Advice on hides and getting closer

[jolleychris]

Hi All,

My first post - hopefully of many! - though i have been dipping into and reading around on these forums for quite a while. I shall be posting an introduction shortly! Also, since this is a quite a general subject under photography i hope that i have posted this in the correct place - perhaps it would be better in the" Photography Techniques" or "Photography Critique and Advice" forums?

Anyway... I am looking for some fairly general advice and suggestions to try and push what has become a very enjoyable hobby to "the next level".

I have been into photography for a few years now, and found that wildlife photography is particularly enjoyable and rewarding - particularly on those rare occasions when coming home with some decent pictures of whatever I went out to photograph!

One thing that has become quite frustrating though,particularly when trying to get some nice pictures of around the uk, is an inability so far to get close enough to some subjects to really do them justice and to get the shots that i dream of getting. There is only so much money that can be put into getting longer and longer lenses, the quest for more and more mm does not seem to be the answer. It will be a long time before i can afford to upgrade from my 100-400L lens to something of similar / better quality and longer focal length, so i am increasingly of the opinion that setting up a hide (the portable / pop up / small tent type) is the way to go.

The thing is - and this is where i am really hoping some more experienced wildlife photographers can weigh in - is that there seems to be little information about how to get into using a hide, what the rules are about where / when they can and can not be set up, and generally how to get into this approach to wildlife photography. I can imagine that a lot of research is required to locate a good spot for a hide, where you will not be disturbed or harassed by members of the public, and i presume that finding out who owns the land and obtaining their permission is the next challenge.

Do any of you make frequent use of a hide? what kind of places do you find yourself setting it up? can you give any general advice for things to consider / avoid?

Any advice would be well received and very much appreciated!

Many thanks,

Chris

[PMG]

Hi and welcome Chris Funnily enough I carry my hide around a lot but don't use it often in ad-lib situations. The times that I have its been on field edges and the like - just a put up, get in, see what happens for things like tree sparrows which were being fed by someone else in the edge of a field (this ad lib brought the bonus of grey partridge!) Also short eared owls in Wales on an industrial estate where there was 'spare' plots - must belong to someone - but no-one to ask permission from or need to ask as it was rough ground waiting for building.

Most of our pop-up use has been on the pitch around our little caravan where we can control the bird table (cover it up) and provide a perch and small feeding tray for an hour or so.

A lot of our photography is done from the car or when on holiday - our old campervan which makes a good hide! Much of the rest is by stalking, very often flat on the floor army-style! We also make use of bag hides and scrim thrown over us but it can be very frustrating - the birds see you move and my last session (brambling) I found myself sat in the middle of bramble clawing at the bag hide, the material itself scraping my eyes and me wondering if it would bring out a contact lens - it was also warm with breath and the camera viewer kept steaming up! It was frought with frustration and I made the comment to my husband that the pop-up would have been better for comfort - tho easier to see for the public!

If you have a particular place in mind - like a woodland - you may need permission depends on whether its public access or not. I wouldn't recommend leaving a pop-up in situ unless its a very secure situation and even then I wouldn't leave £100+ equipment to its own devices - I'd build some sort of hide or blind if you have permission to use, feed in the area and visit etc. A lot of farmers are more than willing from what friends have said to give you the run of their land in return for a few piccis for their walls!

The public I'm afraid you can do nothing about - they are generally a liability and will walk up or stand in front of the lens and ask what you are photographing ......... 'well err - nothing now' ........ !! You also have to think about your own safety, bearing in mind you will need the other hide windows shut as letting a shaft of light in allows the birds to see you from the front. Sometimes its worth making pin holes at eye height - one on each of the other three sides - you'd be surprised what you can see out of a pin hole when you put your eye up to it!!

Theres the comfort factor too - a pop-up also needs a chair if you are going to spend any amount of time and it all needs carrying to the venue. Sometimes in woodland scrim hung over a branch would be as good and a lot lighter to carry! Sometimes you put the hide up and find out you don't need it. We had this experience on the beach in the western isles - the birds were frightened of the large dark woodland patterned hide (on a sandy beach - well they would be scared wouldn't they?!) and we found out that sat side by side in folding chairs on the tideline worked better - we did sit for 7 and half hours and moved up and down with the tide - but I ended up looking down at a juv ringed plover as it walked to stand under my chair! A good place to be when the peregrine came past!

I'd say get your hide and then just go out and 'suck it and see'. Try whatever occurs to you. I still have a brand new hide with an integral chair which I haven't tried yet. It will be heavier to carry but again all this depends on where and how far it needs to be taken to be used. Give it a whirl and good luck! Looking forward to seeing results on the galleries here!!

Pauline

[nightshade]

I have made hides but around here when you come back some child has made a den of it or an adult has made a mess in it.
I stick to discrete clothing, much more versatile unless you have a regular subject like Jeffs Kingfishers

[Jonsfotos]

Hi Chris, welcome to W.A.B.
I use a bag hide most of the time as the areas i tend to visit ( woodland), the ground is often uneven and a pop up hide would not be suitable in my case.Very often, i am perched on a slope in order to get the shot i want....I have even sat between Gorse bushes with the Bag hide covering me because there was insufficient room plus stability for a pop up hide.It all depends on the situation. I would get a pop up hide if i thought i would use it often enough but where i do most of my photography , a bag hide is one of the answers. Bag hides do work.One one occasion whilst photographing Kingfishers on the Cleddau River, a Woodpigeon landed on the end of my Lens hood and also i have had Wrens, Robins and Blackbirds perching on the hide so yes they do indeed work. The Minus points - they can be claustrophobic at times and as Pauline says, they do get warm and stuffy - everything mists up.The major minus point I have found is that the viewing port is too far from the camera eyepeice.What i mean is, when you are looking out of the port and a subject appears, they often notice you moving under the bag hide when you are trying to get to the camera eyepeice.In the case of Woodpeckers , Jays and other wary species, they have skedaddled before you can take your shot.What I tend to do now is once I have managed to attract them to where i have placed my feeding station, I just cover the camera /tripod with the baghide and I then string up some Camo netting between the trees/bushes and I sit quietly behind it.It may be O.T.T for some but it works for me and I don`t mind if it takes a bit of time to set up.I would not be able to do this in an area where the General public were around.I have in the past had more than my fair share of Bright red jackets standing next to me asking why the Woodpecker had just flown off !!!
I tend to pick areas where they( people) are not likely to disturb me and if I think the area i would like to visit is on private land then I make enquiries to the owner and in most cases, I am usually given permission.I offer to give them some framed prints and i find they are happy with this and i have even forged good friendships as a result..Getting as close as possible to your subject would be my main aim and your 100/400 Lens would be more than ideal to cover this.I have had some lovely shots of Jays with 300mm / 400mm lens, sometimes with a converter attached - but it does take a lot of patience and i have failed on many occasions. At the end of the day though, you will get a result and it will be worth it.My advice is, if you mainly frequent areas that would suit a pop up hide and you want a bit of comfort then get one.Consider a Bag hide but they do have drawbacks ( as mentioned above) and /or Camouflage netting Hope this has been of some help Chris.

All the best.
Jon

[nightshade]

Skrim netting and pigeon hide poles were always useful. Electric fencing poles are cheap enough coupled with cammo netting

[MarcusConway Ebirder]

Hi Chris,

The other thing I would mention is fieldcraft. On some of our days out we encourage everyone to leave there big lenses at base and use a better approach to get close.

In my opinion many species are more easy to approach on foot (or crawling) as well as using behaviour and knowledge 0f your subject to get close. Some examples;

- Using the land (ridges and furrows) as well as the wind to get close to mountain hare (latest blog shows how close we get a group of four - so on your own should be easy) Start low and go in slowly perhaps over a quarter of a mile. Heading upwind so they can't get your scent using any deep cuts in the landscape - indeed research a site first knowing that you may not get photos that time. Most people I meet tend to stay crouched but you need to be low into the land (remove your back pack too). Take shots every two or three metres and keep moving in slowly.
- Different approaches to different birds e.g. tracking female Ptarmigans and buidling up a level of trust and the males will return shortly after normally within 20 minutes. Also most mountain species need to be approached from below. So even if you find them it it best to descend a little and then work your way back up.
- even basic thinks like using the tide to bring birds close to you help much more than a hide where you can be stuck for a day with no reward

So what I am trying to say is get to know your subject and learn the lay of the land at your local sites.

If using a hide I would recommend setting up a site with food/water etc for several days or weeks (dependant on subject) before getting in and waiting. I have a hide in my garden for Buzzards and it has taken nearly four weeks to get them interested.

Hide work can be very rewarding giving you an insight into a unique behaviour or enabling you to get close without disturbing sensitive species.

Good luck!

[FUDGEY]

Some fantastic advice Chris and not much more to say really. All i can add is if you do decide to build a woodland hide as I have remember to take into account the light it will be receiving in the different seasons. I have managed to build mine in a quiet clearing which is almost perfect. Another thing to consider is the cost of the food and to realise that to get the best from it the feeders etc must keep them topped up. It can take a while to build up good numbers of different species and if the feeders are left unfilled they can dissapear just as quick as they came. With this in mind it makes sense to have it some where close to home. Getting permission where I live is pretty easy as the land owners around me are on the whole really friendly helpful people. As Pauline said given the land owner a framed photo certainly does no harm. I also use bag hides, but as I suffer from back aches a lot these arent ideal for me, I like my comforts. I also have one of those pop up hides with a built in chair that are brilliant too. I am modifying mine at the moment by sewing on the one way netting that I use in my permanent hide. That stuff really is the business. Good luck in your venture and look forward to seeing some of your results.

[andrewinpompey]

For useful information and also inspiration, I'd recommend Andy Rouse's book "photographing animals in the wild" (Fountain Press). He has a section on hides, and also how to find wildlife, stalking deer, fieldcraft etc. Out of print but you can get hold of it through libraries or 2nd hand. Simon King's "Wildguide" is also good on how to watch wildlife, though not really about using hides (also out of print).