Hi,
as the new work continues I thought it worth commenting that despite some reservations from local and visiting birdwatchers, this has been a very good winter for birds at Titchwell so far.
If the new tidal area comes up to expectations perhaps we can expect Shorelark and Twite to become more regular, this would be nice as rumour has it that the price of parking at a certain bay further east is about to be raised again and pay and display meters installed.
It makes the RSPB membership fee look even better value :)
S
Hi-
do we have a definite or even tentative date for the opening of the new hide?
Hi
Weather permitting, the hide should be completed by early December. Keep on eye on the Titchwell blog for further details but believe me, they are worth waiting for!
All the best
Rob
finally got to the new Parrinder hide today - the outside is GREAT- the concrete revetments are admittedly reminiscent of the maginot line but the split level viewing is really useful if you have a group with you. We lined up 5 scopes and had a different scope on 5 different species :)
I didnt spend much time inside ( north section) as it was steamed up ( may need some ventilation roof tiles ? ) and I couldnt see the full vista so I went back outside and looked over the NW wall section which is really good :)
Returned to Titchwell ( sounds like an Elvis song ) in the cold light of day on the 3rd Jan and ha a good old nose around the new Parrinder properly.
The external design we all know looks great but the inside shows a lot of thought too. The entrance doors are lovely- smooth, chunky and with 'portholes ' so you can see approaching 20 stone birders with tripods and stand back :) The vista to the south is staggeringly good with big deep desk type shelving for mounting hide clamps / eating a large lunch etc :) The windows are in two sections WITH NO EYE HEIGHT FRAME to block your view which is a big improvement on certain other well known reserves. A chunky revolving handle ( dubbed the Coleman windlass ?) lowers the bottom half , the upper half pushes out. It looks ideal for photography, digi- scoping or sketching. Spring birding should be great from there- although you may have to get there early to get a seat ? Talking of which the chairs are like small backless typists chairs with a gas lift for height adjustment- I hope there are enough :)
The one down- side is still the condensation on the north hide - I think a cold northerly wind outside and hot birders inside is the problem- people will have to open more windows even if it's cold :)
Hi viewgreaternumberofbirds
Glad you like the new hides. Think your right about the north hide but we will be providing some window cleaner blades so if visitors would rather view with the window closed they can clean of the condensation.
Sorry I couldn't stop for a chat on New Years Day. Catch up with you soon.
Robert
Hi Robert- nps :) I was heading towards a day total of 105 :)
Wy wife and I returned to Titchwell for our first visit since June 2010. It's a fairly long round trip from our home and, being aware of all the work going on, we had decided to stay away until most of it was complete.
We were very pleasantly surprised at the spaciousness of the new hides but have a few concerns. Some of the window mechanisms are already 'out of order' which is not promising for the future. It's also a little worrying that there are condensation problems which should have been forseen at the planning stage. The exterior area has a lot more concrete that we expected, but at least it won't get too muddy.
On a positive note, the views are spectacular, the hides are comfortable, light and spacious. Compared with many a cold, dark day spent in the old hide, this is luxury indeed. Attention to detail such as the drainage channel along the access path is something that will certainly prove useful, knowing British summers!
Finally, the moving of the seats to the east side of the main path is something I have wanted to see for many years. I hated having to walk in front of folk trying to birdwatch from the benches, or have people doing the same to me, but previously there was no alternative. We look forward to spending a lot more time both on the benches and in the new hides.
Thank you and well done to all concerned.
Thank you very much for your feedback Perry and glad you enjoyed the new hides. We think they're pretty special too! We're currently looking in to the failure of the window mechanisms. We used one for a year as a trial in Fen Hide and had no problems at all with it so we're hoping the problem is restricted to just a few recalcitrant winders.
The condensation issue is one we hadn't forseen (and we thought we'd got everything covered!) and is probably due to the fantastic build quality of the hides. Most hides are cold, drafty structures so don't suffer from condensation problems!
Hope you continue to enjoy your visits to Titchwell!
Unknown said: Hi viewgreaternumberofbirds Glad you like the new hides. Think your right about the north hide but we will be providing some window cleaner blades so if visitors would rather view with the window closed they can clean of the condensation. Sorry I couldn't stop for a chat on New Years Day. Catch up with you soon. Robert
Are you SURE this isn't just a cunning plan to get the visitors to clean the windows for you? ;-)
I used Parrinder south today to watch Scaup and Water Pipit. It's a great vista once the sun gets into the south west :) The free window wipers weren't needed today.
:)