Hide Away

As 2020 rolled to an end the Covid-19 restrictions tightened in Andalusia, preventing travel outside our local area. This seemed like the perfect excuse for me to work on a plan I have had for a while. It was time to build my own bird hide. This would give me the opportunity to observe and photograph up close the birds of the Sierra Morena. The area I chose is surrounded by cork oaks and pines, which attract a wide range of woodland species such as Tits, Finches, Woodpeckers and noisy travelling bands of Azure-winged Magpies.   

Eurasian Nuthatch

My brother-in-law was the brains behind the hide, coming up with the design and helping me build it. My first job was to level the ground before laying pallets which would be the base. 

Building the base

Then we constructed a metal frame which would be strong enough to support the wooden panels of the hide. We sloped the roof to help rain water run off. Next we cut wood to fit into frame and added four windows which could act as a table to support a camera when opened. At present I haven't added spy glass- that may be a future add-on. However, I was worried about losing quality in photographs taken through glass.

The frame

I coated the wood to protect it from the damp before adding a plastic cover to keep the water out. Finally, the whole construction was wrapped in brown wind shield material. 

The finished hide

To start I have a set up a feeder with sunflower seeds and a small pond for the birds to drink from and bathe in. I will need to experiment with the food I put out to see what works best and I plan to use mealworms to attract insectivorous species.

Within a couple of weeks I had a Great Tit cautiously approaching the feeder. Then the Nuthatches arrived. They appeared to be less wary, with two individuals coming in to the feeder regularly, often leaving with two or three sunflower seeds at a time to take back to their store. I suspect I might see sunflowers growing nearby next spring! Sometimes they would take a seed and bang it against the bark of the tree in an attempt to get it open. This behaviour is what gave the bird its name. The suffix hatch deriving from the word hack. I also observed the other typical behaviour of this species, that is their ability to climb both up and down the side of a tree. They would often land high up in the tree, wait for the other bird to finish gathering seeds, before climbing down to the feeder. By the time the bird had got the seeds the second bird was back and waiting in position. It felt like a busy airport at times.

A Nuthatch showing off its ability to climb down a tree head first.

While the hide allows me to learn about the behaviour od indiviual species it also gives me the chance to observe the interactions and dynamics between species. The Nuthatches are the bosses at the moment. They bully the Chaffinches, which have to make do with picking up the scraps on the ground most of the time. A Chiffchaff also came to the water feature, but it too was scared off by the bold Nuthatches. 

Chaffinch

With time I hope to see more species come in to feed and bathe. The anticipation of what I might see certainly makes up for the effort of building the hide. Now I have the perfect hide away to enjoy doing what I like best - watching my feathered friends.