Condors over Cologne” – Rogue Ales & Spirits: Condor Kolsch

10,000 Birds

At least where these laws apply, no beer may call itself Kölsch unless it is brewed within 50 kilometers of Cologne and to strictly defined specifications. So, what is Kölsch, exactly?