Coming Soon

Please contact us with any questions or to register your interest in booking, while our hide is under construction. Thank you!

ABOUT US

My name is Ben Smith and I own and run Ham Fen Hides. This was a dream of mine from the moment we first moved in to our home here in Ham. With over 3 acres of land bordered on three sides by the North Stream and a man made lake, whilst also being located within the Ham Fen nature reserve, this is a location brimming with wildlife. Kingfishers, Beavers and Badgers are three of my personal favourites we enjoy seeing here!

Ham Fen Hide has been created to focus primarily on Kingfisher photography, with regular visits from our resident birds.

The hide has been built with four apertures. Three overlook a purpose built Kingfisher diving pool, positioned next to the North Stream, providing the opportunity to capture both perch shots with inter-changeable perches and diving shots. The fourth faces a natural pond at the end of the lake, again complete with a perch.

We are so happy to be able to share this special location with other fellow wildlife lovers and photographers.

Hide Hire
Full day hire is from 7am - 5pm

Single Full Day Hire £95

Our single booking option reserves you a seat in the hide for the full day. This could mean sharing the hide with another guest on the day if another booking has been made.

Single Full Day Exclusive Hire £160

The exclusive hire option means exactly that. The hide will be yours for the whole day with no other guests able to book on the same day.

This will enable you to switch positions in the hide at your own will and to use multiple camera set ups if you have the equipment.

Full Day Double Hire £170

The double hire option gives you and a friend or family member the exclusive use of the hide for the full day. No other bookings would be taken.

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Hide Availability

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Appointment only
Wednesday: Appointment only
Thursday: Closed
Friday: Closed
Saturday: Appointment only
Sunday: Appointment only

Hide Address (Private Property)

Hay Lane, Ham Deal CT14 0 United Kingdom

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Hide Rules & Tips

1. Changing perches

A selection of perches and props will be available for you to use at the diving pool, in order to help create the unique images you want.

Perch or prop changes should only be done a minute or two after the Kingfisher has visited and left.

We also do not recommend doing this too often during the same visit through risk of disturbing the bird and reducing potential visits.

Other than perches, the set-up is not to be tampered with or changed in any way.
2. Leaving the hide

Disturbance must be kept to a minimum. There is to be no wandering in and out of the hide unless completly neccessary, or to change perches.
Anyone found to be wandering around our private property or disregarding our rules will not be welcome back.

There is no obligation on the time you spend in the hide and its entirely up to you if you choose to leave early. We expect you to be in the hide for the full booking time, in order to give you the greatest chance of getting the shots you want.
3. Disturbing the wildlife

Do not wander in and out of the hide unless completly neccessary.

We recommend that you have little to no gaps in the netting to make sure you are not seen from outside.

Avoid sudden lens movements and keep noise to a minimum.

TIP: On each occassion that the Kingfisher visits allow the bird to settle for around 10 seconds before any shots are fired.
4. Safety & Security

We have tried extremely hard to make sure your stay is comfortable, safe and secure.

Ham Fen Hides cannot be held responsible for any injuries, accidents or damage to any personal items or equipment when on site or in the hide.

This is a natural environment so we recommend that you have your own insurance to cover accident, injury, theft and damage to personal items and equipment if you want to be completely covered for all eventualities on the day.
5. The Diving Pool

Our diving pool has been carefully designed with both you the photographer and most importantly the Kingfisher in mind.

Our hide is designed to allow you to attempt your diving shots from inside the hide, giving you the ability to view images and make any setting changes you feel necessary throughout the day, or as conditions change.

We have tried to keep the set up as simple as possible to allow all levels of photography experience to try your hand at diving shots.

For diving shots a remote shutter is recommended, as the camera will be set up on a lower level shelf in the hide, with pre-focus set on the "diving zone".

Please Note: The diving pool will only be possible during times visits are regular and during good lighting conditions, due to the shutter speeds required. If this isn't possible we would encourage that you focus on perch shots to avoid disappointment.

If diving shots are possible the procedure would be to start the day on perched images then switch (from the same hide) to diving mid/late morning. However, if you have the hide to yourself or are all in agreement you can switch between diving and perch shots whenever you wish.

All parties must be in agreement if the diving pool is to be used on the day. The reason being that not every photographer has the correct equipment to do diving shots and it wouldn't be fair on them. If you want to be sure of attempting diving shots we recommend you opt for the exclusive hire option.