Thermal Imager

 Over the last couple of years I have seen that more and more birders (mostly UK rather than Norwegians) are using thermal imagers to help find birds. They don’t just work in the dark for finding for example owls but also work very well in the daytime with well camouflaged species that choose to rely on their camouflage and sit motionless. One of very favourite species, and my obsession last winter, Jack Snipe is a species that I have noticed to be often found with the use of thermal imagers.

The choice of models is increasing and price falling and I wished for one for my birthday and was lucky enough to be lucky 😊. I had taken it with me on my trip to Store Færder but it had not revealed anything other moths flying around  in the dark so at least I knew it worked with small subjects. Today I decided to take it with me to a favoured snipe site and put it through its paces. My first sweep over the wet field revealed loads of hot spots but switching to binoculars I could see no birds. I eventually located a couple of Meadow Pipits but there were far more things out there. It was difficult to judge range and size but after some Common Snipe flew up I got a better idea of what I was seeing. I then started to really study the hot spots and use my bins and eventually found a motioneless Jack Snipe hidden in the grass. I have of course managed this before but it will be far less hit and miss now and hopefully result in less flushing of birds. I was also able to locate Water Rail in the reedbed and Song Thrushes in long grass that I would otherwise not have seen. This technology is a real game changer but does feel a bit like cheating.

 

I am off to the famous vagrant island of Røst on Thursday (I was supposed to go to Værøy for the first time since Covid but circumstances necessitated a change of plans ad I think Røst will do very nicely) and I am now looking to finding loads of locustellas hiding in the grass  with my new toy😊 

Jack Snipe (kvartbekkasin) through the thermal imager

and through the bazooka

the colours on the back are just amazing

and a Common Snipe (enkelbekkasin) that allowed itself to be viewed

spot the birdy

a couple of unexpected waders were 2 late Curlew (storspove) and a Greenshank (gluttsnipe)

the new kit

Parrot Crossbill (furukorsnebb) is one of the most infuriating species we have - is it really a species? or just a clinal extreme? and where do you draw the line beween a large billed "Common" Crossbill and a small billed "Parrot". This bird does I think safely come in to thesall billed Parrot category and there seems to be a small invasion of them at the moment