|
Oare Marshes is close to the village of Oare in Kent, The site is managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. Once you’ve parked your car in the car park
 Path to the West Hide
As you approach the hide you will see that it is sat on top of a bank, with a path leading up-to it. This and the fact that a solid fence has been built to the left and right of the hide means that when people approach, they don’t disturb the wildlife. The path is a mix of grass and near the top gravel, This and the fact there are two steps into the hide means that it isn’t suitable for wheel chairs.
When you open the door and enter the hide you will see that a piece of wood has been positioned to stop birds on the outside seeing the light coming through the doorway. Once inside there is plenty of space in the hide and it can quite easily cater for ten people. The latches on some of the shutters are quite stiff and could do with being adjusted for people with frailer hands. The seats in the hide are all fixed to the floor and because of the height of them mean their is no elegant way of climbing over them to sit down, this also makes it difficult to use tripods. There is a small shelf below the windows which is a good height for leaning on when using binoculars or cameras. A great addition to the hide is the identification chart on the back wall, very helpful for when your struggling to ID a bird.
The hide faces NNE and overlooks the west flood surrounded by grazing marsh, There are two side windows both looking out on top of the bank. The raised positioning of the hide works very well giving you a good overall view. Birds that can be seen at Oare marshes include avocet, redshank, snipe, lapwing, water rail, bearded reedling, common tern, garganey, (migrating species) black-tailed godwit, ruff, little stint, curlew, sandpiper, whimbrel, (overwintering) brent goose, dunline, curlew, wigeon, merlin, hen harrier, short-eared owl, bittern and twite. This information is provided from the Kent Wildlife Trust website.
Camera lens wise you will need a minimum of 400mm and this will only enable you to get shots of the birds in their habitat. The hide it’s self is much more suited to bird watching than photography.
Pros - Identification wall chart / Raised view meaning that there are no obstructions / Birds cannot see people approaching hide. Cons - Seats are fixed in place / Some of the window latches are a bit tough to open and close /  ID chart in the hide
 Looking NNE from the West Hide
|
