HOW TO BUILD AND USE A BLIND
Find out where the birds go and when they show up, and hide well.
Over the past 10 years I have built more than 100 blinds, and no two are identical. Every site has its own surprise to figure out. In the following paragraphs I will outline some essential factors to consider when you design a blind.
Invisibility
A blind has to completely conceal you from the surrounding world—sometimes not only visually, but also by cutting off sounds and smells. Most animals rely on their vision for safety, and as soon as they become suspicious of unusual movements, your chances of wearing out your shutter are lost. Sounds, especially snapping noises, can also cause animals to leave the area, so build a blind that keeps most of the noise inside. When you are photographing mammals with a keen sense of smell, you need to stay downwind or in an airtight blind with a vent that keeps the smells several yards high.
Good Visibility
It’s crucial to be able to see and photograph in all directions without obstructions, but the better you hide yourself, the more difficult this becomes. Most photographers use traditional fabric blinds, but the field of view in them is very restricted. If you’re not always a step ahead of your subjects, and you have no idea what to expect and what direction the action will come from, then unfortunately you’ll miss most of the action.
Canvas tents are good for many purposes, but they are no use against the cold. Here is one of my earliest tents, which I used for photographing egrets one winter. I had cardboard as insulation, but without a sleeping bag to keep me warm, I wouldn’t have endured the day-long sessions in –10ºC (14ºF) temperatures.
A tent on the ice of a frozen lake is a great place to observe birds, but it has its dangers. The ice was slowly melting under the legs of my tent frame, which I didn’t notice before the end of the five-day project.
This problem was always at the back of my mind, until about six years ago I was struck with the idea to experiment with semitransparent glass. Since then, I have incorporated 4mm (0.2 in) Stopsol Classic Clear glass in my blinds when possible. In optimal conditions it blocks all movement from inside the blind, plus it improves soundproofing. Photographing through glass makes you lose one f-stop, but in my opinion this is a small price to pay for increased freedom of movement and field of vision. Its effect on image quality is minor if the lens is as close to perpendicular as possible. It’s essential that light enters the blind only through the window and that the slope of the window reflects the brightest surface in the surroundings—usually the sky—toward the birds. The glass is see-through from the inside and has a reflective coating on the outside. The window must always be covered when the blind is not being used.
Most camera equipment retailers stock tent blinds specifically designed for field photography. Low, camouflaged blinds are the best option for short-term use. Here a blind is placed at the base of a shoal with a range that covers both the waders that favor the strip and the ducks that come to feed at the shallow water. The blind is strategically positioned with the evening light falling on the birds over the back of the blind.
Tent blinds are the most popular choice in bird photography. Manufactured blinds offer readymade solutions, but it’s easy to modify regular tents for a custom-built blind. A fully waterproof tunnel tent is excellent for photographing on beaches where the ground is wet. The tent is open at both ends, and the end protruding out is covered with a tightly woven camouflage netting. The tent has good visibility and allows a camera angle as wide as 180 degrees.
Cranes were feeding in front of this blind in Hornborga, Sweden, within just a couple of yards from the blind’s window. It is exciting to see how at ease and confident the birds are here, where they are used to being fed and the conditions are familiar every year, compared to cranes almost anywhere else.
A floating blind gives you the freedom to move about in water, letting you get surprisingly close to birds and try different shooting angles. Ready-made solutions are hard to find, and do-it-yourself is often the best solution. Some floating blinds are built to hold the photographer and the camera on top of the water, but this version has the photographer submerged in water. A wet suit offers sufficient protection against milder conditions, but in colder water a more expensive dry suit is better.
Ideal Angle
You might be sitting in the middle of the world’s biggest bird paradise, but if you can’t take your pictures from an ideal camera angle, you’re really just wasting your time. The best angle is often found low near water or ground level, where you would normally use an angle finder. The working position is very uncomfortable. On land, it’s easy to dig the blind partially underground, where you can sit in a comfortable position and photograph at ground level. In water you can cloak your head with a blind and stand neck-deep in water, which is a relatively simple but somewhat uncomfortable solution.
Or you can go for a comfortable but extremely complicated solution and build a half-submerged photo blind, where you can sit inside and stay dry while you photograph at water level. The blind must be waterproof and very heavy to counter the uplift that equals the weight of water that is displaced by the blind. A single-person blind displaces at least 700 L (185 gal) of water, which means that if you choose this option rather than risk becoming hypothermic after hours in a cloak blind, your blind, your equipment, and you must weigh more than 700 kg (1,543 lb).
If either solution sounds intimidating, you should find a good spot on the shore, place your camera on a beanbag, and lie down. The result is the same, although the position is not quite so comfortable. Read more about angle in the chapter “Angle Matters.”
Working Conditions
In the long run, a comfortable blind will contribute to better photos. It’s hard to concentrate on photography if your feet are freezing or if you run the risk of heat stroke. If you decide to build a blind, remember to include comfort and good working conditions in your plans.
A Low-Budget Tent or a Permanent Blind?
Before you build a permanent blind, it’s not a bad idea to sit at the location, put aside all grand visions, and ask yourself how long you will really use the blind. If it’s only for two weeks, you can unfold the fabric blind you decided was unsuitable and give it another try.
But if you’re certain you would use the blind for several years, tell the landowner your plans, and if you get permission then proceed. Even then I recommend spending a few weeks in a mobile tent on your chosen spot before building a permanent blind to really learn the site well.
There is no standard way to build a blind because every site has individual characteristics. What’s important, though, is to figure out the light conditions, the blind’s position relative to the sun, the wind directions, the backgrounds, and possible human presence.
Before building a permanent blind it’s good to spend a few days on the location in a tent blind. Gathering information about the behavior of the animals around a particular spot, studying the light conditions, and generally getting the feel of the place are handy details for designing the blind and planning its optimal positioning.
The blind should be placed in an optimal position to the birds so that it faces them with light coming from the best possible direction.
When the water in the pond comes all the way to the blind window, even the big birds’ reflections fit in the frame.
Nesting boxes have been rigged onto and around this tower blind to attract many birds. A Eurasian Kestrel pair, a European Roller pair, and 20 or so European Starling pairs nest here on a yearly basis, together with the occasional Long-eared Owl and Little Owl.
Blending in with the Surroundings
Few animals can distinguish between a brightly colored and a camouflaged blind, especially if they have time to grow accustomed to the color. Shape is important only in mobile blinds, which shouldn’t stand out from the surroundings; they should blend in with a bush, for example. Blending permanent blinds into the surroundings is important. When you build in the wild, avoid spoiling the landscape, and when the blind is no longer needed, demolish it and restore the site to its natural condition!
Disguising the blind as a natural land formation is important because the eagles are extremely cautious, nearly paranoid.
Stopsol Classic Clear reflective glass provides the opportunity to observe and photograph even the shy bird species within very close range.