Living in the UK can mean several challenges when you’re a keen wildlife spotter. One of which is the Great British weather. You can always rely on it to perform exactly the opposite to what’s been forecast! From unexpected showers to bursts of lovely warm sunshine, it’s important to dress appropriately and prepare for every eventuality when you’re out in the countryside.
Making use of wildlife hides is an excellent alternative to traipsing around in the poor weather and it can allow you some essential camouflage to get the very best hiding place to spy on nature from the perfect viewing spot.
Wildlife hides can often be temporary structures found in wildlife rich areas around the countryside, offering budding bird watchers the opportunity to take an award-winning snap. If you’re new to wildlife spotting, then you might be more familiar with wildlife hides used on television programmes and documentaries about nature. David Attenborough is one of the most famous biologists, working with a huge professional team to make TV shows like Dynasties in 2018 and Life in 2009. You may notice these teams using various forms of wildlife hides to disguise themselves and immerse themselves into natural habitats in order to put amazing images onto our screens.
What makes the perfect wildlife hide?
There are many factors to consider when you’re looking for the very best wildlife hide solution, here are our top tips:
- Safety – above all else, users of a wildlife hide should feel safe and comfortable. They might spend quite some time in this temporary structure so it’s important they feel both protected from the potential dangers of wildlife spotting and comfortable if they need to wait a while to spot something.
- Camouflage – you should be looking for something simple in design that maintains a low profile, blending in with the natural greenery of the environment, this is usually the most effective way to maximise the chance of spotting animals.
- Sensitivity – when you’re out exploring nature, it’s important to consider the impact you’re placing upon it. Does it have a physical impact on the surroundings? Can it be moved if required to protect the ground and the area be restored for the natural habitat?
- Permission – it’s important to consider that you might need permission to place a temporary structure like wildlife hides onto land that doesn’t belong to you or even in public parks and spaces. You can usually seek advice from local councils, park rangers or the national trust.
- Weatherproof – it can be tempting to pitch a tent and hope for the best, but this might not give you the level of protection from heavy rainfall, snow or high winds that you need to immerse yourself in the local flora and fauna. It’s important to consider the materials available to you.
- Positioning – you want to ensure you place your wildlife hides in locations where the chances of viewing animals are the highest, it’s important to note that these locations might be different at various times of the year. Your hide needs to be adaptable alongside wildlife migration.
- Nice to have – You may like to include some seating like a bench so there’s somewhere comfortable to pass the time and create some smart look-out sections of your wildlife hide. You might even like to incorporate a shelf to be used as storage.
We think QUICKBLOCK could be the perfect solution to staying dry, comfortable, safe and well hidden from nature this Winter. To find out more about the sustainable construction solution we offer with our interlocking blocks, click here.
