I’ve moved and rebuilt my hide.
It’s not that long since I built my first wildlife hide and after a short time using it I found some things that could be done better.
My thoughts on what could be better are:
- Better positioning with the light being behind the hide for the majority of the day
- A better flooring to make it more comfortable
- Better water-proofing
- Better concealment
- A shelf for bits n bobs, cans of pop and plenty of snacks
- A better entrance
And here it is, my second version of my wildlife hide. I focused on the points above and ended up with something much more suitable and comfortable for a bit of twitching. The main game changer is that you no longer have to do the Limbo to get into the hide!
Some photographs I took just after I finished the build
Will there be a Wildlife Hide 3.0?
Most probably and I’ll possibly learn more about building a hide from using it more. The beauty of building a hide is that you can comfortably spend more time watching and photographing birds. People who know me well know about my fascination with small birds, especially Coal Tits. My hide allows me to spend hours watching them closely without disturbing them.
I’ve been able to observe interesting behaviors of the birds and how they interact with each other. I’ve watched a Robin during a courtship behavior which is the sweetest and most wonderful little song and dance to witness. And to see this in the middle of November I think is interesting. Robins have usually paired up by the end of December and tend to tolerate each other till breeding begins in March. Robins have been documented for breeding as early as January.
I’ve had a Goldcrest come down from the tree tops to take a closer look and an impromptu hide check by a curious little Wren. I’m keeping my usual visitors (Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Nuthatches and Robins topped up with food over the winter months and I’m looking forward to the return of the Blackcaps.
To help identify many of the common garden birds check out My Birding Year’s video on YouTube.
To see more of my wildlife photography please visit: