Review: Cluson ML8 Pro Spotter torch

With an advertised beam range of 350 m, a white CREE LED light and a good run time on high beam, the Cluson ML8 Pro Spotter torch looks ideal for night-birding. I could find no information on the luminous flux of the ML8, but being around half the price of many other LED torches on the market with a similar specification I decided to try it out and see how it compared to the LED Lenser M7R reviewed back in March?

Clockwise from top: the Cluson ML8 Pro Spotter; mains charger; vehicle charger

The build quality of the ML8 is just as good - constructed from aircraft grade aluminium with a black anodised finish, and sealed against the elements with rubber "O" rings. The torch is compact, at 160 mm in length and with a maximum diameter of 55 mm, and easily fits into a pocket, and at just 236 g is also light. Power comes from a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and the two modes (high or low beam) are controlled by a single large button on the end of the barrel that also functions as the power switch.

The ML8 comes supplied with a lithium-ion battery, a mains charger, a vehicle charger and wrist strap. A filter set (including red, amber and yellow filters) are also available - useful for some wildlife observation. For recharging, the battery must be removed from the torch by unscrewing the tail cap, and charging takes about four hours from empty. Surprisingly, there is no charge indicator light on the charger (the red light is displayed simply when the battery is inserted), but charging stops automatically when the battery is fully charged.

Cluson ML8 Pro Spotter key technical details

Lumens	Unknown
Run time	3.5 hrs high beam/20 hrs low beam
Beam range	250 m
Focus	Fixed spot
Weight	236 g
Battery	Lithium-ion
Body material	Aluminium

For more technical details see the Cluson website.

On delivery I found the packaging stated a beam range of 250 m - 100 m less than advertised on the Cluson website. Cluson claim the maximum beam range is actually 350 m and that the 250 m beam range relates to maximum shooting distance achievable with ML8 when used with a rifle scope (although they are changing the packing to state a 300 m beam range for shooting). In the field, I estimated the maximum usable range to be around 200-250 m - comparable to the LED Lenser MR7 and was a little disappointed.

The single CREE LED produced a bright and fairly neutral white light, with very little of the blue hue traditionally associated with older LED torches. The beam range is similar to the LED Lenser MR7, however, the focus is fixed as a spot light, and although much more homogeneous than the light produced by a Maglite, the beam is not as uniform as the LED Lenser MR7 with some slightly darker circles noticeable. The light weight and compact size made it easy to use for long periods, and even allowed use of binoculars while scanning.

To conclude, the Cluson ML8 Pro Spotter is a good torch for looking for birds, mammals, insects and other animals at night. A beam range between 300-400 m as well as the ability to focus from spot to flood would make this an excellent torch, but at £66 it is very good value for money for the specification and so highly recommended.

Review: LED Lenser M7R rechargeable torch

I've been looking for the ideal torch for watching nocturnal wildlife for quite some time. For the past six years I've been using a Nightsearcher Puma - an rechargeable incandescent bulb torch providing a very bright 750 lumens and lasting 1.5 hours on high beam (175 lumens and 48 hours on low beam). Other key advantages of this torch over the others is it's clear neutral white light, 500 m beam range, water-resistance, and the ability to fit an infra-red filter to reduce disturbance to wildlife. However, at 2 kg it is heavy as well as bulky, and not at all practical for carrying on long hikes or for taking abroad. A 220v socket is required for charging (not always possible abroad) and the torch is not the most durable, with charging problems frequently encountered.

Over the last few years, much smaller, lighter, and robust LED (light-emitting diode) torches have flooded the market. My experience of night-birding with LED torches is limited to just the Fenix P3D CE (215 lumens) and the Nightsearcher Trigger (210 lumens), both of which are much less powerful than the Puma, omit an obvious bluish light (blue diodes are most commonly used in LED torches as they transmit most light) that couldn't compete with the more neutral incandescent light of a halogen or xenon bulb (especially where photography was concerned), and had have a very narrow beam. I persisted with the Puma, however, recently the torch has stopped charging fully and so the time had come for a replacement.

Looking online at the latest LED torches available, the LED Lenser MR7 caught my eye. Although having a much lower output, the beam is focusable, and crucially Lenser claim their torches have a neutral light. The Puma's 750 lumen output was always too powerful and I liked the idea of the small size and low weight. It wasn't cheap, but neither is the Puma, so I took the plunge and bought one.

Clockwise from top left: the LED Lenser MR7; hard carry case with charger, wall mount, belt clip and battery; the magnetic Floating
Charge System.

The high build quality is immediately apparent with a beautifully machined durable aluminium body that seems well sealed against the elements - the Swarovski of torches! The torch is well designed - the metal surface is knurled for grip, the on/off/mode button is located at the head of the torch (the torch defaults to the high constant beam setting when switched on, no mater which setting was used last), and the push-pull beam focusing can be operated with one hand and is lockable with a twist of the barrel.

The recharging system is ingenious - no more annoying pins (and points where water could potentially get into the torch) and no need to remove the battery either. Instead the battery is charged via a magnetic connection on the end of the torch, and the torch can be hung from a wall mount while charging, held in place by the same magnets.

LED Lenser MR7 key technical details

Lumens	220
Run time	20.5 hrs (on low beam)
Beam range	255 m
Focus	Spot to flood
Weight	210 g
Battery	Lithium-ion
Body material	Aluminium

For more technical details see here.

The torch is delightful to use. It is small and fits comfortably into a pocket, is very light and easily held while also holding binoculars, the beam focusing is very smooth and the power/mode button is just the right sensitivity. But is it any good for wildlife watching? I've been using the MR7 for night-birding as well as night-photography for five months now, in a range of habitats, in Britain and abroad, including open grassland, wetlands, gardens and dense tropical rainforest.

200 lumens is about the minimum for watching wildlife at night, and then only when the beam is focused to spot to maximise the beam range. Scanning open grassland at Staines Moor in Surrey for Eurasian Woodcock, the MR7's maximum 255 m beam range would generate eye-shine on larger animals such as Red Fox at quite some distance (although no outline or colour on the animal would be discernible), however, eye-shine on smaller animals such as the Woodcock was much more difficult to see. An outline and colour would only become visible at fairly close range - about 20 m. Photography is only possible at very close range - 15 m or closer.

For watching wildlife over large distances, 400 lumens or more would significantly increase the usable beam range. At closer distances such as in Brazil's tropical rainforest, the MR7 proved excellent for searching for mammals, frogs, and invertebrates, however, the torch struggled a little with birds such as Tawny-browed Owl perched high in tall trees.

Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola, Staines Moor, Surrey, December 2013 -
Canon EOS 7D + EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens; tripod; LED Lenser MR7; no flash.

The MR7 creates a very uniform light with no dark spots or circles appearing anywhere in the beam whether on the flood or spot setting. The blue hue of the diodes is noticeable, but the light from the MR7 is much whiter than other LED torches I have used, producing good colours, and so is great for wildlife watching, although I still prefer the incandescent bulb of the Nightsearcher Puma (although a little on the warm side) for night-photography. Another advantage the Nightsearcher Puma retains over the MR7 is a much wider beam on high power (spot focus on the MR7), allowing birds in flight to be picked up much easier.

Tawny-browed Owl Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana, REGUA, Brazil, October 2013 -
Canon EOS 7D + EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM; LED Lenser MR7; no flash.
Note the blue hue emitted by the LED Lenser MR7 and compare to the light from the Nightsearcher Puma (see pic below).

Tawny-browed Owl Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana, REGUA, Brazil, May 2010 -
Canon EOS 7D + EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM; Nightsearcher Puma; no flash.
Compared to the LED Lenser MR7, the incandescent bulb of the Nightsearcher Puma has a much whiter light.

In summary, the 220 lumen output of the MR7 falls a little short of the ideal torch for wildlife watching at night. However, the small size, light weight, and ease of use more than make up for these shortcomings, and the whiter light it provides means that, for me, there is no going back to the large and heavy incandescent lights. An LED torch with an output between 400 and 500 lumens, a slightly whiter light, and not too much bigger, would be perfect. There are a few more powerful LED torches on the market, including other models from Lenser, but the price tags need to fall a lot more for them to compete with the MR7.

Review: A Guide to the Hawkmoths of the Serra dos Orgaos, South-eastern Brazil, by Alan Martin et al.

It's been over a year and a half since A Guide to the Hawkmoths of the Serra dos Orgaos, South-eastern Brazil, REGUA's first book, was published. Although hawkmoths (Sphingidae) are amongst the most popular of moth families, this guide, written by Alan Martin and co-authors Alexandre Soares and Jorge Bizarro, is the first identification guide to the Sphingidae of south-east Brazil. Back in September I spent a couple of weeks at REGUA in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, where I did a lot of mothing and was able to put the book to the test.

The Serra dos Órgãos mountains of Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state form part of the larger 1,500 km Serra do Mar - a mountain range that follows the Atlantic coastline in south-east Brazil within the Atlantic Forest biome. The Serra dos Órgãos still retain much of their forest cover and this guide covers the identification of 110 hawkmoth species recorded here.

The nomenclature of the species accounts follows Kitching and Cadiou (2000) but takes in changes made on the website CATE Sphingidae. Each species account, written in English only, includes information on key identification features (comparing differences to similar species) as well as distribution and size (forewing length). I would have preferred the guide to be laid out with the text and plate for each species on facing pages, but this is a minor point.

The majority of the book is comprised of the species accounts and colour identification plates. The plates were painstakingly created from photographs taken of pinned specimens housed at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. The dorsal and ventral views of both male and female of each species are included, each with the wings opened showing the hindwing (essential for the identification of many species). The plates are excellent, although perhaps unsurprisingly, some of the colours are a little faded compared to those on live specimens. Novices to Neotropical hawkmoths, like me, would find the addition of annotations on the plates that highlight the key ID features very useful.

My main criticism of using photos of pinned specimens for the plates is that no species are depicted as they appear at rest. As a result, when faced with an unidentified moth, I often found myself consulting the superb photos of live adults near the back of the book, which do show species at rest, before using the plates to separate similar species (see below). It's a real shame that photos for all species are not included, however, in practice I found the book easy to use and successfully identified all 21 species seen during my trip.

Images above from top left: Manduca hannibal hamilcar photographed at REGUA on 21 September 2012, species account, pinned specimen plate, and photo plate of Manduca hannibal hamilcar (click to enlarge).

Alan Martin has recently launching a new website to compliment the book (www.brazilhawkmoths.com). The website includes the same species accounts and plates as the book as well as a lot more photographs (although not of every species as yet) and an updated lists of the species recorded in the Serra dos Órgãos and at REGUA (the later with flight times), both lists being appendices in the book.

At the beginning of the book, written in both English and Portuguese, includes a history of the Atlantic Forest and its exploitation, an introduction to the Serra dos Órgãos region, hawkmoth taxonomy, life cycle, and a checklist of species found in the Serra dos Órgãos. Appendices provide additional information such as a short biography of the late pioneering entomologist Henry Pearson - one of the first to study the Lepidoptera of the region and whose data and specimens form the basis of this guide, as well as a short introduction to REGUA, where most of the photos for the book were taken.

Many of the hawkmoths found in the Serra dos Órgãos also occur in other parts of South America, and so the guide will also be of some use in other countries and regions. This book has certainly helped develop my interest in Neotropical Sphingidae and for anyone visiting the Atlantic Forest and interested in hawkmoths this guide is simply a must. It is now available direct from the authors at a reduced price of £15 plus postage (for details click here), and therefore an even bigger bargain than it was originally.

Review: Owls of the World, by Heimo Mikkola

Ever since I was given a copy of Eric Hosting's Owls (Hosking, E. and Flegg, J., 1982) when I was a child, owls have been one of my favourite avian orders. Eric Hosking's classic black and white photos, such as the Barn Owl captured mid-air bringing back a vole for it's chicks, and the Snowy Owls that bred on Fetlar in the 60s and 70s, helped cement my interest in birds. Now, wherever I go birding in the world, I always try to get out at night to find some owls.

Published in August, Heimo Mikkola's Owls of the World: a Photographic Guide is the first comprehensive photographic guide to the world's owls. I recently received a complementary copy and I thought I'd write a quick review.

On opening the book it's immediately obvious that this is much more than a photographic field guide. The first part contains detailed and insightful chapters on adaptations (vision, hearing, ear-tufts, silent flight etc.), biology (including calls, colour variation and ageing, moult, diet, habitat, behaviour and movements), evolution, biogeography, taxonomy, the relationship between owls and humans, conservation, and a short section on extinct owls. There's a lot of fascinating information here, illustrated with beautiful photography, however a lot of similar information can be also found in Owls of the World (König et al. 2008).

The bulk of the book is comprised of the species accounts, focusing on identification and including basic biometrics, descriptions of adult and juvenile plumages, flight and calls (including a useful section highlighting features to look for to separate similar species), along with information on diet, hunting methods, habitat, status, distribution (with good maps) and geographic variation.

The book includes chapters on adaptations, biology, evolution, biogeography,
taxonomy, the relationship between owls and humans, and conservation.

Owls, like many other taxa, are currently in a state of taxonomic flux. This guide is based on the taxonomy and nomenclature of Owls of the World, 2nd Edition (König et al. 2008), which is rather split-happy, treating many subspecies as full species, as far as I could determine, many without formal decisions backing them up. One advantage of this approach though is that more forms, regardless of whether they turn out to be legitimate species or not, get comprehensive treatment.

No further taxonomic decisions are made in this book, but three recently split species described elsewhere are included - Hume's Hawk Owl Ninox obscura split from Brown Hawk Owl N. scutulata, Grey-bellied Little Owl A. poikilis and Northern Little Owl A. plumipes split from Forest Owlet Athene blewitti. In addition, The undescribed Santa Marta Screech Owl Megascops sp. is also included.

Subspecies are also described and those that are considered possible future splits are covered in some detail, often illustrated with photos, an example being the six different races of Philippine Hawk Owl Ninox philippensis. Note that just a few weeks after the book was published, Philippine Hawk Owl was indeed formally split, based on differences in vocalisations, and two new species formally described - Cebu Hawk Owl Ninox rumseyi and Camiguin Hawk Owl Ninox leventisi. (see John Gale's superb plate here).

However, it's the photography that really sets this book apart. Over 850 photographs illustrate all but 14 of 249 species (including colour morphs), and include high quality images of little known and rarely photographed species, such as the island endemic Otus scops owls and Ninox hawk owls. Photos of skins from the Natural History Museum at Tring in England have been included for five of the 14 species that have seemingly never been photographed. The photography throughout is excellent and it's impossible to pick favourites

Five photos by yours truly made it into the book, including this one (right) of a
Galapagos Short-eared owl Asio flammeus galapagoensis that I took on the
island of Genovesa during a year travelling around South America in 2006.

Although photos can be a useful aid to identification, I find accurate painted plates much better than photos at showing the subtle differences between similar species. The addition of good painted plates would have gone a long way to making this the ultimate guide to the world's owls, especially considering the often poor illustrations in field guides (I've also never found Friedhelm Weick's illustrations in Owls of the World (König et al. 2008) particularly inspiring).

The distribution maps are large and clear, but the range for Black-banded Owl Strix huhula does not extended eastwards enough to include Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil, where I've seen the Atlantic Forest race S. h. albomarginata on numerous occasions. Other than that, the only other criticisms I can make are that there are a few rather unnecessary nomenclature changes, for example, Long-whiskered Owlet Xenoglaux loweryi is renamed Long-whiskered Owl, and the three photos that were taken at REGUA in south-east Brazil have been incorrectly labelled as north-east Brazil.

There's no doubt that this is a beautifully produced book with well researched text (did you know there has now been a Barn Owl recorded in Antarctica?) packed cover to cover with stunning photos (the sourcing of the photos alone must have been an enormous undertaking). Although a little limited as an identification guide, Mikkola has succeeded in writing a fascinating and useful photographic reference that is worth every penny. Highly recommended to anyone interested in owls.

Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide by Heimo Mikkola (Christopher Helm, London, 2012)
ISBN: 9781408130285

Review: Eden Quality XP 8x42 binocular

Eden Quality binoculars are a brand from Dutch company KATO Group (produced by a manufacturer in the far east). They offer a range of three roof-prism binoculars at the budget end of the market - the entry level HDs, the EDs, and the top of the range XP models. Back in March, Eden Quality contacted me offering a complimentary pair of their XP binoculars. In exchange for a field test and writing a review I could keep them, more than a fair deal I thought, so I opted for the 8x42s and a few days later they arrived.

The XPs are very well spec'd for their £250 price tag, with a carbon composite body (bringing the weight to 660 g), nitrogen filled (and so water/dust proof) and BAK-4 prisms (which have a higher density glass than the cheaper BAK-7 prisms, producing a sharper image). There is no ED (Extra low Dispersion) glass, but in addition to the usual phase-correction coatings (which increases resolution, colour rendition and contrast) the prisms do also have a dielectric coating (not found on the ED models) which increases light reflectivity and improves sharpness and clarity, along with fully multi-coated lenses (for a glossary of optical terms click here).

Eden Quality tell me that an ED model with a dielectric coating is in the pipeline, and it will be very interesting to see how these compare. The XPs come with a 25 year warranty and are supplied with a case with a useful front pocket (although the velcro fastener doesn't close with both the bins and strap inside), a decent neoprene strap (which I would have preferred to be able to shorten a little more), soft rubber rain guard, attachable objective caps, cleaning cloth and manual.

Initial impressions of the XPs were of a solidly built piece of kit (although the front hinge nut was loose on delivery and needed tightening) with a thin rubber armour protecting the body (including small indentations on the underside of each barrel for grip) and fairly sturdy eye cups. The dioptre adjustment is located under the right ocular and is fairly stiff to turn which prevents the setting being changed accidentally. After a few months of use the bins still looked good as new.

I find field reviews of binoculars quite limited unless direct comparisons are made between similarly priced/spec'd models from difference companies. My bins of choice are Swarovski EL 10x32s and so any comparison with these would be unfair, but my backup bins are Opticron Verano BGA PC 8x32s, a few years old now, but a similar specification and at the time a similar price. So, although they are a smaller objective some comparisons are worth mentioning.

I was able to test the XPs both in the UK and in Brazil's tropical Atlantic Forest - one of the most bird-rich biomes on the planet. I found them light and very comfortable to hold and at just 145 mm long, they are nice and compact and I often forgot I was using 42s instead of 32s. The eye cups twist out anti-clockwise and have three settings allowing good eye relief. For me, one click out gave me the optimal image but I found they moved position easily and I had to regularly readjust them (although no more so than the eye cups my Veranos). The focusing is particularly nice - very smooth and lightning fast, with just over one turn to focus from the closest distance to infinity. The minimum distance I could focus to was 1.39 m - not as close as the 1.2 m Eden Quality claim, but still excellent for their class, and more than close enough to study insects.

It took me a while to find the correct dioptre setting for my eyes but once done I found the image very sharp across the central 80% of the field of view, but noticeably softer in the outer 20% where a slight curvature of field is also detectable. The colours produced are natural although warmer than I am used to with my Swarovski ELs (although very similar to the Veranos).

The image is nice and bright, even when watching a passage Ring Ouzel at Staines Moor one misty April morning. In Brazil I had plenty of opportunities to test the XPs in low light conditions, such as watching skulking antwrens and foliage-gleaners in the rainforest interior and Giant Snipe and Black-banded Owl at night. Each time the XPs delivered a great image. The wide field of field (129 m at 1,000 m) makes locating birds easy, especially in flight, and despite the lack of ED glass chromatic aberration is very minimal (again similar to the Veranos) and you really do have to look very closely to see it.

Overall I found the XPs to be robust, comfortable and a joy to use. I was actually very tempted to keep them as my backup bins, replacing the Veranos, but from the beginning I had decided that after the test I would donate them to a ranger at REGUA - an NGO in the Atlantic Forest of south-east Brazil where I work as a volunteer.

REGUA now employs 10 rangers, all from local villages, and mostly ex-hunters. The rangers patrol the Reserve to deter hunting and prevent the extraction of valuable plants such as heart of palm, bromeliads and orchids, both of which are illegal. REGUA estimates that hunting on the Reserve has been reduced by 98%, and this has allowed the re-introduction of two locally extinct bird species - the Red-billed Curassow Crax blumenbachii and Black-fronted Piping-Guan Aburria jacutinga.

Spending so much time in the forest the rangers make numerous wildlife sightings, but good quality binoculars are a true luxury, so at the end of my trip last month I gave them to REGUA's head ranger Luiz Rogick. Luiz has been working for REGUA for six months, after previously working for the Três Picos State Park for several years. He is truly passionate about the Atlantic Forest and his position at REGUA, and as well as managing the rangers he is involved in REGUA's Education Programme. Luiz will put the XPs through their paces in this harsh environment, but I have no doubt they can handle it.

REGUA Head Ranger, Luiz Rogick, showing off his new Eden Quality binoculars.

Eden Quality binoculars are available in the UK only online through EdenWebshops. For specifications and prices please visit their website.

Review update

In September I returned to REGUA and Luiz informed me of a problem with the binoculars. On inspection, I found the bonding attaching the rubber eye cups to the the metal section that allow the eye cups to be raised and lowered had disintegrated. Probably as a result of the high humidity in the Atlantic Forest. It was disappointing to find the build quality to be not as good as I originally thought, but in some ways it's more important to see how the manufacturer deals with the problem. On return to the UK I contacted KATO Group and very quickly they requested I send the binoculars to them for repair. I've just received the binoculars from Brazil so I'll update this post once I know the final outcome.

The bonding on the rubber eye cups disintegrated after just two months use
in the humid Neotropics. (Photo by Rachel Walls)

Postscript: I'm please to report that Eden Quality were efficient at repairing the binoculars (at no charge) and they have now been returned to Luiz at REGUA.