Thermal imaging monocular (1 Viewer)

[kingfisher13]

Hello!
I am a Birder from Israel who is gonna visit the uk in a month. I met a british birder recently that told me the growing use of Thermal imagine devices to help identify birds in dense vegetation. As i am planning to be in the uk soon, thought of buying a Thermalimaging monocular that will be helpfull for my birding experience. Just started to do some research and it seems that if i want to take a thermal imaging device outside of the uk back to israel i need a special permit or something of that sort. Is it true? Anyone can help me from his own eperience or general knowledge if that is true?
Would appreciate any comments on that subject.

 

[PYRTLE]

No experience of this in terms of a permit, but I would guess that this is a matter to research with the Israeli authorities. I cannot see a problem with legitimately buying such an item in the UK and then taking it back with you ( I think you can claim the VAT back when leaving ), so ensure you have a VAT registered receipt.

Perhaps start with the Israeli Customs department, or even Hadoram Shirihai.

As an aside, personally I wouldn't want to be wandering around in the dark near any sensitive or military patrolled areas.

Good luck and enjoy your visit.

 

[KC Foggin]

Being from the other side of the pond, I can't help you with your question but I do want to wish you a warm welcome from those of us on BirdForum

 

[jurek]

Check Israeli customs or police.

The situation with thermal devices is often illogical, for example in Germany they cannot be sold to a Swiss resident, but the same model can be bought in Switzerland for the same price and brought to Germany.

 

[kingfisher13]

Thank you all for your questions, will probably need to check with Israeli customs.

 

[Mike Crawley]

I can’t answer your question about taking the equipment home with you, as you have said - best to ask the Israeli authorities.

I think the term "identify" isn’t really the correct term.
I have seen birders looking into dense bushes and thickets to see if they can see any shapes, which might be birds, lurking in the denser parts which can not be seen due to obstructing leaves and branches. They can "see" a target and be confident that there is a bird present.
However, I don’t think anyone would claim to identify the images to a species (unless it was singing/calling)

 

[wllmspd]

I have used mine to could and find snipe quite well. Once you know something is there then you can go looking with other instruments.

Peter

 

[Mike Crawley]

I have used mine to could and find snipe quite well. Once you know something is there then you can go looking with other instruments.

Peter

Of course !
I suspect Common Snipe, Jack Snipe, Woodcock sneaking around in rank grass would be quite straightforward

 

[Mono]

Folk who have seen thermal footage on Springwatch, Wild Isles and the like get a rather skewed impression of the view they will get from a sub £1k consumer thermal.

 

[jurek]

About bird identification, thermal monocular is indeed very often useful in picking a small bird in a vast area of vegetation. You cannot identify a small bird to species in a thermal monocular, but the time saved on finding it (or being sure it is not there) is valuable.

BTW, it hot weather like in Israeli desert the scope may not give good contrast, but would be still useful in more shaded places.

 

[fazalmajid]

You need a permit to export thermal cameras because the UK or US don't want them falling into Iranian (or Russian) hands, although the latter is a lost cause since most consumer to premium thermal vision cameras are made in China anyway. I don't think there are any Israeli restrictions on import.

As others have pointed out, the resolution of a thermal camera is too low to identify birds (my iRay ZH38 has 640x512 resolution and it's considered a fairly high-end device for non-military use), but it is a good way to locate birds in foliage.

 

[wllmspd]

Even Springwatch can’t ID birds that well as thermal gives a totally different view. Detection and type of animal is the best you’ll do, but that’s still a whole deal more than if you don’t have thermal, it totally opens up the night like nothing else.

Peter

 

[PYRTLE]

You need a permit to export thermal cameras because the UK or US don't want them falling into Iranian (or Russian) hands, although the latter is a lost cause since most consumer to premium thermal vision cameras are made in China anyway. I don't think there are any Israeli restrictions on import.

As others have pointed out, the resolution of a thermal camera is too low to identify birds (my iRay ZH38 has 640x512 resolution and it's considered a fairly high-end device for non-military use), but it is a good way to locate birds in foliage.

As you say, the UN legal bans imposed on exporting certain consumer goods to Iran and Russia don't really add up for a variety of reasons. However the OP could theoretically purchase ( as a private customer ) a unit, whilst holidaying in the UK, and take it back to Israel. { The UK retailer isn't directly exporting any goods abroad ). If as you suggest, there are no restrictions on its importation into Israel then there doesn't seem to be any obstacles.........though as I proposed he first double check with his home custom department in relation to import duties.

 

[Farnboro John]

Asian Elephants show up well on thermal and are totally identifiable.....

John

 

[jurek]

I assure you that a wild Asian Elephant standing behind a dense clump of bamboo or a bush can be invisible with both naked eye and IR - until it charges.

 

[Binastro]

What about an 18ft python?

B.