What to Expect

I like to start the workshops as close to dawn as possible as it increases the chances of more activity at the hide. There are parking spaces by my house in Butterstone which is about a 10 minute drive from Dunkeld, Perthshire. I will meet you at the parking lot and from here we walk through the woodland to the forest hide which takes about 5-10 minutes.

Outside of the drier summer months the woodland can get waterlogged and I would recommend either a good pair of walking boots or some wellies. I like my muckboots for this as they also keep me warm when it gets a bit colder. We’ll be sitting still in the hide for about 4 hours so bring clothes to keep you warm during the colder months including gloves and hat.

We can take breaks and leave the hide to stretch, warm up or use the natural bathroom at any time. The hide is mostly to hide our movements and for some of the more sensitive species such as jays and deer.

Bring a tripod to keep you camera and lens steady at the shooting window, if you don’t have a tripod, let me know and I can bring a spare. 

Red Squirrel in Winter

Species

Alongside the red squirrels many other species tends to visit the forest hide. Coal tit, blue tit and great tit are regular visitors to the hide, occasionally I’ve had 4 jays visiting the feeders at the same time. The great spotted woodpecker sometimes makes an appearance, not just on the feeders, but also feeding naturally on the old dead tree trunks that are near the hide. Chaffinch, nuthatch, wren and pheasant are also regular visitors that helps themselves to free food.

Lookout for treecreepers that will feed naturally on the trunks all over the woodland.

Roe deer and fallow deer use the forest regularly, and if we’re lucky and keep an eye out we may get some close encounters. Brown hare use the forest to rest in during the day and I often flush one from its hiding spot when making my way to the hide.

Roe deer wandering in the forest

Great spotted woodpecker feeding naturally - taken from the hide