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

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  1. ben_lewis

    1st winter gull, Norfolk 11 Jan

    Can I have a hand with this 1w? gull sp from today. I own up to be pretty poor when it comes to this age of gull in flight only, however this one caught my eye so I took a few ropey shots of it (made worse by compression and cropping). Looking in the book I am still not quite happy with an id...
  2. ben_lewis

    Vortex viper hd 8x42 vs Hawke saphire 8x42

    I'm sure it's been discussed before but are there any side by side comparisons of the above binoculars available on the net? I tried quite a few pairs in a similar price range and these(as well as Nikon monarchs) came out in top positions. I was very impressed with the vipers, but are they worth...
  3. ben_lewis

    Micro from Isles of scilly

    Hi all, Can anyone help with the id of this micro caught on Scilly in early October? http://britishlepidoptera.weebly.com/blog.html If you click the image it will take you to further images and a more detailed description of the moth My father would appreciate some help Many thanks -Ben
  4. ben_lewis

    Daragonfly scotland- Aug to ID

    Hi all, I had this dragon at a site near Fort William in early August. Looking through the field guides I cant quite make up my mind as to what it is. I suspect it is a female common hawker blue form, but the markings still don't look quite right to me. Photo is not great which doesn't help...
  5. ben_lewis

    Little stint? Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk

    On Thursday this stint was present at Strumpshaw, I didn't have a huge amount of time to grill it while in the hide as it was distant and I was working but did rattle off a few shots, just to double check it was not something rarer , we seemed fairly sure of little stint atthe time though. The...
  6. ben_lewis

    Monty's Norfolk, UK

    Can anyone add anything to this harrier seen at Strumpshaw Fen this morning. Typically I took my camera out of my bag this morning so took these with my rubbish phone through my bins. 1-Any reason why this could be anything other than a Monty's? 2- Is it a 2nd summer male? Pic quality is poor...
  7. ben_lewis

    GBBGull? Norfolk

    Am I right in calling this gull a Great Black Backed? I always get confused when they are in this near adult (3cy?) stage, this was quite a large gull but had me thinking is it Herring or GBBG so just thought I'd double check. Many thanks
  8. ben_lewis

    Autumn Seabird passage on Isle of Skye

    Hi, I'm hoping to go to the Isle of Skye in mid-late August, I was just wondering if I would be likely to catch any of the early autumn migration of seabirds? If so, what could I expect in decent conditions at that time? Many thanks
  9. ben_lewis

    How good is a twin 30w actinic Skinner?

    I currently have a 15w actinic skinner trap which is battery operated and a 125w MV, which lives and runs at Strumpshaw Fen RSPB Reserve. However I hope to do more trapping in my garden next year. An MV would be too bright for various reasons but I do want something I can plug into mains for...
  10. ben_lewis

    Willow warbler, Norfolk?

    I really should know better than asking this question, but... A few weeks ago when it was dripping with scarce birds along the Norfolk coast I had this warbler on the East Coast. I'm pretty sure its just a willow but its behaviour struck me as a bit more slow and jerky and the head, in...
  11. ben_lewis

    White bellied juv Marsh harrier, Norfolk...(thread from 2007 revisited!)

    Today I photographed a couple of juv Marsh Harriers which showed very white undersides and throat patch, lacked a ginger cap and generally looked larger but not sure if that is just because they were dark individuals, all in all very odd! I believe a bird such as this was photographed at...
  12. ben_lewis

    Marsh or Icterine Warbler

    Marsh or Icterine Warbler Song, Norfolk, uk I had this warbler in the Broads a few days ago and was sure it was a Marsh, however I only saw the bird very briefly in dense vegetation (it looked like an acro to me). I have just listened to a few recordings of Icterine and realised that there are...
  13. ben_lewis

    Caspian, yellow legged...other? norfolk

    I had this gull at Waxham East Norfolk this morning. It struck me as being 'interesting' due to its long parallel sided bill, mottled neck sides, general structure and the fact that it wouldn't keep still (a feature I have noticed in casp before) Unfortunately the light was awful thanks to a...
  14. ben_lewis

    2 micros, Norfolk

    Hi all, I found these two micros without trying at all, the phyllonorycter sp was on my bathroom window and the Caloptilia sp on my car window as I got to work (always pays to have a pot in the pocket!). Unfortunately I'm struggling to get a positive ID on them. any help would be appreciated...
  15. ben_lewis

    Light orange underwing?

    No picture or even description with this one but.... I saw an orange underwing sp on Thursday in an area of mixed woodland with both birch and aspen, flying briefly at the tree tops was this orange underwing moth. Is it too early for standard orange underwing? has anyone else seen either species...
  16. ben_lewis

    Sparrowhawk?, Norfolk

    This very large hawk was displaying over Strumpshaw last week in the good weather, unfortunately I only saw it twice, once distant and once briefly. I managed to fire off a couple of shots of it on a dull day, pics are poor I'm afraid. I originally assumed the bird coming over my head was a...
  17. ben_lewis

    Sparrowhawk, Norfolk

    Firstly apologies for the photos, taken at quite a distance. I am pretty sure its a Sparrowhawk as I cant really see what else it can be. However, this bird was very large, I first thought it was a Hen Harrier due to the size and colouration of the breast. Obviously it is a hawk of some kind...
  18. ben_lewis

    Monty's Harrier Strumpshaw, Norfolk, August

    I'm just going through the 2011 records for Strumpshaw and just found this harrier on Flickr. Its been a while since I saw my last monties so can anyone offer any suggestions? http://www.flickr.com/photos/leighcaudwell/6049047407/in/pool-600478@N22/ Thanks
  19. ben_lewis

    Dusky Lemon Sallow

    I believe this moth is a Dusky Lemon Sallow but since I have not caught one before and the fact that its a bit faded I would really appreciate a confirmation. Moth Caught at Strumpshaw Fen RSPB reserve, Norfolk on Monday night. For some reason I could not reduce the filesize enough to post pics...
  20. ben_lewis

    An obvious macro in Wales?

    I feel this moth should be very easy to id some kind of Sallow??, at the same time the plate in my field guide seems to be missing ;) I caught 5 of these moths at the base of Mt Snowdon, they came in various forms, the best marked is shown in the photo. thanks for your help
  21. ben_lewis

    2 Sparrows from Arizona

    I think the first is rufous winged- taken at the base of Madera canyon. The second I'm not sure of, could also be rufous winged? It was at Brown canyon (base of Ramsay canyon) I cant find a decent match for either in Sibley, particularly with reference to the bill shape and colour, although...
  22. ben_lewis

    White eared hummer Arizona?

    Not sure about this one, at the time it flew onto the feeders it immediately looked very contrasting (black and white rather than off white and dark grey) on the head and looked like it had a shorter straighter bill compared to broad billed. The bird also shows the green spots on the upper...
  23. ben_lewis

    Arizona Fires

    I'm surprised there is nothing about this on here yet. From the info I can glean from the internet it seems as though large parts of very important habitat, not to mention towns are currently burning in SE Arizona. I hope the weather sorts itself out and helps with the monumental effort that...
  24. ben_lewis

    Fudge duck- Strumpshaw

    Looks good to me but just wondering what others think? As far as I can see it shows; -white eye -peaked crown -uniform flanks to breast- slightly darker breast but that should be ok? -clean white undertail -mantle seems to be nice and dark -no rings seen on legs Does the bill show too much...
  25. ben_lewis

    Common or Rough leg, Norfolk

    This Buzzard flew over Strumpshaw this morning, it seems opinions are slightly divided as to its identity. The bird showed a pale (not white) uppertail with dark tail band, dark belly and dark carpals. I was watching it in pretty poor light and managed to get a few shots as it got closer...
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