hides and concealment

[eccles lad]

local farmer has given permission to set up on farmland , told me plenty of hunting owls and buzzards fly over, done two "tea to dusk " sessions but nothing , any tips or advice would be most welcome , tia

 

[Dale.]

Slightly jealous here.

It depends what your plans are. Are you going to set up a permanent hide? If so, you'll have to build it of course, considering the light direction. The structure could be a small shed or even something fashioned from the undergrowth, which will fit in much better.

I have a permanent hide in my garden but for 'fieldwork', I have a pop up hide but my favourite is just some scrim netting, I think it's about 8x6 feet, so will drown me, my camera and tripod when I'm out. It is of course, much more portable and all folds up into a backpack. I also wear a ghillie suit underneath. I find the scrim and ghillie seems to unsettle my subjects (usually Kingfishers) much less than the pop up and I can blend in much better.

I tend not to use bait but a rabbit carcass (if you can source it ethically), or similar will bring in (eventually) buzzards and the like. Even canned dogfood has its uses.

Consider the wind too, if they smell you, they'll be off.

As you can see, scrim can be very effective. There's a Canon 5Div, Sigma 150-600C, tripod and a me under that.

 

[eccles lad]

thanks dale, great advice , looking at the scrim set up before I plump for the nighthawk or similar, I've a small camping chair and dress down a bit , never thought of wind direction will keep my eye on that , thanks again

 

[Sky]

You lucky, lucky lad. I'd love to be able to set up my own personal hide somewhere.

Firstly, study the ways of the animal that you're intending to photograph and find out what sort of habitat it likes, what it eats, what time of day is best and obviously if one has been seen you've got a good start.

On the day you set up, be sure to wear clean clothes that haven't been washed in any kind of perfume and be sure that you don't wear any yourself (deodorant, aftershave, hair gel etc.). If you smoke, then learn to go without - they'll smell you a mile away (just like we can).

Be sure to make sure you are always downwind of your intended target (wind coming from them to you) this will greatly reduce your chances of being detected. Wear broken pattern clothing similar in colour to the surroundings so that the outline of your body isn't easily recognised (camo gear can help if you have it).

You need to be as quiet as possible - noisy shutters may even spook them, so if you can use an electronic shutter it could help.

If you see any road kill en-route, pick it up to use as bait as it will attract any meat eaters. Be sure to place it on a high spot, so it won't be hidden behind grass etc. from your hide.

A few sticks or poles and camo netting is better than a pop-up IME - these work, but only after the animals have got used to it being there.

Good luck, we look forward to seeing your pictures.

 

[the black fox]

Hmmmm my sole means of concealment is a camo jacket . I find that just walking around normally and being alert is more successful long term . I don’t miss much despite my advancing years ,the things to avoid are loud noises and fast movement , and although a silent shutter works to a degree I’ve also found that birds tend to look at high speed shutter clatter with curiosity .
So rather than acting like a member of the sas just being normal but learning basic fieldcraft skills is often the answer .the one thing a lot of photographers overlook is using there mobile hides to there advantage ,yep the often overlooked car ,lots of my better shots are taken from the drivers seat ,vehicles are everywhere birds and animals alike tend to ignore them . Look for likely spots as you drive around once found a few days of going back and feeding the area will soon induce the wildlife to visit regularly ,it’s then just a case of parking up and being alert , a bean bag sometimes helps but in the past I have even used two legs of the tripod outside the car with a retracted leg though the window and camera and lens atop a gimbal .

 

[Vintage Racer]

Everything as said above, but probably worth putting out some trail cams first, to find specific used locations of your target. - I have several pop-up hides out in different locations (some been in situ for a couple of years!) and also use my 'bag' hide, all with good success. It depends upon the location and target creature, but if searching in an open area for larger birds, it is worth putting in some 'perches' to attract them closer to you. Most Raptors are quite inquisitive and will normally check out a new landing perch.

I usually try to keep close to the perimeter of open fields, but only last week, photographed this Kestrel, simply by taking a plastic chair into the middle of a field and throwing my bag hide over myself/camera/tripod.


Biggest thing is patience and that means being comfortable for LONG periods, so a pop up hide, which keeps you out of the 'elements' and gives you room for a chair and the ability to move around, is definitely preferable to a bag hide though!

Keep at it and you will be rewarded!

 

[eccles lad]

some great advice and food for thought , I've a problem with my spine which stops me walking far, so comfort and location is high on my list, thanks again