We Have a Wildlife Photography Hide!
For the past few weeks we have been working around the weather (will it ever stop raining?☹️) and have been able to make some good progress with the hide, to the point where it is now actually useable as a hide.
Since my last post, we have added the window flaps, shelves for the gimbals and cameras and as you can see below, we have a kitchen! I am quite excited about the kitchen - it’s great to be able to sit in comfort taking pictures and have a tea or coffee! The gas stove even has a grill, so I see beans on toast on the menu for breakfast on those early starts.
I am really pleased with the camo net curtains. I can’t take any credit for them though, they were a team effort from my mum and auntie, all I did was put them up. They spent a few hours tacking and then sewing tape to the top and bottom of each curtain so that curtain wire could be slid through. They work perfectly. As you can see from the pictures, you can see out, but can’t see in. They work so well that when a woodpecker came to one of the perches, I was waving madly at it and it didn’t see me at all!
There is still a lot to do in the hide to get it exactly how I want it, but the important thing for now is that it’s useable.
Another thing to report since my last post is that the siskin numbers have increased. We now sometimes have nine at the feeders, and they are in and out throughout most of the day. They also seem quite tolerant of disturbance, as we have been outside working and they still come to the feeders.
I haven’t had a proper session in the hide yet, just some time to get some shots of the birds at the feeders. But my good friend John who has been helping with the construction of the hide (along with my dad and uncle - it has been a real team effort) spent a couple of hours there on Tuesday. He messaged me to say birds were landing on the perches he put out before he had chance to set his camera up! This certainly bodes well for the future. Here are are two of his shots from his short session.
I can happily report that Bob is still with us. About two weeks ago he started to get territorial and now chases off any other males that try to come to the area. It’s quite entertaining watching him defend his patch. One minute he’ll be pecking around the feeders, or keeping an eye on, or making a move on one of the many females in the area, the next he’s sprinting across the grass to chase off any interlopers. Bob is a busy boy at the moment!
So now I'm looking forward to my first proper session in the hide. Hopefully (weather permitting) it will come over the Easter break. I will report back in my next post with how it went. Have a great Easter!
