I don't think there's any significant differences in Nikon's manufacturing processes between countries. The old days of manufacturing being "better"...
Sounds like a lateral tripod if you can position the center column in a variety of ways. Those tend to be a little more pricey than standard tripods....
Just this morning someone posted a few photos on Facebook of a coyote in their backyard. This area is very suburban - farmland is at least 15 minutes...
That's great. :) Some tripods have a removable center column which can be replaced by a much shorter column to allow low-to-the-ground access. Others...