 Hides
Text and photographs © Nigel Dennis
 Other than birds living in the
campsites of popular reserves or island nesting sea-birds, both of which have little to
fear from man, successful bird photography requires some means of making oneself
invisible. Even using the most powerful telephoto lenses, you will rarely be able to get
close enough to wild birds to take worthwhile pictures if the human form is visible.
From the earliest days of bird photography, hides have been an essential tool of the
trade. One pioneer bird photographer even went to the trouble of making a dummy cow that
he sat inside. Apparently it worked well but we now know it is rarely necessary to go to
such lengths. The key is to disguise the human form so even a simple box structure will
usually be accepted by the birds.
Before looking at purpose built hides, there are a few other easy options available. One,
of course, is to use your car as a portable hide just the same as in animal photography.
In game reserves that see a fair amount of vehicle traffic, this can work fine for perched
raptors. As these birds are fairly used to cars, a slow approach is often tolerated. Also,
in the busier reserves, pans and dams can at times provide worthwhile waterbird
photography. The Sunset Dam at Lower Sabie in the Kruger is a well known example and has
been popular with photographers for many years. There is a constant stream of cars at the
parking area so the birds have become oblivious to all the activity and often feed well
within camera range.
In recent years, large permanent hides have been springing up in many of our reserves.
These are an excellent idea as they give visitors an opportunity to stretch their legs and
have a break from incessant game driving. Some are magnificent structures that I could
quite happily live in - at least they have more floor space than my little duplex!
However, from a bird photography point of view, most are utterly useless. More often than
not, the birds are too far away. Often the hide is built on stilts which makes for a good
observation platform but a horrible angle of view for photography. Lastly, there is
frequently no consideration given as to light direction. Some permanent hides are so badly
situated that it is impossible to take good pictures at any time of the day. Noted
exceptions to the above are some of the hides erected by the Natal Parks Board. The
KwaMsinga Hide at Mkuze and the enormously popular Lammergeier Hide (just try to get a
booking these days!) at Giant's Castle are both excellent photographic venues. Well done,
Natal Parks Board!
So, using your car as a hide only works for certain species in reserves where the birds
are habituated to vehicles. All but a handful of the permanent hides are a waste of time
for photography. There is only one solution - build your own! That way you will have total
control over distance from the subject, angle of view and light direction.
My basic hide is simply a square canvas box tent. Four alloy poles support the tent and
the top of the poles, which are pointed, poke through eyelets in the top corners of the
hide. A guy rope is attached to each of the pole tops. This satisfies the first golden
rule of hide making: the hide fabric must be taut so as not to flap in the wind. Not only
will a flapping hide scare the birds and transmit vibrations to the lens causing camera
shake, it is also exceedingly annoying for the photographer!
The second golden rule of hide making is to use a totally opaque fabric otherwise the
birds will easily see movement within the hide. I favour a heavy, close-weave, green
canvas. It's terrible to sew but, once made, lasts for years. My prototype hide is now in
its seventeenth year of intensive use. The once green canvas has sun-bleached to a dirty
yellow but the birds don't seem to mind at all.
Some photographers make hides from camouflage fabric. Whilst this may have a slight
advantage for animal photography, in my experience this makes no difference to the birds.
It seems that as long as the human form is disguised, everything works just fine.
The third golden rule of hide construction is to make the hide as small as possible. The
smaller and less obtrusive a hide looks to the birds, the more readily it will be
accepted. I generally sit on a thick foam cushion when photographing and even this gets
pretty uncomfortable after several hours! Although I am sitting almost at ground level,
the hide is designed so that the roof is only a few centimetres above my head. As well as
being less obtrusive, this low angle makes for attractive photography.
In order to photograph, you will need to add a lens funnel with a drawstring to fit
tightly around the lens hood. Also, of course, it is necessary to be able to see out
without the birds being able to see inside the hide. I cut out a panel above the lens hood
and replace the canvas with several layers of shade cloth. This acts as a very effective
"one way glass".
When photographing in areas where there is public access, it is likely that a beautifully
made canvas hide will disappear if left unattended for a few days. If there is a chance of
a hide being stolen, I use a really scruffy makeshift affair made from old wooden poles
and dirty hessian sacks. Understandably, as yet, no one has thought this worth stealing.
Unfortunately a lot of light shines through hessian so it needs to be backed with black
polythene bin liners to prevent the birds detecting movement within the hide.
Text and photographs © Nigel Dennis
 Nigel
Dennis is the author of several spectacular nature photography books on
African wildlife. You can purchase these titles available from Amazon com by clicking on
the images or links below. To see some of Nigel's stunning images visit the Nigel Dennis Wildlife Photography web site.
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The
Kalahari – Survival in a Thirstland Wilderness
Published 1997. Struik New Holland Publishers. ISBN 1 86872 019 5. Hardcover 29cms x
26cms. 168 pages. The Kalahari Gemsbok Park is one of our favourite photographic
destinations. Wendy and I spent fourteen months there over a two year period when
collecting pictures for this book. My aim was to portray the diversity of life in the
Kalahari throughout the seasons. Includes coverage of rare and seldom seen species, such
as the prehistoric looking pangolin. Excellent well researched text by Michael Knight and
Peter Joyce. |
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National
Parks and Other Wild Places of Southern Africa
Published September 1999. Struik New Holland Publishers. ISBN 1 86872 212 0. Hardcover
30cm x 24cm. 176. Co – photographed with Roger de la Harpe. Our aim was to produce
not only a strong visual portfolio, but also a book packed with useful information for the
traveller. The reader friendly narrative, by Brian Johnston Barker, highlights the
subcontinent's finest ecotourism destinations. Maps and fact-filled boxes compliment the
text. |
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The
Ultimate Wildlife of Southern Africa
Published September 1998. Sunbird Publishing (Cape Town). ISBN 0 62022 614 5. Hardcover
37cms x 29cms. 160 pages. Text by Brian Johnson Barker. This large format coffee table
book showcases a selection of my favourite pictures taken over the last decade. The
selection was made from tens of thousands of images in my photo library. I paired this
down to about 800, and the publisher and designer then had a tough job deciding what to
include in the book! Shows many rare and seldom photographed species, as well as the more
familiar big game. |
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The
Kruger National Park – Wonders of an African Eden
Published 1995. Struik New Holland. ISBN 1 85368 593 3. Hardcover 30cms x 27cms. 176
pages. Also the result of a two year photographic project, this book has proved very
popular and is soon due to go into a fifth reprint. The photographs show the animals,
birds, reptiles, flora, trees and varied habitats of South Africa premier National Park.
Comprehensive text by Bob Scholes gives a wonderful insight into the ecology of the
region. Don't visit the Kruger Park without a copy of this book! |
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