Last year I wanted to build a small DIY photography blind in my backyard. I had an old play house that my kids used to play in. It worked, but I had to sit sideways and shoot. Not very comfortable. I need something larger and I also wanted to add a small water feature. I got tired of using a clay pot as a bird bath….not very realistic.
Since my knees/legs are fixed straight, I sit on my old wheelchair pad on the grass. Pretty comfortable. I need to hide my legs and tripod though, so building a square box is out of the question. I drew up a set of plans. I went out Home Depot and bought $20 worth of 3/4″ schedule 40 PVC pipe and ‘a few’ fittings. I had an old tarp so I covered it with the PVC frame work using a few spring clamps from my old blind.
Next I constructed my pond and waterfall. Right now it’s about 4 feet square and 3 to 6 inches deep. I’m glad our area is fine dirt/sand because trying to dig a hole without the use of your knees was a challenge. I lined the pond with 3.5 mil plastic and drove out to the foothills to get ‘a few’ rocks.
I found a Waterfall Kit from Zoo Med Laboratories at the local pet store. Its a quiet small submersible pump and I use an extension cord to power it. No, it’s not plugged in 24 hours a day. I just use it when I’m shooting.
It’s still a work in progress. I’ve already widened the pond from 2 feet to 4 feet and I may widen it more. I can add or remove rocks, twigs and logs to suit the occasion. I plan on buying another hummingbird feeder close to the waterfall in hopes to capture a hummingbird while bathing.
So if I can build something like this, I’m sure you can too! I hope I’ve inspired you to build one for yourself. Have fun with it and keep shooting!
A picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s some photos…
Sitting inside the backyard blind

The 3/4″ Schedule-40 PVC Framework
The Backyard Pond and Waterfall
The Kitchen You can see the feeders and the old Christmas Tree that has holes drilled in so I can fill it with my Peanut Butter Suet.

The Backyard Waterfall

The Other End of the Waterfall
The Submersible Pump
A Lincoln’s Sparrow Taking a Bath
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Cool set up. You do some great work!
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That is REALLY cool. Thanx for sharing it with us.
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What does your wife think of all of this!
Fantastic setup very jealous!
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My wife told me to make sure it’s large enough for me to sleep there…just in case!
Thanks for the comments!
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Nice and thank you for the ideas.
I was thinking of making one with pex and having it come out from the garage and into a small pond.
I would like for a while when I have my bedroom in that part of the house but the neighbors may grow tired of it.
I guess like you I will only turn on for a a while. The blind idea is really nice. I was going to put a tarp attached by velcro to the front of my back portico and shoot through a hole.
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Thanks Rasta.
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very nice, Mike. I need to take photos of my setup and I definitely need a peanut butter tree
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The peanut butter suet is a big key. Most of “my” birds love it!
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This is looking great, Mike! Thanks so much for sharing your ideas, and your birds, with us. Keep up the great work!
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Last summer I was sitting in the back yard thinking of a way to do something like this now ya gave me a idea that looks really great Thank you Very nice setup you got there.