Thermal4Birding

Fallow Deer feeding up for the winter (and a random rabbit) on a chilly Cannock Chase tonight.

More videos in thread....

@thermal4birding.bsky.social
@staffsmammalgroup.bsky.social
@staffswildlife.bsky.social

An unexpected addition to our thermal dazzling session with farmer Andy last night in Staffordshire, together with a Grey Partridge & 8 new Skylarks we found this October Quail! Our first ringed on the farm @thermal4birding.bsky.social @tj-focus.bsky.social

Clouds of Soprano Pips wheeling above the Afon Glaslyn tonight.

(Turn your volume down a little)

Pulsar Axion 2 and Magenta Bat Detector.

@mammalsociety.bsky.social
@northwaleswt.bsky.social
@thermal4birding.bsky.social

Soprano Pipistrelles hunting over the oakwoods in Snowdonia tonight.

Also detected Lesser Horseshoe bats.

Drop your volume a little bit to remove some of the hiss.

(More video in thread)

@northwaleswt.bsky.social
@mammalsociety.bsky.social
@thermal4birding.bsky.social

Thermal image of a hunting Nightjar in a woodland clearing

Nightjars still active (including one still churring) in #lincsbirding just before dawn today, then an early juv Merlin and 3 Marsh Harriers south along the Trent #vismig

A flock of c30 Common Scoter whistled and steamed their way west over Laughton Forest @lincsbirding.bsky.social at 2315 but I messed up the thermal, so have some Nightjars instead #vismig #nocmig

They put on quite the finale for the last Nightjar survey of the season last night 😍 #thermalbirding

Stunning thermal footage 📽️of these two Nightjars chasing each other across Cannock Chase in Staffordshire last night was a great experience, which wouldn’t have been seen without Thermal. A new world has opened up to us all 🌍 #wildlifeconservation #NatureBeauty #birdinggear @tj-focus.bsky.social

Fantastic to see Ringers, Birders and ecologists using thermal to watch Nightjars, which prevents the need for white hankies and tape lures, which must be a positive. #birdinggear

A very short clip taken last night on Cannock Chase, first Nightjar of the season seen!! The earliest encounter we've had by 8 days (previous earliest seen by us was 28th April). Showing the value of thermal cameras for finding wildlife!!! #birds

Driving back across the Chase from the @westmidbirdclub.bsky.social talk tonight I managed to spot this fox going about his business.

Look how insulated his tail is compared to the rest of him.

@mammalsociety.bsky.social
@staffsmammalgroup.bsky.social
@thermal4birding.bsky.social

A Jack Snipe almost invisible in its cryptic plumage.

The same bird as in the first image but zoomed in.

Another Jack Snipe almost out in the open but still incredibly camouflaged.

The same bird as in picture 3 but zoomed in.

Dungeness: I spent a couple of hours with JY around the peninsula using thermal imagers counting Common Snipe and bonus Jack Snipes. The superb camouflage of Jack Snipe never ceases to amaze me, absolutely stunning birds. #UKBirding #Kentbirding

Thermal drones detect rare tree kangaroos in Australia Tree kangaroos, which live high up in the tall rainforest trees of New Guinea and Australia, are usually very hard to spot from the ground. But thermal drones, which detect animals from their body heat, can help find these animals quickly, a new study has found. In November 2024, Emmeline Norris, a Ph.D. student at James Cook University in Australia and the study’s lead author, was flying thermal drones from atop a 47-meter (154-feet) crane located in Daintree Rainforest Observatory, a research station run by the university in the Cape Tribulation rainforests. Norris was opportunistically searching for spectacled

Thermal drones detect rare tree kangaroos in Australia

https://www.byteseu.com/762670/

Tree kangaroos, which live high up in the tall rainforest trees of New Guinea and Australia, are usually very hard to spot from the ground. But thermal drones, which detect animals from their body heat, …

This is the Pulsar Telos XP50 in light rain.
There is a newer XL sensor which is also amazing.
#birdinggear

Very good review of the HIK, which is why when people ask us about thermals we always talk about the sensors compared to Pulsar. HIK give a decent image in good conditions. Pulsar give a good image no matter the weather and are more sensitive so pick up more. #birdinggear

I found the Mountain Hares from a distance with my Pulsar Axion 2 Thermal Imager.

#birdinggear

Great camouflage on the Woodcock, bird landed only 10-15ft in front of us after being flushed by dogs and needed the thermal to refind. #birdingwales #birds

A thermal day trip to @OverburyEnt and @kemerton Worcestershire saw good numbers of Jack and Common Snipe present, with a number of Jack Snipe added to our DNA project.
Fantastic learning more about this common UK winter species. @tj-focus.bsky.social @thermal4birding.bsky.social

Recently we wanted to see whether there were any Hares using one of the fields.
We established using the Pulsar Telos XP50 that the field had a number of Common Snipe, as well as Red-Legged Partridge and up to 30 Hares. Great footage too! #birdinggear

Thermal image of a skulking Jack Snipe.

Jack Snipe.

Thermal image of a group of Golden Plover.

Golden Plover on a building site.

A dreich morning brightened up by my first 'thermal' Jack Snipe, one of 5. A quick sweep of one of several building sites revealed 14 Golden Plover, blending in with the crushed hardcore. #Patchworkchallenge #Ukbirding

From ringers feedback having to have your phone on also creates light, which can spook the birds too.

@btobirds.bsky.social have released ethics on using for ringing but unsure if it’s been released wider yet

to continue with the mammals found while #birding theme, dolphins in a tidal creek of south carolina by thermal

FLIR are not the brand you need for this as the quality optics aren’t there over the distance you need. It’s the least favourable unit for your use #birdinggear

The T2 is a cheap alternative but find having to have the phone as well is a lot of kit to carry and mess about with. Monoculars are easier and yes work better in the day

In Aug 2022 we created these scrapes in Worcestershire yesterday we saw the benefits, with Great White, Cattle and Little Egret all present, together with Common and 15 Jack snipe. We ringed 3 Jacks. Brilliant to see them mature, even better a very pleased farmer Jake #birdringing #thermalbirding

YouTube video by TJ Focus Birds, bees and bats seen in thermal with the Pulsar Telos XP50 thermal spotter

We went on a wildlife walk for just a few hours around dusk with the Pulsar Telos XP50 thermal camera to see what we could see. You'll be amazed by what we managed to discover: birds of all sizes, hidden in trees, bushes, and reeds, an abundance of bats and even insects! youtu.be/r0ETvx20Uyo?...

Never managed to pick this one up (back in November) in scope or bins. Without the thermal it would have been missed. Pulsar Axion XQ30.

Happy #Worldwetlandsday Thermal Imaging technology has changed the world for monitoring Wetlands, with more accurate data being recorded than ever. Is there anything better than finding a Bittern in a Reed Bed or a Jack Snipe roosting? Pulsar Axion XG35