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

Recent content by mrpjdavis

  1. M

    Zoom Eyepiece Test: Baader, Zeiss, Swarovski, Nikon

    Although I've looked at the moon through all kinds of scopes including 12"+ scopes, the first view of it with this combination nearly knocked my sox off. It's a huge, very bright, and amazingly detailed 50 degree orb in this eyepiece. Eye relief is such that I can see the entire fov while...
  2. M

    Goshawk display

    Normally I would agree wholeheartedly, but New Fancy View was set up specifically for Goshawk watching by the RSPB and Forestry Commission. It is very widely publicised. A brilliant site it is too. Pete
  3. M

    cross breeding aythya species

    I appreciate that - I was just trying to give some references and a bit more information, since nobody seemed to be saying "Ah, I see what you mean" Pete
  4. M

    cross breeding aythya species

    If you look up genomic imprinting in Wikipedia you will find an explanation which probably fits the observations. Unfortunately it is pretty technical. In a nutshell it seems that, in humans at least, there are about 1% of genes where the origin of the allele i.e from mother or father...
  5. M

    Contents insurance - nasty surprise!

    Forgive me if this has been raised before, but it is still worth raising again. I have not bothered in the past with baggage cover on my holiday insurance because I thought I had adequate cover with my contents insurance. Not so - theft from an unattended car has an absolute limit of £1000...
  6. M

    Nests and eggs from? GB

    I think you meant to say "can't". However, they may have been produced by tunneling from within the dune and the rabbits stopped when they hit fresh air. Alternatively they may be old burrows which have been exposed by wind erosion.
  7. M

    Collins Bird Guide: new edition

    On the face of it, I would agree that the title is a bit daft, except that there is a British bias, in that it gives the status of birds in Britain with each entry - very useful to a newish birder.
  8. M

    Anyone know how to take photos of bats?

    Bats in captivity have been trained to catch maggots shot up vertically from a spring loaded tube. The tube always fires the maggot to the same height so you can prefocus. Might be worth a try - if you have the patience, and the bats have a reasonably predictable flight path. A Metz unit is a...
  9. M

    Macmillan Field Guide to Bird Identification

    Oh, happy days! Just paid £1.50 in our charity shop for the MacMillan guide!
  10. M

    Merlins? No Way!

    I would expect a juvenile to have the richer colour plumage because the feathers are all fresh. An adult female would have paler, washed-out plumage because she would be in mid moult (starts in June according to BWP) No reason why a failed breeder should not be moving onto a winter habitat. Pete
  11. M

    Help, threads worn out on Leica scope...

    Drill it out and get it tapped to take a larger threaded bolt. The bolt head may need to be ground down and then have a screwdriver slot cut into it. Any machine shop should be able to this.
  12. M

    Hobbys in Wiltshire

    In my experience the hobbies are a bit unpredictable at the Water Park (mainly on passage). When there is a damselfly hatch there can be twenty or so. Shapwick Heath in Somerset has them reliably throughout the summer. Also a trip to Slimbridge's 100 acre site will almost certainly give...
  13. M

    70 Hobby's at Shapwick Heath NR !!

    Almost certainly does. One or two pairs seen at Slimbridge throughout the summer.
  14. M

    70 Hobby's at Shapwick Heath NR !!

    It is indeed - and a cracking site. A few years ago I had a "Mediterranean moment" there. Little egrets, hobbies, great white egret, purple heron, osprey, cetti's warbler, all to a deafening chorus of marsh/pool frogs.
  15. M

    Spend £800 on a spotting scope incl. eyepiece - suggestions please?

    If you don't mind the bulk and weight, then a secondhand Leica apo 77 is the best bang per buck by far.
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