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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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  1. M

    Ultrasonic calls

    Yes, I'd just finished a lesser horseshoe colony count when I went on to the lake. This was far too low frequency for either UK species, and sounded quite different. It wasn't a bat, or cricket, and wasn't a man-made sound. I'm pretty certain it would be some rodent, but I don't know the...
  2. M

    Ultrasonic calls

    While out watching bats by a lake in Gloucestershire last night, I picked up some loud squealing calls on the detector, peaking at about 30kHz. Nothing audible in the normal hearing range, though.They sounded like a pig squealing, or a rabbit in distress. Both wild boar and rabbits are common...
  3. M

    Borneo jungle birding

    I found some pictures of the Danum Valley boardwalk. Looks like it includes two vertical ladders, so I think that pretty much rules out the tripod! I had already come to that conclusion anyway, having read the replies - thanks everyone.
  4. M

    Borneo jungle birding

    I am going to Borneo next month, visiting Sepilok, Kinabatangan River and Danum Valley. I have previously visited several jungles and tend to find that a scope and tripod are of little value, as they are difficult to carry on treks, and the vegetation means you only get views of birds/mammals at...
  5. M

    Flashlight recommendations

    Just bought a Led Lenser P5.2, which I tested last night in the wood against my existing Led Lenser P7. With the single AA alkaline in the P5.2, it was brighter and with an equivalent range to the P7, although I always use the P7 with rechargeables, so it would probably have equalled it for...
  6. M

    Spotlighting filters

    I have a LED Lenser P7 which I use for spotlighting mammals at night. I use a home-made red filter when I am worried about disturbing them, but the light output is dramatically reduced by this (maybe this is why is doesn't disturb them!). I noticed LED Lenser now do a filter kit, in which they...
  7. M

    Bad year for grass snakes?

    Where I work, it is normal at this time of year for me to see at least 2 or 3 grass snakes every day when walking round the grounds. In good years I have often had 6 or 7 a day. But my most recent sighting was October last year - nothing at all this year. Has anyone else noticed a similar drop...
  8. M

    Woodpecker holes?

    Yesterday, in a South Wales oak/ash woodland, I came across a tree with hundreds of small holes about 1cm wide in the bark, all the same size and evenly spaced, and resembling shallow pits rather than insect exit holes. They started below head height and went up at least 20 feet. The closest...
  9. M

    Thylacine

    I remember being impressed and saddened as a child seeing a stuffed thylacine in the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. Also, the Natural History museum in London used to have one. I assume both are still on show as nobody is going to throw out a presumably extinct animal.
  10. M

    Pine marten - Ireland

    Having been to Scotland I know various B&Bs etc encourage pine martens to visit, allowing good photo opportunities for guests. There are also hides available to view them on some estates. I am visiting Ireland in June and wondered if anyone knows of such opportunities there? From past experience...
  11. M

    Bat detectors

    These detectors aren't expensive. The Baton is only about £70 and produces OK sonograms using the free Batscan software supplied. As detailed above, you'll need a recording device, though. A few years ago, when I was starting out, you wouldn't have got a Frequency Division detector for less than...
  12. M

    Oregon in September

    My wife and I will be in Klamath Falls for three days from Sept 17th. We are visiting from England and are not very experienced with American species. We plan to visit Crater Lake and Lava Beds (not specifically for birdwatching) whilst there, and I am aware there are a large number of birding...
  13. M

    Recording from bat detector

    Does anyone have experience of recording from a frequency division bat detector (eg. Batbox baton)? I need to acquire a recording device and the Zoom H2 or Roland R05 both look like good options. Anybody used these, or similar, for this purpose? I understand the Zoom can switch on and off in...
  14. M

    Bat found, did we do the right thing?

    Hope you didn't put the bat in an open box outside before dusk, otherwise the reason it disappeared might be that something came along and ate it! It may well have been a baby bat, which would probably have been unable to fly when you found it (I didn't see any flying before 6th July). It would...
  15. M

    cat brought in a mouse...

    Wood mouse probably, yellow-necked mouse possibly if you are in range for that, but looks too dark for that.
  16. M

    Water vole eating habits

    Certainly will, as it is in the grounds where I work, and I pop out every lunchtime in the Summer to watch the grass snakes, so I'll be keeping a close watch for any further vole signs.
  17. M

    New Fancy View/Symonds Yat -Forest of Dean

    Had the viewpoint to myself this morning. Excellent close view of a male goshawk seeing off a crow, also another gos perched. Half a dozen fallow deer down below, and one that I only saw briefly but looked like roe. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has seen roe from the viewpoint, as...
  18. M

    Water vole eating habits

    Walking by the river today, I heard a rustling in some dead reeds a couple of inches from the water's edge. As I watched, an 18 inch high piece of reed began to shake and then to disappear into the ground. It was obviously being pulled down by some animal tunnelling underneath and took about a...
  19. M

    Baby grass snake - October

    I didn't hold it for long, as it seemed to be wriggling normally, but if I find another one I will try to warm it more. It was quite mild on the day I found it, and the tarmac of the car park was in the sun, so I think it was basking to warm up. Unfortunately, it would have been killed by a car...
  20. M

    Possible Wildcat, Ardnamurchan (Scotland)

    That's about the best place in the country for wildcat, but bear in mind there are hybrids around. The only 'wildcat' I managed to spotlight from the road in this area in 2007 was an obvious hybrid (marked like wildcat but thin tail). That said, I know there are genuine ones around as well. For...
  21. M

    Baby grass snake - October

    Last weekend (19th Oct) I came across a baby grass snake on the tarmac in a car park in Gloucestershire. I was surprised, as I have never seen a grass snake out this late in the year and it had been quite cold overnight for a few days previously, so I would have thought it should have been in...
  22. M

    Grass snakes Autumn mating

    Thanks for the information. I had no idea that reptiles could maintain viable eggs inside them when their body temperature drops for hibernation. I always thought baby grass snakes would emerge in about August, but it seems I will need to look earlier in the season next year for the offspring of...
  23. M

    Grass snakes Autumn mating

    If I were to explain in anatomical detail, I doubt the reply would get past the filters! I watched the snakes for about 20 minutes, during which time they were writhing about on the ground, and it soon became obvious that a smallish, light-brown male was mating with a larger, darker female. As...
  24. M

    Bat Detectors- advice please!

    If you think there is any chance you might want to analyse the calls on a PC, best to buy a frequency division detector (Duet or Pettersson) now. I have used a Pettersson D100 heterodyne detector for several years and it is good for what it does (including picking up both horseshoes, which the...
  25. M

    Grass snakes Autumn mating

    Two days ago, I was fortunate enough to witness a pair of grass snakes mating. Although I see the snakes frequently, I have never seen such an event before and was surprised because I thought mating took place much earlier in the year. Surely snakes mating in the Autumn cannot possibly produce...
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