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Ecordea DarkFlight

A combined bat recorder and thermal camera

This is a game-changer for emergence surveys

Call me on 0333 9000 927 for a chat

The DarkFlight is available for hire or purchase

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For anything on a wildlife theme: Ask Martin!

Hi there,

​

What can I say about the Ecordea DarkFlight?

​

I'll just leave it to Richard Crompton to give his view on this amazing bit of kit:

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“DarkFlight combines high-spec thermal imaging and a full-spectrum bat detector in a single unit. The image quality was first rate, and watching the sonograms pulse across the bottom of the screen was fascinating. A very worthy addition to the shelf of high-quality kit that will make bat surveys more accurate and more efficient.”

Richard Crompton, Bat Ecology Specialist, Ecology Expo

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I want you to be 100% happy, so call me on 0333 9000 927 for advice.

 

Warm Regards, Martin.

Same-night, report-ready bat survey evidence from synced thermal + acoustic capture

 

DarkFlight helps ecology teams reduce the post-survey burden of reviewing footage, matching timestamps, checking acoustic evidence, clipping key moments, and preparing defensible evidence packages.

 

Built for bat emergence and re-entry surveys where the real bottleneck is not just field capture - it is turning raw survey data into usable evidence afterwards. Kits hired by the night, hand delivered, or buy outright.

 

“DarkFlight combines high-spec thermal imaging and a full-spectrum bat detector in a single unit. The image quality was first rate, and watching the sonograms pulse across the bottom of the screen was fascinating. A very worthy addition to the shelf of high-quality kit that will make bat surveys more accurate and more efficient.”

Richard Crompton, Bat Ecology Specialist, Ecology Expo

 

“The kit is very user-friendly and produced high-quality data, and the wide field of view on the thermal was incredible in the field. I can see this becoming our go-to thermal for hire. A high-quality setup that also integrates a bat detector, and is quick to deploy, is a big advantage on site.”

Lynden Reed, Arboriculturist & Ecologist, TMA Environmental Consultants

 

The survey may be finished, but the evidence work often isn’t.

 

Raw inputs

  • cameras

  • detectors

  • field notes

  • multiple surveyors, multiple angles

 

Post-survey tasks

  • review footage

  • match timestamps

  • check acoustic evidence

  • clip and organise the evidence

 

Business drag

  • slower reporting

  • senior time lost

  • peak-season bottleneck

 

More cameras, detectors, and survey angles can improve capture - but they can also create more material to review afterwards. DarkFlight is built around reducing that post-survey evidence burden.

 

DarkFlight is not just another camera system.

 

Most thermal kit just captures, and leaves the evidence work for the morning. DarkFlight builds the evidence as the survey runs, so you leave site with it done. The ecologist still reviews and interprets, DarkFlight removes the mechanical drag around finding, aligning, clipping and packaging it.

 

01 - Thermal and acoustic, locked in time

Wide-angle thermal video and full-spectrum audio record in perfect sync, so every visual event already lines up with its call. No timestamp-matching the next day.

 

02 - Evidence packaged as it happens

An emergence or re-entry is clipped on the spot, by you or by auto-detection: thermal clip, the call, sonogram, timestamp and location bundled into one event package, mid-survey.

 

03 - Species ID suggested on the night

Each package gets an automated species suggestion (14 of the 18 UK species, with a confidence score). You confirm or override on the spot, so the ecologist stays in charge.

 

04 - Leave site report-ready

Export the whole night in minutes: every event package plus the full survey, ready to drop into your report. Nothing to re-watch, nothing to stitch together.

 

DarkFlight is strongest where the evidence burden matters.

 

DarkFlight is likely to be useful if your team:

  • runs bat emergence or re-entry surveys

  • uses IR, thermal, acoustic detectors, or multiple survey positions

  • spends hours after surveys reviewing footage and matching evidence

  • works on complex roosts or awkward building elevations

  • needs defensible evidence for reports and licensing

  • feels peak-season pressure around review time and report turnaround

 

Honestly, it isn't built for every survey.

DarkFlight may be overkill if you only need the cheapest possible visual setup, if the survey is very simple, or if post-survey review is not currently a bottleneck for your team.

It also does not replace ecological judgement. The ecologist still reviews and interprets the evidence.

 

Still spending too much time after bat surveys turning footage, audio, notes, and timestamps into report-ready evidence?

 

Book a 20-minute workflow-fit call.

 

Work out whether DarkFlight is genuinely useful for your workflow - and if it isn’t, we’ll tell you.

 

Complete the form and we'll get back to you asap!

 

Multiple synced vantage points, one survey night

 

DarkFlight is hired by the survey night - from a single Pro unit to three-kit sets covering every elevation of a building - or purchased outright. New to it? A 20-minute workflow-fit call makes sure it fits before you book.

 

Complete the form and we'll get back to you asap

​Hire Options

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  • 2x DarkFlight per night hire @ £300

  • 2x DarkFlight five night hire @ £1,250

  • 2x DarkFlight 30 night hire @ £4,000
    Two elevations or positions covered in one survey night
    Best for single buildings and typical emergence surveys
     

  • 3x DarkFlight per night hire (includes one Pro) @ £500

  • 3x DarkFlight five night hire (includes one Pro) @ £2,000

  • 3x DarkFlight 30 night hire (includes one Pro) @ £6,500
    One of the three is a Pro - radiometric detection on the hardest elevation
    Networked screen included - watch all units at once, or remotely from a phone
    Best for complex roosts, multiple elevations, high-stakes sites
     

  • 1x DarkFlight Pro per night hire @ £300

  • 1x DarkFlight Pro five night hire @ £1,250

  • 1x DarkFlight Pro 30 night hire @ £3,000
    Far better detection on hot evenings when the building sits near bat temperature
    Best for warm-weather peak season and thermally awkward structures


Purchase DarkFlight

Evidence packages, auto features, species ID classification, rapid export - yours, not hired.


STD - DarkFlight - £3,250


PRO - DarkFlight Pro - £9,999

Enhanced detection - radiometric thermal core.


Complete the form and we'll get back to you asap

  • How does delivery work?

  • DarkFlight is hand delivered; delivery is free on your first hire. Hire starts from 2pm and runs in 24-hour periods, so an evening emergence survey and next-morning re-entry are covered by one night.


  • Do we need training to use it?

  • Setup is one switch - no cables, sockets or plugs. Your first survey can be accompanied free, so your team learns the workflow on a real job.


  • Standard or Pro - which do we get?

  • Both are available. All features are identical; Pro adds radiometric thermal, which keeps detection far stronger on hot summer evenings when a building sits at a similar temperature to a bat. Which fits your sites is agreed on the workflow-fit call.


  • Can we book longer blocks?

  • Yes - every option has 5-night and 30-night block pricing (shown above), and repeat clients get priority booking through peak season.


  • Can we buy instead of hire?

  • Yes. DarkFlight is £3,250 and DarkFlight Pro is £9,999.


  • How do we pay?

  • Complete the form (link below) and pay by invoice after booking - we confirm dates and handle payment by invoice.

  • Alternatively, you can pay via the checkout and we'll contact you to arrange dates (subject to available equipment).

  • Note that if you pay via the checkout and subsequently cancel, we'll have to deduct the payment processing fee from your refund, so you'll probably be better completing the form and paying by invoice after booking!


  • Complete the form and we'll get back to you asap

  • Set up in seconds

  • Place the unit on a tripod at your survey location. No cables, sockets or plugs, no infrared illuminators to align. Flick one switch to begin. The 86° wide-angle thermal lens takes in a whole building elevation from around 10 m back, recording a steady 25 to 30 fps right through the night.


  • Capture everything

  • DarkFlight detects thermal movement, tracks bat flight paths, captures full-spectrum audio and monitors defined roost zones - in the background, leaving you in control when you want to step in.


  • Evidence is created during the survey

  • Evidence packages are created as activity occurs, rather than reconstructed later. Each event can include thermal video, the audio call, a sonogram, an accurate timestamp, species ID and location. Review during quiet periods; edit or label on-site.


  • Export within minutes, finish in your own reporting

  • Full survey MP4, combined MP4 with sonogram and audio, and GUANO audio for external tools such as Kaleidoscope or BTO. No manual review phase, no timestamp matching - and further review is still available afterwards via the onboard Analysis Suite. Your data is ready for reporting before you leave site.
     

  • 10.1″ flat screen

  • One-switch on / off

  • ~1.5 kg, backpack-sized

  • Arca-Swiss tripod mount

  • 25–30 fps

  • USB or Ethernet export

  • ~10 min for a 2-hour survey


  • Two versions - DarkFlight Standard and DarkFlight Pro

  • Every feature is the same on both. The difference is the thermal core.


  • DarkFlight Standard

  • Non-radiometric thermal. The full DarkFlight workflow - synced thermal + acoustic capture, event evidence, same-night export.

  • strong detection in typical survey conditions

  • all exports and the Analysis Suite included


  • DarkFlight Pro

  • Radiometric thermal. Identical features - with far better detection in the hardest conditions.

  • on a hot summer’s evening, a building can be a similar temperature to a bat - radiometric capture keeps detection far stronger

  • the right choice for warm-weather peak season and thermally awkward structures

  • Which version fits your sites is part of the workflow-fit call.


  • What you get on the night


  • Capture

  • wide-angle (86°) thermal imaging

  • full-spectrum audio (to ~192 kHz, all UK species)

  • roost-zone monitoring tools

  • flight tracking support


  • Export

  • full survey video export

  • combined exports for review

  • GUANO audio export

  • works with Kaleidoscope, BTO and other tools


  • Evidence

  • synchronised event packages

  • thermal clips linked to audio and timing

  • sonogram & heterodyne

  • An automated classifier suggests a species ID for each package (14 of the 18 UK species, with a confidence rating), but you can override it at any point and pass the full-spectrum clips through your own tools. DarkFlight does not replace ecological judgement, your reporting structure, reviewer sign-off, or external tools you already use. It reduces the mechanical stitching work between capture and evidence.


  • Plenty of surveys, not enough ecologists


  • Cover more stations than you have people.

  • Optional, and never forced - but if your bottleneck is staffing surveys, two ways to stretch a team further:


  • Remote viewing

  • Watch and control a DarkFlight unit from your phone or tablet over a free app, including creating evidence packages. One surveyor can keep eyes on a second station from where they’re standing.


  • Networked units

  • One larger screen showing up to four DarkFlight units at once, all viewable and controllable together.


  • Complete the form and we'll get back to you asap

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Free bat book or voucher worth £35!

Comment from a client:

"My bat detector microphone failed during a dawn survey and knew that I had a group of dusk surveys starting in two days time. I was not in a good place as I did not have a spare, but my equipment was less than a year old.

After my survey I contacted Martin by email and he called me back on the same day, a few hours later, after a quick nap. He told me he did not have a part in stock, but had already contacted the supplier on my behalf.

The next day I received a replacement part, free of charge and express delivered from Switzerland. I thought it was amazing, and could not believe it was resolved so quickly.

Due to Martin's exceptional service I was good to go with the surveys, and I really would like to thank Martin and Wildlife Countryside Services for making the dusk surveys happen." 

David Kent

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