Which Gigrin Hide?

[AC/DC]

Hi,

I'm making a trip to wales soon, and Gigrin is on my list. I know that there are special photography hides, but have heard from some people that they aren't worth the extra money. I was wondering if I could get a general concensus on which hide is the best for photos? Oh, and if anyone has any info on other good places (for birds + photography) to go in that sort of area, i'd much appreciate it.

Thanks very much!
Steve.

[MarkEvan]

Personally I think the photographer specific hides are great......2 reasons

1 the hide 'window' is much larger than in the other non photographic hides.....better for tracking and getting the shots if you have more room to view.

2 limited # of people in each of the photographic hides so it wll never be cramped.


For me they offer better photographic opportunities.


these were taken in the gateway hide...



Hmmm not sure whats happened here.....

203991 203992




Hope that helps.

[RJL2005]

I'd pay the extra and book the tower hide. Holds max of four photographers so gives a bit of space to work in. You can get good results from the cheaper public hides, but they can be very full. After travelling up from Cardiff I like the guaranteed space and like the higher perspective.

[mike from ebbw]

Hi Steve.

If you are travelling a long way then I would pay the extra for the photographic hides to get the most out of the experience.As I only live an hour away from there I can afford to make a good few visits through the year and try different hides so will always get something.That is why I dont think the extra is worth paying but thats just personally.

Gilfach farm NR just north of Rhayader is a must if you are in the area.Great for Redstart and other woodland species and its got a very well established Pied Flycatcher colony.

A drive up through the Elan Valley and its reservoirs are great for some landscape stuff as it is stunning up there.The mountain road to Aberystwyth is also good for upland species like Wheatear,Stonechat,Whinchat,Skylark,Mipit which perch on the roadside fences.You may be lucky to get Peregrine,Buzzard,Red Kite,Merlin or even a Hen Harrier if you keep your eyes peeled.The forests here are very well established and hold good numbers of Crossbill but to get a pic is pretty hard.

The Carngafallt RSPB reserve is also worth a look and is a heather clad hill with wooded slopes above the very pretty Elan village.I have seen pics of some great birds from there including Hawfinch and Ring Ouzel.
Best of luck and let me know when you are thinking of going to Gigrin.If I am not working it would be good to meet up.

[RJL2005]

Best of luck and let me know when you are thinking of going to Gigrin.If I am not working it would be good to meet up.

Prehaps a BF outing is in order|:d|I'd be up for it if it doesn't clash with work.
All the best
Rhod

[Ash1456]

;)We could make it an annual thing, Im visit Wales during the summer sometime. Could we do it then?;)

[AC/DC]

Thanks a lot for the info.

A meet up could be in order - i'll be there a week on thursday and friday.

[Nikon Kid]

I did not realise that this thread had been started when I started mine on the Canon forum, so it looks like the Gateway hide for me, I will be going down in July
once I can book a B&B or Hotel for a night. Anyone know good B&B or hotel will pay upto £35 for the night near Gigrin Farm will probably go down mid week.

[Roger P]

If you've got a tent or a motorhome you can stay on the farm. It makes a good base for the area.

[IanC_UK]

Theres going to be a group of us from another forum at Gigrin on the 10th July, only 5 or 6 of us, but give us a nod if you are there :) we are calling in on the way to south west wales for 4 days on Skomer :) think we have the tower hide booked for the friday and a couple places in the gateway hide too.

[Ash1456]

just thought of another place.
After you have finished in the hide go to the first part of the nature trail where there are some chairs in the field. From here with a 400mm+ lens you can get pics of the kites at eye level, like in the tower hide but in a field. The shots aren't as good as the tower hide but its cheaper.

[Ash1456]

Ill be at Gigrin sometime in August but Im unsure when.

[Paul Jarvis]

i'm planning a trip to gigrin, can someone help me by letting me know how you book your self in a photo hide and is a 300 F4 too short for great shots.

Thanks Paul.

[Ash1456]

I think you just phone/email them but i'm not sure. Heres a link to their site (http://www.gigrin.co.uk/)
The 300 should be fine but a 1.4TC (if you have one) would give you that extra reach for the more distant birds.

[AC/DC]

Hi again,

To book the hide, I sent an email to the people at the farm.

I ended up in the Gateway hide, and thoroughly enjoyed the visit - it really is a fantastic place! There are a few pictures on my blog, accessible via the link in my signature.

[Ash1456]

I think that your photos show that the gateway hide is definitely worth the extra!! ;)

[RJL2005]

Great images on the blog mate! Nice one.