Today was the day I had planned to have my first session in the new hide; "The Hive". Unfortunately, I hadn't read my messages properly and so I arrived to find Simon on site, trashing Rhodies again. No big deal, he said, and switched to putting the perch up on the barn owl box instead - since it required two people. Very pleased with it, the perch looks really natural and a bit like an arm beckoning the birds in. With any luck it will make the box more attractive to a breeding pair as the owlets will be able to venture out of the box, pre-fledge, with a little more safety now. I'm also hoping that the knot on the tree that is directly below the box, will sprout shoots in the spring and give the birds some cover and a slight safety "netting", in case they fall.
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| The forest pheasant flasher |
Whilst up there, Simon discovered a load of twigs inside the box which we assume were the beginnings of a squirrel's drey, as Owls don't make nests as such, so they were removed and Simon kindly left shortly afterwards; crashing around in the Rhodies and photographing wild birds from a hide don't mix at all.
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| So toastie I steamed the window panes |
I chucked some mixed fruit, seed and nuts about the ground in front of the hide, checked the suet log holder was full and left a dead mouse out on the old tree stump (courtesy of my cat) in case there was a hungry bird of prey about. I stuck the camera through the third window and left the panes in the others for warmth and settled in for my first go at shooting from this newest hide. I was expecting a fair wait on account of Simon's activity all morning, but thankfully it was an almost immediate start with woodpeckers and nuthatches zooming down in a frenzy to get at the peanuts. They were followed by the smaller tits and a couple of Robins. I let them all feed awhile first without shooting. I wanted them to get used to the moving lens poking out of the front of the hide and not see it as something to be scared of. Then I progressed to randomly clicking the shutter whether birds where there or not. Eventually I started shooting and I'm certain I needn't have waited - the birds weren't bothered at all!
Two hot coffees and a second mug-shot soup later, and I had to resort to lighting the gas cooker to take the chill off - one open window really does change the comfort rating of the hide in Winter - soon afterwards, another wave of birds came through and a third hour was lost, camera clicking away. By this time I had the wellies off, and the burner on the floor beneath my feet, between my stool and the camera shelf - warm air rising up to my hands and face and steaming up the 3 remaining window panes - proper toastie.
A pair of blackbirds visited me one at a time and didn't stay long, unlike the two greedy male pheasants that seemed to be far less fearful than those of last winter. Male pheasants really are stunning at this time of year - so many colours and such water-logged lighting really brings them out, as it does with bluebells after rain.
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| the first proud male ("Flasher") |
The mist made everything seem slightly eerie and mystical, but the low light was horrendous for shooting in. I juggled the ISO for a while and then reverted to timing the shutter to coincide with the moment the nuthatch pauses to check for predators. A challenging, but brilliant, first shoot. A few tweaks needed on the suet log feeder and a cushion for the stool would make life a little more comfortable. I also think that putting an old piece of underlay down on the floor would deaden the noise of me fidgeting on the stool, but most of all, I need to fill the beanbag properly; balancing a D4 and 500mm lens on a bag of apples and macaroni really isn't ideal.
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and the second slightly shabbier male ("skunk") who is
a Mongolian Ring-necked pheasant - no less |
Today was the day I had planned to have my first session in the new hide; "The Hive". Unfortunately, I hadn't read my messages properly and so I arrived to find Simon on site, trashing Rhodies again. No big deal, he said, and switched to putting the perch up on the barn owl box instead - since it required two people. Very pleased with it, the perch looks really natural and a bit like an arm beckoning the birds in. With any luck it will make the box more attractive to a breeding pair as the owlets will be able to venture out of the box, pre-fledge, with a little more safety now. I'm also hoping that the knot on the tree that is directly below the box, will sprout shoots in the spring and give the birds some cover and a slight safety "netting", in case they fall.
Two hot coffees and a second mug-shot soup later, and I had to resort to lighting the gas cooker to take the chill off - one open window really does change the comfort rating of the hide in Winter - soon afterwards, another wave of birds came through and a third hour was lost, camera clicking away. By this time I had the wellies off, and the burner on the floor beneath my feet, between my stool and the camera shelf - warm air rising up to my hands and face and steaming up the 3 remaining window panes - proper toastie.
