locustella80
Member
Hi,
I am wondering if anybody has tried searching for birds and mammals at night with a thermographic camera? Nowadays these cameras are affordable (< 2000USD) and therefore may offer exciting possibilities for birdwatchers and mammal-watchers. I am thinking of a combination of a thermographic camera to find animals and a powerful torch with red or green filter to observe them without much disturbance. Here is a video that I found to illustrate this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gXmkJjB8jI&feature=player_embedded
I would be glad to hear of any experience with thermographic cameras for wildlife observation. How easy is it to detect animals? At what distance and what size of animals? What features make a camera more ore less suitable for wildlife observation? Which models are especially suitable? What effect has ambient temperature (e.g. in tropics it might be harder to find animals due to reduced temperature gradients)? What are success rates compared to other techniques like spotlighting?
Mathias
I am wondering if anybody has tried searching for birds and mammals at night with a thermographic camera? Nowadays these cameras are affordable (< 2000USD) and therefore may offer exciting possibilities for birdwatchers and mammal-watchers. I am thinking of a combination of a thermographic camera to find animals and a powerful torch with red or green filter to observe them without much disturbance. Here is a video that I found to illustrate this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gXmkJjB8jI&feature=player_embedded
I would be glad to hear of any experience with thermographic cameras for wildlife observation. How easy is it to detect animals? At what distance and what size of animals? What features make a camera more ore less suitable for wildlife observation? Which models are especially suitable? What effect has ambient temperature (e.g. in tropics it might be harder to find animals due to reduced temperature gradients)? What are success rates compared to other techniques like spotlighting?
Mathias