View from the James Hide

16th January 2014

As it had been very quiet this winter so far I thought I would spend a couple of hours in the James Hide and see what came along. Unfortunately during the recent Truxor work to cut gaps and rides in the reeds, the sole Kingfisher perch had been demolished. However, not only has it now been replaced, but there are a total of four spread around the pond. And, as if that wasn't good enough, the Kingfisher also seems to be far more frequent in its visits. Today was no exception, and although the visit was fairly fleeting I did manage to get one shot.

However, to me one of the best features of the James Hide is the feeders positioned right outside the right-hand flap. This provides superb opportunities to photograph the birds at close range, with Reed Buntings coming within 3 feet! Also, because of the numerous trees and reeds around the feeders, it is possible to photograph the birds before they fly onto the feeders to avoid a load of ironmongery in your photos.

There is of course the usual procession of Great Tits and Blue Tits and, lower down, Robins and Dunnocks. There is also the occasional visit from the scarce Marsh Tit which I have rarely been lucky enough to see here. However, my favourites and to my mind the most photogenic are the Long-tailed Tits and Reed Buntings.