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

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  1. Edward

    Your Most Recent "Life" Bird

    More than 300 new species on my first trip to India last week, highlights being Blyth's Tragopan, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Spotted Elachura, Grandala, Blood Pheasant and many more. Strangely, my last lifer was one of India's most common birds Jungle Babbler, species no. 409 on my India list.
  2. Edward

    How Do You Pronounce ____________?

    I've only ever heard people say Vox's in the US and Vaux himself said "Vawks"
  3. Edward

    What’s your nemesis bird?

    Yeah, I've heard them calling just metres away in Spain but they remained well hidden. I thought I'd see them on spring migration in Israel but didn't even hear them on two spring trips.
  4. Edward

    What’s your nemesis bird?

    The most common bird in Europe I've never seen is Common Quail. Thought I heard lots in Gozo last summer before realising they were just tape recordings to lure birds to hunters... Most common bird missing from my Iceland list is Great Shearwater but I'm not a great sailor these days and I...
  5. Edward

    Your Most Recent "Life" Bird

    Saw 283 new species on a 10 day trip to SE Brazil last week but the last lifer was.... Iberian Chiffchaff on Monday during a very brief stopover in Lisbon.
  6. Edward

    Europeans, which American bird would you most like to see?

    Having been on birding trips to New York, Minnesota, North Dakota, Washington State and Texas, my number one target in North America now would be Smith's Longspur on its breeding grounds.
  7. Edward

    Westfjords?

    The West Fjords is a great area of Iceland for general travel, spectacular scenery, feels remote, still relatively few tourists. Don't underestimate the distances, things are further than you think as the roads wind in and out of every fjord, but the scenery is great all the time so just enjoy...
  8. Edward

    Walrus, West Sussex

    Thor is now in eastern Iceland https://www.austurfrett.is/frettir/rostungur-a-flotbryggju-i-breidhdalsvik?fbclid=IwAR1yQi6CV7PZ8tbUuExOATNIuT0TJgOcprhNQ6LRvrx8oYJLkeYv96nWXPk
  9. Edward

    Timing in May/June

    Don't think the direction really matters, I think I prefer going counter clockwise. If I were doing it now I'd check the weather first and then decide but I guess you have to book accommodation.
  10. Edward

    Timing in May/June

    Timing wise last week of May first week of June is definitely the best period for birding in Iceland – all breeding species have arrived, many northbound migrants are still present, they are all highly visible and noisy, you have 24-hour daylight and there still aren’t that many tourists around...
  11. Edward

    Birding in Iceland in July-Aug 2023

    As Andrew says, eBird is widely used in Iceland and is the best tool by far for seeing what birds are here and where they are. Although August is past the prime period and southbound migration has begun, there are still plenty of birds all over the place. Here are the eBird bar charts for...
  12. Edward

    Iceland in February - tips?

    “Foresttwitcher” has answered a lot of your questions but I’ll give you a winter perspective. King Eider is a regular but scarce winter visitor, mostly turning up February-April (although some stay all year) and almost always found in flocks of Common Eider. I haven’t seen any reported recently...
  13. Edward

    Birding in and close to Reykjavík in December

    There are usually plenty of Harlequins at Hafnir but they tend to be more distant than those at Þorkötlustaðabót. The beach to the north of the harbour wall in Sandgerði is usually heaving with gulls (which attract Gyr Falcon), the harbour itself can have birds in. For walks along the coast, the...
  14. Edward

    Birding in and close to Reykjavík in December

    You are very unlikely to see Harlequin Duck in Reykjavík in winter but it’s easy to see a short drive away from the city. A reliable site is the bay Þorkötlustaðabót just east of Grindavík, eBird hotspot here https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1312736. This site north of Reykjavík is also pretty certain...
  15. Edward

    Iceland for the bewildered

    I've never been to Vigur but that will be a good trip I think, tons of birds on the island and very often a King Eider in the Common Eider colony
  16. Edward

    Iceland for the bewildered

    August and September should be pretty good for looking for Gyr Falcons as the young will be on the wing and starting to fend for themselves. North-east Iceland is the best place, not just around Mývatn but the whole area, especially the Melrakkaslétta peninsula. I also see them pretty much every...
  17. Edward

    Iceland for the bewildered

    Brünnich’s Guillemot breeds in vast numbers in NW Iceland, which you will pass on the way from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður and then again from Ísafjörður to Akureyri. Not sure how close you’ll sail to the bird cliffs but there should be Brünnich’s Guillemot (and Common G and Razorbill) at sea as you...
  18. Edward

    Green Listing 2022 - Joint Thread

    I ride my bike a lot and am always birding in my head so I inevitably see stuff from the saddle. Added a few things to the list which were missing, e.g. Gyr Falcon, Rock Ptarmigan, Harlequin Duck, Red-necked Phalarope, Horned Grebe, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting.
  19. Edward

    best birds seen whilst working

    I usually see Gyr Falcon a few times every winter from the comfort of my chair at work. I imagine they go past every day in winter but I am supposed to look at the computer screen rather than out of the window so I miss them. I've also had lifer Northern Bottlenose Whale out of this window.
  20. Edward

    Iceland 2022: at the wrong time in the wrong place

    Interesting to read this report. Shame you didn't get proper views of Harlequin, a very easy bird for 10 and half months of the year but they become elusive in August when moulting although they are still here, around 15,000 individuals. You also picked the coldest and wettest summer for a long...
  21. Edward

    Your Most Recent "Life" Bird

    65 lifers on a 9 day trip to the Upper Texas Coast and Edwards Plateau in central Texas, including 32 warblers and a big fallout of passerines at Sabine Woods after we saw the thermometer drop from 32°C to 15°C as a cold front moved in. Last lifer actually one of the most common birds in the...
  22. Edward

    Gull in Iceland in 2005

    Hi, it was clear to me what you meant by manky Mallard but I think this is a normal Mallard, probably just moulting, at least I've never seen a domestic Mallard at this site. Photo quality doesn't help much though. The big white thing is definitely a Whooper Swan anyway :)
  23. Edward

    Gull in Iceland in 2005

    Yes, definitely a LBBG as Andrew said and the Mallard is just a normal Mallard, no manky Mallards at that location.
  24. Edward

    Nearctic Lapland Longspur in the W. Palearctic

    Many Lapland Longspurs wintering in Europe are Nearctic in origin, they breed on the east coast of Greenland and pass through Iceland on their way north and south.
  25. Edward

    Your Most Recent "Life" Bird

    Finally, after 2 and a half years I can contribute to this thread. Had some brilliant Iceland ticks this year, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler and Northern Harrier, but yesterday's Eurasian Dotterel was a long awaited world lifer.
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