Leica’s Traveling Trinovid
Eagle Optics staff: Ben, Nina (holding the Traveling Trinovid), Tom (with Sheena the dog), Kate, Adrian, Mike
One day last week, the Eagle Optics staff had the pleasure of hosting the famous Traveling Trinovid, Leica’s singular binocular that has already had, in its short life, some of the best adventures in North American birding.
Our intrepid Leica reps, Jeff Bouton and David LaPuma, spent the afternoon educating us about the history of the Leica brand. Eagle Optics has been an authorized dealer of Leica binoculars, spotting scopes and rangefinders for a number of years–but it was fascinating to learn the history of this quality brand that is arguably one of the world’s top sport optics manufacturers.
The Traveling Trinovid, nicknamed Travis, (personally, I think Trina would have been nice, but that’s just me) has all the distinctive characteristics of Leica’s outstanding craftsmanship–but this particular binocular is unique indeed.
Its first trip was across the pond from its factory home in Solms, Germany, emerging from its box on April 7, 2013 at the Leica Store in Miami. Since then, it has been in the hands of many illustrious hosts, each of whom has taken the Trinovid on their own birding excursion, from Key Biscayne to the Texas Coast, up to Pt. Reyes and over to St. Augustine, and smack dab on the boardwalk of the Biggest Week in northwest Ohio. It witnessed shorebirds off the coast of Maine, and prairie species galore in North Dakota. And that’s not all. By then, it had already logged almost 350 species.
So, yes. A binocular Big Year. Travis even has his own blog and Twitter account for you to monitor his movements! Check there for some great photos of some of the birds seen through Travis’ lenses.
Tom Johnson's photo of a Crested Auklet on St. Paul Island. Travis helped spot it!
After the Traveling Trinovid left our store last week, it made a flight to Alaska, and to one of North America’s most remote birding destinations: St. Paul Island. There, Travis got #400: the Black-Legged Kittiwake. And that life list is growing. Not bad to have such an adventure, right? Not to mention, to be handled by some of the most well-known and enthusiastic people in birding. Check the blog to find out whom!
Happy travels, Travis! And to quote Dr. Suess: “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
Originally published on July 11, 2013