Infra Red Camera to capture nesting birds

[hesslemount]

Can anyone recommend a hand held infrared camera, monocular, binocular that detects nesting birds in trees particularly in the daytime, in conifers, hedgerows and ivy etc. and can possibly pick up chicks if mother is briefly away or eggs? My question is how does one distinguish between a roosting bird and a nesting bird from the image that is showing through the lense? I’m willing to budget £1k-£1.5k if it does the job. 

Edited May 13 by hesslemount

[hesslemount]

On further research egg detection with a thermal monocular is highly unlikely. Nesting birds are easier identified by imaging at non roosting times after dawn and are recognised by longer periods of inactivity (egg / chicks sitting) . 

[Muddy42]

on farmland, cutting hedges is banned between 1st March and 1st August. That is a pretty good guide for when to limit cutting domestic hedges.  I have a thermal (pulsar XM30 or something like that) and I don't think it will work, mine cannot see through trees and foliage.

[hesslemount]

8 minutes ago, Muddy42 said:

on farmland, cutting hedges is banned between 1st March and 1st August. That is a pretty good guide for when to limit cutting domestic hedges.  I have a thermal (pulsar XM30 or something like that) and I don't think it will work, mine cannot see through trees and foliage.

On domestic work I won’t take down hedges or conifers unless I’m absolutely confident that there are no active nests. On my research there are infrared monoculars that “on paper” will detect sitting birds but I’m wondering on arborist’s and ecologist’s empirical observations. 

[Anno]

have a look here - 

https://www.nhbs.com/1/thermal-imaging?q=&fR[hide][0]=false&fR[live][0]=true&fR[shops.id][0]=1&fR[subsidiaries][0]=1&hFR[subjects_equipment.lvl1][0]=Optics > Thermal Imaging

 

used them only on bat jobs so not sure how they would perform in terms of nesting birds?

[Dan Maynard]

A friend has something thermal, I'll try and remember to ask him about them tomorrow.

[JLA1990]

Infra red wont work, thermal would be the way to go, the below model would be my recommendation.
Pixfra Mile 2 M207 Thermal Monocular Scope (7mm) – £299.

This will do the job comfortably and offers a lot of technology for the money. I use this professionally as an ecologist to find nesting birds. However, thermal imaging has its limitations — no camera can detect the heat signature of incubated eggs. As mentioned, it will not detect through foliage. That said, as long as you can move around the subject area, you can usually pick up heat signatures, even if they are only fleeting. I predominantly use the scope on night works alongside my guys fyi 

Edited May 16 by JLA1990

[AHPP]

51 minutes ago, JLA1990 said:

I predominantly use the scope on night works alongside my guys

 

So you can see where they've been pissing? Or is it performance monitoring? Orange people are working hard. Red people need to knuckle down.

Edited May 16 by AHPP

[hesslemount]

Following much research and discussion I’ve decided to purchase these thermal binoculars from a well informed company. The guy I chatted to has tested these in woodlands on a rigorous test with a falconer using owls 🦉; which are able to lower their body temperatures to much lower levels. I’ll keep you all posted when they are delivered.

 

Just a moment...

WWW.CAMERACENTREUK.COM

 

[JLA1990]

11 hours ago, AHPP said:

 

So you can see where they've been pissing? Or is it performance monitoring? Orange people are working hard. Red people need to knuckle down.

Close but it’s so I can watch my guys just to make sure they’re working hard… by how heavily they’re breathing. Call it HR-approved heavy breathing—because nothing screams ‘dedicated crew’ like a glowing lung workout on the FLIR