location of public nature/bird hides?

RKC

RKC

Suspended / Banned
Messages
4,399
Name
Bob
Edit My Images
Yes
not sure if posting this in here is ok?

rather than just doing garden shots, is there list on the web of bird hides anybody can access?

done a couple of searches cannot find such a thing

cheers Bob
 
Only thing I can think of is RSPB reserves with viewing huts. Don't know if they'd be happy about folk hanging about for hours on end.
 
Try Googling your local county wildlife trusts. Many of these do have hides, but you may have to join. Also Wildfowl and Wetland trust may be a good source, but I think the nearest to you will be Slimbridge
 
Wildfowl and Wetlands are great places for this and very much open to the public. You have to pay to get into the centres but that's it. Haven't found the attitude from the twitchers too snooty about people with cameras. I know they sometimes don't like camera shutters clicking away, but they seem fine at WWT places. Just be polite and quiet in the hides.

That said, they tend to be family places and you'll get kids screaming and shouting in the hides sometimes.

Note that tripods are generally impractical in hides though. I take a monopod usually.
 
No good for the OP but for anyone in the close to Wigan/Southport way there is Mere Sands Wood which is free everything (though a donation can be made). There's usually a few togs in the bottom hut waiting for the kingfisher to show so maybe one of them is on this forum?! It's also a nice walk too :D
 
arclight said:
Only thing I can think of is RSPB reserves with viewing huts. Don't know if they'd be happy about folk hanging about for hours on end.
Click to expand...

thanks did have look at rspb but will go back and have another butchers

Chappers said:
Try Googling your local county wildlife trusts. Many of these do have hides, but you may have to join. Also Wildfowl and Wetland trust may be a good source, but I think the nearest to you will be Slimbridge
Click to expand...

thanks, hadnt thought of those

deadkenny said:
Just be polite and quiet in the hides.
Click to expand...

thinking make a noise get it all to myself ;)

grey.squirrel said:
No good for the OP but for anyone in the close to Wigan/Southport way there is Mere Sands Wood which is free everything (though a donation can be made). There's usually a few togs in the bottom hut waiting for the kingfisher to show so maybe one of them is on this forum?! It's also a nice walk too :D
Click to expand...

nice walk...what from devon :D ohh a kingfisher now that would be a treat
 
You've got Shapwick on the Somerset levels and the estuary near Bicton College is very good for waders, I think there is also a hide at Haldon Forest near Exeter, there's a few at South Cerney water parks the most popular being the Reed Hide, Slimbridge is OK (it's my local area) but can be dissapointing without a long lens, HTH;) I'm also fairly sure there are some on Bodmin and Dartmoor, I know I've sat in hides down that way, just can't seem to recall exactly where:thinking: HTH;)
 
What part of Devon are you in, and how far do you want to travel? Quite a few hides in South Devon. Any particular reason that you want to try hides, most are built for bird watchers and are not ideal for photography, some local hides are ok but most require at least a 500mm lens round here and tend to look down on the birds. Better with some camo netting and bird seed, or when it gets cold just the seed as some birds once they locate the food will be straight down for it even if you are only sitting a few yards away.
 
grey.squirrel said:
No good for the OP but for anyone in the close to Wigan/Southport way there is Mere Sands Wood which is free everything (though a donation can be made). There's usually a few togs in the bottom hut waiting for the kingfisher to show so maybe one of them is on this forum?! It's also a nice walk too :D
Click to expand...


Yep, second that! Also for 'up northerners' is Pennington Flash just of the East Lancs Rd. Also free!
 
Information copied from http://www.touruk.co.uk/manchester/bolton.htm

Jumbles Country Park, Bradshaw Road, Bradshaw, Bolton, BL2 6EJ, three miles north of Bolton off the A676, )

is located within the Bradshaw Valle. On the fringes of the Western Pennine Moors, the 250 acre country park opened in 1971 following the creation of the Jumbles Reservoir. The lake is perfect for fishing and sailing and there are nature trails and hides for bird-watching. Information Centre with exhibition illustrating the history of the area and a display on the creation of the reservoir and the water business. Nearby is the moorland village of Edgworth. Open: daily Tel: 01204 853360.

Moses Gate Country Park, Rock Hall Visitor Centre, Hall Lane, Farnworth, Bolton ,BL4 3DN,

750 acre country park is in the Croal Irwell Valley, three miles from Bolton centre. The 11 mile Croal Irwell Valley walk passes through the park and the area beside the River Croal is ideal habitat of kingfishers. Activitiesinclude horseriding, walking, cycling, orienteering and bird-watching from hides. Permits for angling, canoeing, boating, model boating and model aircraft flying.
Open: Sun-Tue 09:00-16:30; Wed-Sat: 13:00- 16:30 Tel: 01204 334343


Cheers,

Ste
 
Foulshaw Moss CWT

Foulshaw Moss raised mire red deer frequent the moss and in summer common lizards can be seen. Adder and slow worm may occasionally be encountered. Breeding birds include tree pipit, reed bunting, snipe and barn owl.
Lat: 54.24611 Long: -2.83326
Just off the A590 near to Witherslack, Lake District.

Copied from http://www.lancashirewildlife.org.uk/lancashire_wildlife_hot_spots.php
 
Last edited:
Mere Sand Wood if you can get in the hide for all the other darn photographers in there :)
There are a couple on the beach road at southport too,
 
RKC said:
not sure if posting this in here is ok?

rather than just doing garden shots, is there list on the web of bird hides anybody can access?

done a couple of searches cannot find such a thing

cheers Bob
Click to expand...

Google: bird hides in north devon, brings back About 5,970,000 results, probably about 20 usable results if experience tells me anything!

Cheers,
Ste
 
loads of hides and huts in Devon. A mate of mine is well into biord photography (he's actually up in Scotland at the moment hoping to get some osrey taking fish shots. When he gets back, I'll try to remember this thread and ask him for some suggestions for North Devon in particular. I know he raves about a place on the Somerset levels - plenty of birds and even otters that you also almost need a wide angle to get them into the frame! Depending on your transport situation, Topsham flats near the Exe estuary gets loads of waders, as does the actual Exe estuary and the Saltings at Budleigh Salterton _ not sure about the shelter situation at ither of them but I know there IS a shed looking over the Ley at Slapton. If you bring up Slapton on Google Earth and look at the Western end of the car park, you'll see a black object - it's a Sherman tank recovered from just off the beach after a training execrcise went tragically wrong before D-Day.
 
Some Isle of Wight locations of hides. All free to access:

Yarmouth, Mill Copse: SZ356 888 - great for waders

Newtown marsh: SZ426 912 - huge panoramic salt marsh

Alverstone Mead: SZ579 852 - great for seeing red squirrels. There is an 'inner hide' which you need to be a member to access, but TBH it's unnecessary as there are people there so regularly the wildlife around there couldn't give two hoots about them. Due to the squirrels being fed there are quite a large number of rats on the ground. This isn't a huge issue as the hide is accessed via an elevated walkway. It's a fantastic facility, just over-used.
 
The RSPB Ken Dee Nature Reserve (woodland and wetland) is on the other side of Loch Ken from our house. There are a couple of permanent hides, mainly for birdwatching, and two more at Threave Castle nearby. Access is free, they don't often get busy and there aren't any problems with photography.

Red kites and red squirrels are both common around here.
 
An internet search engine is your best bet. We've recently discovered a few nw ones we didn't know about, but plenty around us near South Cerney lakes
 
Oh and we once disturbed a couple in a remote-ish one. Popped in to take a look at the view, "oh excuse me" and popped out quickly again :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top