We are currently constructing the necessary perches, feeders, props and hides to be prepared for photography in 2026. I am very fortunate to permission to access a woodland in North Essex, and I will update the feed below over the coming months.
February 2026
The first stage is to monitor the species that live in the wood. To do this we have created feeding stations with perches and continue to develop more opportunities to discover what is here. I have put up eight nest boxes and within the first weekend they were getting interest from Blue Tits.
The first day of actual photography saw Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Nuthatches, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Pheasants, Dunnock and Wren. We heard Buzzard, Green Woodpecker, Magpie and Jay - both of the latter turning up on trail cams running whilst we are absent. The owner believes that Sparrowhawk visit.
As you will appreciate, we need time to allow the wildlife to familiarise themselves with the new surroundings and establish their visits, so we make small adjustments each time we visit. It is all trial and error (see images of site below) , but I have been watching numerous You Tube videos by photographers who have hides and cheekily been pinching their ideas, and trying my own - Simon Eardley, Roger Hance, Darrell Oakden and Mike Lane are some of the content creators I have followed religiously.
To research I visited Leeds Photography Hides, Crestyl Kingfisher Hide, Staffordshire Wildlife Hides, Scottish Wildlife Hides and more. Check out my website that lists all the best wildlife photography hides in the UK, click the link below (next update coming in March, thanks for reading).
Doesn't look much but I've got some good shots already (see below)
