Wildlife Photography Experiences

Both Sparrowhawk and Kingfisher hides working well at the moment. The Sparrowhawk hide has a huge range of top species visiting at present with some shown here in the album. The juvenile birds are now showing as well as the adult Male. All photos have been taken recently. Also the Water Rails are back so might be opening very soon. Please go to the website if youy are interested in booking www.scottishphotograpohyhides.co.uk Cheers Alan

Just back from the Fox and been working on a new set up. A raised platform is now in place and a better light set up. Here are some in Scottish heather from tonights session.

I never share competitions on my page, but I like what this one stands for. It's not all about making money. Get your entries in folks and support some worthy charities.

Happy World Photography day everyone....... privellaged for this group to share my photo on this day.

A few from today

OPENING SOON......New Kingfisher hide with disabled access. With Parking 5 metres from the hide and very spacious. This hide will have enough room for 10 perched photographers or 6 for the new improved diving pool. Im not saying to much about the new design just yet, but im confident it will be a winner.

24th July 2018 My first proper Kingfisher session in over a year. Only managed 4 hours, but activity was great so it was all that was needed. A few of my faves from today.

A quick update how the hides are going. Currently Kingfishers are non stop. I had the pleasure of having up and coming Rosie Barrett here for a day and a minute. She did Sparrowhawk, Badger, Fow/TawnyOwl plus Kingfishers in this time. Here are s few of her shots from the trip. Great stuff and thanks for usage.

KINGFISHER now hitting peak. The last few days have seen the 3rd brood now being fed so activity is high. Here is whats available in the next few weeks. Please note any bookings made from present time for until a week later can be made through me, but all others must be done through the website. July 21st 0 places, July 22nd 0 places, July 23rd 0 places, July 24th 3 places,... July 25th 3 places, July 26th 3 places, July 27th 3 places, July 28th 1 places, July 29th 0 places, July 30th 3 places, July 31st 3 places,
Most of August is full up until the 17th with only 1 place on the 5th before this date.
See more

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON BOOKING.
With the new booking system being live and appearing to be working well I would like to point a few things out.
All bookings must be made through the website from now apart from the use of vouchers or workshops. ... The new system does not allow me to manually take bookings so this unfortunately means vouchers can only be used from present date for the following 7 days onwards. For example you cannot make a booking with a voucher 8 days or more in advance. Please email me at info@photographyhides.co.uk to enquire if you wish to make a booking with a voucher.
This also means online booking dates chosen must be at least 7 days from the present date so that double bookings do not occur. If you would like to book a day with in 7 days of the present date please email at info@photographyhides.co.uk so I can check availability.
Please be aware that if a booking is made it is final as I cannot edit it and swap dates for example. Even if you have to cancel for any reason that place is taken so it cannot be offered out to other potential clients so for that reason it is non refundable nor can a different date be chosen.
Please note that this system has been brought in to ease my workload with emails and if you have a question please check the website first as almost everything is covered here. You can also now see availability here by choosing your date on your chosen hide and it will only allow the number of places available to be booked. Many thanks Alan
See more

A couple of new perches at the Sparrowhawk hide. Tried them out on Owls this evening. Didnt take long :)

PLEASE LIKE THIS POST...... :) It deserves a like....... a few different species have used it :) A fun challenge and surely this post deserves to be shared :)

After a great session today I returned to the Sparrowhawk hide this evening. Another fantastic show with the Tawny Owl coming in 10 times and the fox thrice. Got some of my best Owl and Fox images to date.

A relaxing couple of hours in the Sparrowhawk hide this afternoon. Played around with other subjects for a change also. Lots of action as per usual here

Firstly all credit here goes to Ian Todd for allowing me to use his marvellous set up. No one knows more than me the behind the scenes work that goes in to making it easy for me to get these shots today. As an avid fan of Sparrowhawks and having spent years observing them this was something I have never been fortunate enough to do. What a privilege sitting 30ft up a tree watching the rarely seen intimate behaviour between Mother and young. A huge thanks goes out to Ian for giving me one of my highlights in the 40 plus years I have been into wildlife. A very special day and a day never to be forgotten. Please note this is a private hide and not available to rent.

A plea to all members of this group that are not followers of me on Instagram. I am hoping to reach 20,000 followers this year and I have just hit 17,000 today. I would be very grateful if anyone that isnt already following me could do so.
Instagram is always the 1st place I post my most recent shots.
... my username is... alanmcfadyen
A huge thanks to all that take the time and interest to do so. As always your support is greatly appreciated Thanks Alan feel free to share :)
See more

The Kingfishers have totally caught me out as been so busy with other subjects.... looks like they are now feeding the second brood. Expect high activity for at least next 2 weeks!
AVAILABILITY....
18th Original Kingfisher 1 places, Sparrowhawk 0 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 0 places, Adder 6 places, Badger 3 places... 19th Original Kingfisher 2 places, Sparrowhawk 2 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Adder 6 places, Badger 6 places 20th Original Kingfisher 0 places, Sparrowhawk 0 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Adder 6 places, Badger 6 places 21st Original Kingfisher 0 places, Sparrowhawk 2 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Adder 6 places, Badger 6 places 22nd Original Kingfisher 1 places, Sparrowhawk 3 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Adder 4 places 23rd Original Kingfisher 1 places, Sparrowhawk 2 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Adder 6 places, Stonechat/Whinchat 4 places, Badger 6 places 24th Original Kingfisher 2 places, Sparrowhawk 4 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Adder 6 places, Stonechat/Whinchat 4 places, Badger 6 places 25th Original Kingfisher 0 places, Sparrowhawk 4 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Badger 6 places 26th Original Kingfisher 3 places, Sparrowhawk 4 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Badger 5 places 27th Original Kingfisher 3 places, Sparrowhawk 4 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Badger 6 places 28th Original Kingfisher 3 places, Sparrowhawk 4 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Badger 6 places 29th Original Kingfisher 0 places, Sparrowhawk 4 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 3 places, Badger 6 places 30th Original Kingfisher 0 places, Sparrowhawk 1 places, Fox/Tawny Owl 4 places, Stonechat/Whinchat 4 , places Badger 6 places
See more

There is not a better place in this country to experience wildlife such as Alan offers you always come away with card loads of quality images, knowing that everything you have photographed has been extremely well cared about, and it's habitat...Thanks Alan! looking forward to getting there again...soon!

The Beast from the East couldnt stop us arriving, but the journey was touch and go 8-)

Two days in the Kingfisher hide followed by a Sparrowhawk day. Unbelievable wildlife. Never seen so many species!! Beautiful settings and backdrop to compliment a stunning weekend. Heading back shortly!!

Thank you for a brilliant weekend at your hides, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you. I train people in how to deliver word class customer service and that is what you delivered this weekend. Your approachable, friendly attitude coupled with your flexibility and professionalism was outstanding. It felt like we had known each other for years. Most importantly the genuine care you had for the animals you help us to observe through your hides and the passion you have for conservation shone through. Thank you, I will be back again without question.

Spent two action packed photography days ( Sparrowhawk and Kingfisher hides ) The Sparrowhawk hide was constantly active throughout the day while waiting for the hawks to show ( six visits throughout the day ) Red Squirrels, Jays, Woodpeckers and all the regular woodland birds provided great subjects to photograph. Alan has constructed the site and background to maximise photography opportunities. The Kingfisher hide was very active with regular appearances by 2/3 birds throughout the day. This location lives up to its high billing.

Spent the day at the Kingfisher hide with my brother and a lovely bloke from Yorkshire called Josh. We had a great day, which was great value for money and I highly recommend anyone interested in photographing these beautiful little birds spending a day there, you won't be disappointed. Great service from Alan and his brother.

Simply the best hides in the UK. You only have one life and at least a weekend of that should be spent in Alan's amazing hides that offer unparalleled views of some of our rarest and most secretive wildlife. Great bloke with a flexible and friendly approach to all of his 'guests' whether it's their first visit or their tenth - just make sure you bring lots of memory cards and batteries because you will be shooting from dusk until dark.

Second visit to the Sparrowhawk Hide and once again it didn’t disappoint. Total of eleven visits by both the male and female. Loads of other birds including Redpoll, Siskin, GS Woodpecker etc. Not to mention the Red Squirrels. Fantastic Hide. Alan has done a brilliant job of setting it up.

One of the best weekend photography experiences i have ever had , i saw wildlife i never dreamed i would see up close , from dawn till dusk the day was full of action diving Kingfishers, to Superb Sparrow hawks, .. Jays and the Red Squirrels... if that wasn't enough to wet my appetite, photographing the water rails, was something else, an outstanding weekend, that i will never forget, thank you Alan

Just spent the last 2 days at Scottish Photography Hides with Alan organised by Gary Jones Wildlife Photographer, together with a great group of people. What a memorable experience , just brilliant . Excellent wildlife experience, Kingfishers, , Redstart,Pied flycatcher , Red squirrel,Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Wood peckers , Tawny Owl & Beautiful Fox . Two long but rewarding days , going home very happy !!! :) Thank you again Alan & Gary, highly recommended.

I'd like to thank Alan for the opportunity to use his hides. It's been an experience which I will be doing again.

I had an amazing 2 days at the sparrowhawk, kingfisher and badger hides. We saw lots and had great photo opportunities. It's obvious to see so much work has gone into each hide and we were made to feel very welcome and got the best possible service. Looking forward to returning in the future :) Thanks for a great 2 days!

Having been to Scottish photography hides over 10 times in the last 3 years all I can say is Alan always delivers. Fantastic photography every time..

First time visit on our honeymoon, weather was atrocious - but you only get wet once.. thankfully we hardly got wet at all. fabulous day. wasnt sure what would appear in the rain but we werent disappointed with one of 3 different red squirrels appearing within minutes, and within the first half hour the Sparrowhawk made an entrance. Added to that Jays, chaffinches, woodpeckers, siskins, mistle thrushes and a red kite all coming to visit. cant wait to go back!

Fantastic weekend Alan.

Thank you and your brother for making it well worth visiting.

Hope to be back again to photograph the wildlife from your fantastic hides and your great help.

Best hides in the UK, without doubt. Perfect set up and nothing is too much trouble. Great results every time.

Awesome day yesterday in the Kingfisher hide. Can not believe the amount of great shots I came away with. Will definitely be back to try some of the other hides on offer. Cannot recommend highly enough

Alan and his brother couldn’t do enough to help out, this was my first of many visits I imagine, hides are fantastic the woodland was my favourite always something going on, if you thinking of going book up you will be blown away

Absolutely fantastic! Sparrowhawk hide was excellent with lots of other wildlife to see including beautiful jays, nuthatch, redpoll as well as the more usual woodland visitors such as woodpecker, siskins and tits a cheeky wee red squirrel to top it off! The badgers We tremendous too - almost touching distance in beautiful evening sunlight. Alan was very friendly, welcoming and accommodating. He is obviously passionate about wildlife and has created the perfect backdrops for photography too Can’t recommend highly enough Definitely worth a visit or several!

Absolutely amazing what you have achieved I was delighted with my kingfisher shots today and that would not be possible with this place . Thank you so much and I will be back again soon .