I had forgotten this particular trip Geoff, I'd also forgotten how quick those pine martens can move. I understand your trepidation in regards to feeding the wildlife and there's no doubt that it is a divisive subject for sure. My opinion is that they provide those of us with a demanding lifestyle a chance to get close to the subject when free time is in short supply to find the subject in the wild. As a manger I regularly work six days a week, in addition to being an instructor, a father and family commitments it can be very difficult to find the time to find subjects in the wild in it's natural habitat. In addition to this there is the issue with access to farms, moorlands, private land which can be very difficult. I use usually hides when my son wants to join me, it provides a single safe environment and he can observe the wildlife and its usually a great experience for him. I think children should be introduced to wildlife as young as possible, it will hopefully teach them respect for animals, the countryside and conservation. Hides can and do help with conservation which can only be a good thing providing that the hide as you say does not overfeed the animals and is not a cash generating machine. Yes we pay to use hides but it takes a lot off work to run a hide, shelters, food, habitat and time all play a part. I've been to hides where it's all about the money and I've not returned. If you get to know Alan well you soon realise he's wildlife mad since he was a young boy. He's really passionate about conservation and he also supports local conservation too. For me personally if I can photograph a subject in its habitat I will, I've spent years travelling, thousands of miles, a small fortune in fuel and using what little free time I have to look for subjects and not seen a thing, of course I'll keep trying thought. At this stage I'd call myself a fifty fifty photographer half hide, half wild. Sometimes I just take my binoculars and have a good wander. What is disturbing is the amount of photographers baiting the subject it it's natural habitat and also not keeping a respectful distance from said subjects, disturbing setts, roosts and nests which is where i the line. Hopefully I can be a total naturalist in getting the shot but for now it will be half and half. If my hard earned money is put towards conservation that can only be a good thing providing the hide is not a money making machine for profit only and a total rip off in it's costs. That was a good day though and yet again the Z9 proves its worth once more. Cracking shots and what a way to end the day with the aurora.
Aye, it was a while ago now and a grand day out! Regarding the feeding, while a devisive subject, I felt it was better to have a word about it and be open, rather than avoid it (which would have been easier for sure). I appreciate the purists and the idea of not feeding at all, but I too am very much in the category of photographer who cannot get to see these species without going to somewhere like Alan's hides. I don't think he is feeding too much, as some places definitely are, ther setup is definitely respectful to the wildlife subjects. I made the choice to come and the hides and setup are very good, and Alan's attitude and the conservation he's doing is absolutely outstanding, and I have no problem supporting that - this was not intended as any kind of diss. But, as I said on the video, the food seemed unnatural and wasn't quite what I was expecting. I had imagined it would be natural food like the pheasant... Now, I realise there is a time and cost implication and the volume of available roadkill is probably insufficient for Alan's needs, so I understand why he has to buy food in. I also realise he has to find a balance between minimising his impact through feeding, while supplying enough that the visitors / customers are happy witht he amount of wildlife encounters they get... That said, I would definitely have been happier with more natural looking brown rodents (still bought in for the purpose) and a means of securing them that was re-usable, rather than contributing to the pile of used zip-ties. Looking forward to some red deer in October if you and the lad are still up for that!
Hi Geoff, what a fantastic video Geoff, I've enjoyed it very much! I'm planning to visit the hides in the future. Greetings from The Netherlands, Gladys
Beautiful video! It’s great to see the sparrow hawks and the pine martens too! It’s nice to see them - we get polecats where we are but not many pine martens! Thanks for sharing
Thanks very much! Never actually seen a proper wild polecat, just feral ferrets and mink.. Yeah, the pine martens are great but very hard to see without a hide..
Great video Geoff, Alan’s hides are great, try the night otter one that’s a cracking hide, the forest floor hide is a great one as well - we 50/50 between hides and out on foot for our photography - keep the videos coming, always a treat 👍🏻👍🏻
Great video an every informative Geoff. I'll be at the hide soon and you certainly gave me some pointers there, thanks. Can I ask where you got your camo covering for the Nikon 400 4.5? I have the same lens and could really do with some proper protection and camouflage for the lens. Although I like the one you have, If I available I may opt for a darker green, if available.
Thanks very much - glad you found it helpful :) The covers on my 400mm f/4.5 are from Lenscoat USA. You can also get similar from www.outdoorphotographygear.co.uk and they are very good too - they have a colour scheme called 'moss' which is a bit darker...
I’ve not tried it but I hear it’s a good Z successor to the 200-500mm. It’s fairly heavy compared to my little 400mm f/4.5 or the new 600mm f/6.3 prime, but then of course it has the versatility of a zoom…
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I had forgotten this particular trip Geoff, I'd also forgotten how quick those pine martens can move. I understand your trepidation in regards to feeding the wildlife and there's no doubt that it is a divisive subject for sure. My opinion is that they provide those of us with a demanding lifestyle a chance to get close to the subject when free time is in short supply to find the subject in the wild. As a manger I regularly work six days a week, in addition to being an instructor, a father and family commitments it can be very difficult to find the time to find subjects in the wild in it's natural habitat. In addition to this there is the issue with access to farms, moorlands, private land which can be very difficult. I use usually hides when my son wants to join me, it provides a single safe environment and he can observe the wildlife and its usually a great experience for him. I think children should be introduced to wildlife as young as possible, it will hopefully teach them respect for animals, the countryside and conservation. Hides can and do help with conservation which can only be a good thing providing that the hide as you say does not overfeed the animals and is not a cash generating machine. Yes we pay to use hides but it takes a lot off work to run a hide, shelters, food, habitat and time all play a part. I've been to hides where it's all about the money and I've not returned. If you get to know Alan well you soon realise he's wildlife mad since he was a young boy. He's really passionate about conservation and he also supports local conservation too. For me personally if I can photograph a subject in its habitat I will, I've spent years travelling, thousands of miles, a small fortune in fuel and using what little free time I have to look for subjects and not seen a thing, of course I'll keep trying thought. At this stage I'd call myself a fifty fifty photographer half hide, half wild. Sometimes I just take my binoculars and have a good wander. What is disturbing is the amount of photographers baiting the subject it it's natural habitat and also not keeping a respectful distance from said subjects, disturbing setts, roosts and nests which is where i the line.
Hopefully I can be a total naturalist in getting the shot but for now it will be half and half. If my hard earned money is put towards conservation that can only be a good thing providing the hide is not a money making machine for profit only and a total rip off in it's costs. That was a good day though and yet again the Z9 proves its worth once more. Cracking shots and what a way to end the day with the aurora.
Aye, it was a while ago now and a grand day out!
Regarding the feeding, while a devisive subject, I felt it was better to have a word about it and be open, rather than avoid it (which would have been easier for sure). I appreciate the purists and the idea of not feeding at all, but I too am very much in the category of photographer who cannot get to see these species without going to somewhere like Alan's hides. I don't think he is feeding too much, as some places definitely are, ther setup is definitely respectful to the wildlife subjects. I made the choice to come and the hides and setup are very good, and Alan's attitude and the conservation he's doing is absolutely outstanding, and I have no problem supporting that - this was not intended as any kind of diss. But, as I said on the video, the food seemed unnatural and wasn't quite what I was expecting. I had imagined it would be natural food like the pheasant... Now, I realise there is a time and cost implication and the volume of available roadkill is probably insufficient for Alan's needs, so I understand why he has to buy food in. I also realise he has to find a balance between minimising his impact through feeding, while supplying enough that the visitors / customers are happy witht he amount of wildlife encounters they get... That said, I would definitely have been happier with more natural looking brown rodents (still bought in for the purpose) and a means of securing them that was re-usable, rather than contributing to the pile of used zip-ties.
Looking forward to some red deer in October if you and the lad are still up for that!
I like the way you show the settings of the hides, a great inspiration for my hide.
Thanks! Good luck with your hides :)
great video Geoff glad to see you doing a video again been a while some cracking captures keep them coming
Thanks very much - glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Geoff
fantastic vidéo
👍📷😎
great photos
Hi Geoff, what a fantastic video Geoff, I've enjoyed it very much! I'm planning to visit the hides in the future. Greetings from The Netherlands, Gladys
Thanks very much Gladys, I'll look forward to seeing some images if you also visit the hides :)
really enjoyed the video, keep them coming, love Pine martens
Thanks very much Dean, glad you enjoyed it :)
Thanks very much Dean, glad you enjoyed it :) I know you've done some absolutely epic work with pine martens yourself!
Super
Beautiful video! It’s great to see the sparrow hawks and the pine martens too! It’s nice to see them - we get polecats where we are but not many pine martens! Thanks for sharing
Thanks very much! Never actually seen a proper wild polecat, just feral ferrets and mink.. Yeah, the pine martens are great but very hard to see without a hide..
Good video. I enjoyed to chat with Alan and seeing the set up.
Thanks very much :) Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Geoff, you've got some beautiful footage and shots with your Z9 and 400 - they're a great combination for sure. Thanks for posting.
Thanks very much! Yeah, it has become my go-to setup for wildlife and really works well for what I do!
Great video Geoff, Alan’s hides are great, try the night otter one that’s a cracking hide, the forest floor hide is a great one as well - we 50/50 between hides and out on foot for our photography - keep the videos coming, always a treat 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it :)
Thanks for the tip too - John has been to see the otters and the photos did look pretty epic!
Great video mate, Been up to Alan,s hides many times.. he does a cracking job..and provides a unique service..
Thanks very much! Totally agree - the sheer amount he's doing is incredible!
Great video an every informative Geoff. I'll be at the hide soon and you certainly gave me some pointers there, thanks. Can I ask where you got your camo covering for the Nikon 400 4.5? I have the same lens and could really do with some proper protection and camouflage for the lens. Although I like the one you have, If I available I may opt for a darker green, if available.
Thanks very much - glad you found it helpful :) The covers on my 400mm f/4.5 are from Lenscoat USA. You can also get similar from www.outdoorphotographygear.co.uk and they are very good too - they have a colour scheme called 'moss' which is a bit darker...
@@GeoffCooper Thank you
Love this video....amazing shots
Thanks very much - glad you enjoyed it :)
Wot you fing abaout nikkor 180-600Z?
I’ve not tried it but I hear it’s a good Z successor to the 200-500mm. It’s fairly heavy compared to my little 400mm f/4.5 or the new 600mm f/6.3 prime, but then of course it has the versatility of a zoom…
Night shots LOL