Hobby! more like an obsession
Having a hobby is one thing, taking over the garden is another...
Where to start?
After a very interesting trip to a bird hide in Dorset, which i have to say was the first real go at wildlife photography outside of my passion for Macro or Close Up photography that is, i was so hooked that in order to get my photography fix i decided to build my own table.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
The key is make it simple
I don't claim to be a carpenter, actually i failed that subject at school, i mean how do you fail at carpentry!? So instead of creating joints, and using fancy methods just think screws!
So to begin, i used decking board off cuts. Yes I'm cheap, i admit it, i used 7 boards about 36 inches long, yes i still use inches (old school), i screwed 2x2 each end and each corner so i can screw on the legs. (Told you i used screws)
Then added 4 legs, i used 4 because 2 would have been silly!
Now all i needed to do was makes sure all 4 legs were the same length, as this usually helps.
Its worth noting i left a little gap between the board to allow water to escape. I also want to stop everything falling off the table so added old half wood surrounds.
That's it!! simple as that, now time to go wandering around the local woods looking for the right material.
I wanted moss, moss covered branches, and ummm... more moss
Now at this point i will mention that all the materials i use are wind fall, moss growing on the woodland floor and any moss covered branches that have fallen to the floor.
You should end up with something like this
I added some pots for bird food, drilled a few holes to allow water to drain out and for £15 on Amazon i bought this oil tray to use as a reflection pool (didn't work but only because the table was too high)
I bought some fake mushrooms and boom! I'm ready
Up goes the hide and now its time to wait for the birds. I placed peanuts and mealworms plus fat pellets in various places, these are some of the photos i have taken so far.
Of course the beauty of this set up is, it can be changed, in fact its changing all the time
Every time i go to the local woods i look for cool perches that will add a good look to the table. My main and really only issue is the background, and poor light (nothing i can do about that) the background however, i can, and hopefully the next time i get in the hide i should have solved that.
That's it, with luck you will see the results over the coming weeks/months. If you like my post (no not the ones in the pictures) this post then please give me a like, and if you want to build your own and i can help, please feel free to ask me any questions, I'll be only too please to answer them.
Thank you and happy birding