Dale.
Bo Derek
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- Dale.
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Hi troops,
I've not been on much lately or taking many photos, I've been busy with a little project.
For years now, I've wanted a garden hide, a proper one that friends can come to, we can drink beer and take photos. I have a pop up, which is great but for the garden at least, permanent was the way to go for me. We are lucky to live near a large, country estate, with huge wooded areas, that bristle with wildlife, deer, owls, sparrowhawk, all your woodland birds, with otters on the river, kingfishers and foxes too. My main thought is to attract the birds in, they are my main interest but who knows, maybe the foxes too. I'm not expecting otter but deer have been seen in the gardens.
My chance to get the hide going came a couple of months ago. The 'hide' was purchased in 2014, as a play house for my daughter, who was 3 at the time. To be honest, it wasn't the greatest quality and it suffered in the harsh wet winters we get here. We are quite exposed and the 'hide' took a battering over those 3 years. January this year, I inspected the 'hide' and decided it was time to either pull it down, or give it another lease of life. The roof was rotten, it was that cheapo chipboard stuff and only a few mm thick, utter rubbish, so that got replaced with proper timber, as well as some work to the sides and some good quality paint.
The hide was also almost constantly in shadow and hardly ever got any sun, so never got a chance to dry out, it was an unhealthy and almost dangerous place for my daughter to be. So, I decided to locate what was left of it to another part of the garden, where it will get full sun, when it actually shines. I cut a hatch and replaced one of the windows with a removable piece that allows plenty of room for moving about with big lenses. You'll see the hatches in the photos, there will be screening on the bigger hatch to hide behind and the smaller hatch will be used for, wait for it, a reflection pool.
It's early days yet, it's all still a bit raw. The reflection pool is set up though and I've had birds on it, albeit fleetingly at the moment. I'm also in the process of sourcing decent perches for photography. I have feeders out and the birds are gradually getting used to things and coming closer. So far at the feeders, I've had the obligatory jackdaws, starlings (I love starlings), coal tit, long tail tit, dunnock (on the ground), chaffinch and some goldcrest in the trees nearby but not on the feeders yet. The plan is to plant some fruit trees and maybe smaller conifers to provide cover but that will evolve as time goes by, as will the whole project.
Like I say, all a bit new and prototypey at the moment, but here are some pics. If it all goes to plan, I will update regularly here.
As always with me, comments/advice are appreciated.
View from the garden and house side. Our garden is huge, this is a fraction of it.
Inside, sorry it's blurry, handheld.
The business end, small hatch open, larger one closed.
View of the reflection pool. I'm quite happy with the B/G and the reflection, just need a bird and no wind.
First visit by a bird, not sure of the species, ID required.
I've not been on much lately or taking many photos, I've been busy with a little project.
For years now, I've wanted a garden hide, a proper one that friends can come to, we can drink beer and take photos. I have a pop up, which is great but for the garden at least, permanent was the way to go for me. We are lucky to live near a large, country estate, with huge wooded areas, that bristle with wildlife, deer, owls, sparrowhawk, all your woodland birds, with otters on the river, kingfishers and foxes too. My main thought is to attract the birds in, they are my main interest but who knows, maybe the foxes too. I'm not expecting otter but deer have been seen in the gardens.
My chance to get the hide going came a couple of months ago. The 'hide' was purchased in 2014, as a play house for my daughter, who was 3 at the time. To be honest, it wasn't the greatest quality and it suffered in the harsh wet winters we get here. We are quite exposed and the 'hide' took a battering over those 3 years. January this year, I inspected the 'hide' and decided it was time to either pull it down, or give it another lease of life. The roof was rotten, it was that cheapo chipboard stuff and only a few mm thick, utter rubbish, so that got replaced with proper timber, as well as some work to the sides and some good quality paint.
The hide was also almost constantly in shadow and hardly ever got any sun, so never got a chance to dry out, it was an unhealthy and almost dangerous place for my daughter to be. So, I decided to locate what was left of it to another part of the garden, where it will get full sun, when it actually shines. I cut a hatch and replaced one of the windows with a removable piece that allows plenty of room for moving about with big lenses. You'll see the hatches in the photos, there will be screening on the bigger hatch to hide behind and the smaller hatch will be used for, wait for it, a reflection pool.
It's early days yet, it's all still a bit raw. The reflection pool is set up though and I've had birds on it, albeit fleetingly at the moment. I'm also in the process of sourcing decent perches for photography. I have feeders out and the birds are gradually getting used to things and coming closer. So far at the feeders, I've had the obligatory jackdaws, starlings (I love starlings), coal tit, long tail tit, dunnock (on the ground), chaffinch and some goldcrest in the trees nearby but not on the feeders yet. The plan is to plant some fruit trees and maybe smaller conifers to provide cover but that will evolve as time goes by, as will the whole project.
Like I say, all a bit new and prototypey at the moment, but here are some pics. If it all goes to plan, I will update regularly here.
As always with me, comments/advice are appreciated.
View from the garden and house side. Our garden is huge, this is a fraction of it.
Inside, sorry it's blurry, handheld.
The business end, small hatch open, larger one closed.
View of the reflection pool. I'm quite happy with the B/G and the reflection, just need a bird and no wind.
First visit by a bird, not sure of the species, ID required.
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