The Gulpa Creek hide is of spacious design, constructed of
sawn timber. The lower deck (shown upper left) is 20m in
length. A Canberra equivalent could be perhaps half that size. The
back is open allowing close views of interesting swampy ground and the Red Gum
saplings. Because there is so much cover a glimpse of the shyer species
might be possible if you stayed for a while, but the open outlook seems designed
to present the habitat rather than cater to the serious birdwatcher. On
the main side, towards the open swamp, viewing is through gaps in the sawn
planks. Viewing gaps are of course the chief issue of contention in a
hide. The problem with these ones is that they suit individuals of specific
heights, particularly as the hide is designed for standing rather than seated
viewing. The advantage of seats is that viewers share a common eye level,
more or less. The set-up is a contrast to that at Werribee, for example,
designed for seated viewing through apertures that are (in practice) always
closed when not in use. Those shown below are non-closable. The
problem with opening shutters at a public hide is that the default mode is OPEN,
as we know from those at Kelly Swamp.
The walls bear a selection of witty compositions that would
go well in Canberra. I include a couple involving postings by a
communicative Latham’s Snipe. [Note Bento box with
insects]
