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

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  1. Ilya Maclean

    Two people break 10,000 species, and on the same day? Can it be?

    I find some birds dull as dishwater to look at, but quite like listening to them. Hearing a landscape full of nighttime singing Blyth’s Reed Warblers in Finland was, for me, a lot more memorable than bumping into one on a grotty day in September on Shetland. Each to their own really. I don’t see...
  2. Ilya Maclean

    The ultimate range maps

    Most of the ornithological GBIF data comes from eBird (e.g. that record of Common Nightingale on the most southerly point of the UK mainland is mine submitted via eBIrd). eBird actually offers you a lot more than GBIF in terms of granularity and detail - e.g. you can click on the individual...
  3. Ilya Maclean

    Mallorca 2017

    A bit of a walk around Boquer Valley and Albufereta this morning having been on the Island a few days. Nothing particularly unusual, but a few common migrants. 20 Blackcaps at the villa at Boquer was a bit of a surprise along with Balearic and nominate Woodchat. Finally managed to see the...
  4. Ilya Maclean

    Mallorca 2017

    Always a bit hard to judge colour tones from photos, but looks spot on to me - buffy ear coverts etc. Certainly, from the photos, it looks like the ones I see in Cornwall pretty regularly
  5. Ilya Maclean

    Mallorca 2017

    Thanks, Mike. With your hint, I managed to track down the post myself (see below). That said, I think the taxonomy has moved on since then. Aside from Moltoni's being given full species status, a new sub-species iberiae has been recognised and I suspect what he calls cantillans is actually this...
  6. Ilya Maclean

    Mallorca 2017

    Does anybody know the status of the various Subalpine races versus Moltoni's Warbler on Mallorca? The reason I ask is that I was recently doing a description of Subalpine Warbler I found in the UK, which resulted in me re-examining some photographs of bird I took at La Gola in early April last...
  7. Ilya Maclean

    Going the extra distance for sex

    An incredible study just published shows that male Pectoral Sandpipers go on a grand tour of the Arctic, traveling more than 8000 miles in a month, to mate with multiple females: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature20813.html
  8. Ilya Maclean

    18,000 Bird species in the world?

    Just thought I'd flag this up, as it's quite interesting, though my own interpretation is that authors are really stretching the definition of what a species is. Basically, according to a new study published here, there are almost twice as many bird species as we first thought. In short, the...
  9. Ilya Maclean

    Falmouth Birding

    For those of you that occasionally venture away from Falmouth and into the wilderness south of Helston, you may be interested that Brian Cave's A Lizard Bird Diary is now available from Amazon. While not all will agree with Brian's rather unorthodox style to releasing rarities news, and the book...
  10. Ilya Maclean

    Evidence that birds sleep in mid-flight

    I just thought this might be of interest to some: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160803/ncomms12468/full/ncomms12468.html I'm accessing from a University, so not sure if everyone can see the full article, but I think it is open access.
  11. Ilya Maclean

    Mallorca 2016

    Hi Hugh, I'm back in the UK now, but had a flock of ~15 Spotless Starlings here yesterday eve: https://goo.gl/maps/gt8yGMMhZaJ2 Perched on wires around the back of Ca'n Cuarassa restaurant. I hope that helps. Ilya
  12. Ilya Maclean

    Mallorca 2016

    2 Bonelli's Warblers in pines along the track between Betlem and Es Calo this pm. One c 800m from Betlem the other just before Es Calo. Also loads of common migrants around there (Wryneck, Redstarts etc) and around La Gola this am (including wood warbler & spot fly in addition to those...
  13. Ilya Maclean

    Mallorca 2016

    Hi Cristina - yes it was me that called in at the centre earlier. Nice to meet you. Happy to do a description. If it hangs around until tomorrow I'll try to get a photo.
  14. Ilya Maclean

    Mallorca 2016

    Cracking male Collared Flycatcher Puerto de Pollenca in the park en route to the sea front if walking down from Postage Stamp wood this pm.
  15. Ilya Maclean

    Bulwer's Petrel?

    Yes - looking at online photos I agree. Thanks guys. Southern hemisphere seabirds a challenge for me!
  16. Ilya Maclean

    Bulwer's Petrel?

    Sooty would be quite a bit out of range, though Flesh-footed Shearwater is the most likely alternative. Was difficult to gauge size..Agree - wings seem a bit long for a Bulwer's and doesn't quite have the feel of one, but doesn't seem quite heavy enough for Flesh-footed...
  17. Ilya Maclean

    Bulwer's Petrel?

    And another photo
  18. Ilya Maclean

    Bulwer's Petrel?

    Taken ~3km offshore from north of Mauritius 20th Aug 2015. Suspect Bulwer's Petrels, but confirmation much appreciated. Apologies for photo quality - taken into bright light with a bit of a swell
  19. Ilya Maclean

    Shrike ID - Saudi Arabia early may

    I'm given to understand the wing and tail formulae are quite important when IDing shrikes The wing formula is much closer to 'Isabelline' (see here), although perhaps that's what one would expect of a Red-backed x Brown. That said, the overall primary projection, short on Brown, just seems...
  20. Ilya Maclean

    Aythya - Madeira

    Thanks - confirms what I thought. I just wanted a second opinion as tufted duck is probably the rarer of the two on Madeira and it does resemble a bird seen in Cornwall a few years ago, that was deemed a ring-necked duck http://www.gobirding.eu/Photos/RingneckedDuck.php.
  21. Ilya Maclean

    Aythya - Madeira

    Any thoughts on the attached? Photographed at Lugar de Baixo on Madeira on 3rd of January. Striking sub-terminal bill band for a tufty and resembles a juv ring-necked moulting to 1st winter, but would have thought ring-necked duck would start to show a few more of the classic features by Jan...
  22. Ilya Maclean

    chiffchaff identification

    Surely all this talk of Siberian chiffchaffs is moot in the context of the photos, which look nothing like tristis? Sibe’s have stonking white underparts and brown upper parts with a hint of buff, especially around the ear coverts and very little in the way of yellow / green. OK – so our...
  23. Ilya Maclean

    Lesser Whitethroat - which race?

    Thanks James. I'd forgotten about Martin Garners blog post and the paper he cited, but just read it and like you he suggests blythi is the default 'eastern' (which is what I now suspect this bird is). Will need to look into it a bit more as it appears the goal posts keep shifting:-) It didn't...
  24. Ilya Maclean

    Lesser Whitethroat - which race?

    I suspect your right in that you can't attribute it to minula or halimodendri, but suspect in theory nominate can be ruled out. Yours presumably is a standard curruca (distinct mask, no evidence of white on tail or brown extending up nape etc.)? I'm no expert though
  25. Ilya Maclean

    Lesser Whitethroat - which race?

    Pretty sure this one isn't an Orphean Warbler:-; http://piratebirding.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/lesser-whitethroat-in-my-garden.html Any thoughts on which race? Seen earlier today on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, UK
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