So I finally got to JBWR to see the black-necked stilt. Good thing a woman was there to point it out to me, because I sure couldn't spot it with my Monarchs. I seldom feel the need for the expense of a scope, but for distant birds it's the only thing. Also for digiscoping. In the long run a decent scope would be like buying a camera lens as well.
I did get a nice tree swallow, above.