JaYbIrD1969
New member
I felt bad about hijacking Nates thread on telephoto lenses with my birding blather. I thought it might be fun to start a thread to talk about the finer points of birding. I'll get it started with my 20 pesos. Would love to hear about some others experiences on where and how they are capturing nice bird images.
I know many of us are limited with our gear due to the expense of this hobby, so Id also love to know what gear you have been using, what you would like to acquire and what youd recommend. And most of all, how you may improvise on a budget
I was just re reading the other thread and saw Jesse talking about stealth. The majority of birds are near the bottom of the food chain. This fact alone makes them very wary and the fact that they fly makes them disappear completely in a nano second.
There are two schools of thought from birders Ive hung around with. Some are very mobile and like to look for birds. Some sit quietly for huge lengths of time and hope birds come. I like to do a little of both. However, far and away my best results have come from the patience strategy.
Its a good idea to go out with a plan. Strolling the landscape randomly with a tripod over your shoulder may stumble you into something good. you know what they say, even a blind pig finds an acorn from time to time. But your time is generally better spent quietly waiting in likely areas. A good example would be an area you regularly walk your dog, you almost always see a kingfisher in a certain area. This is a great spot to set up out of sight and wait for him to come into range. I talked about bird call apps for ipods in the other thread. This is a great time to use it.
Again, birds are wary AND smart. Don't just sit on a stump and queue up a bird call. If you can, get into a small grove of trees with a good view toward where you want to shoot. Pay attention to the orientation of the sun to accomplish the results you seek.
Your best tactic is to hunker next to natural structure (bushes, trees, high grass, etc) You don't need to be completely hidden, but you DO need to remain very still, so you must be comfortable. I cant tell you how many times my legs have started cramping from kneeling right at the worst possible time!
When your bird comes into view, don't get overzealous and start firing away. I like to remain totally still and watch it for a while first. Often the bird knows you are there but doesn't register you as dangerous if you are completely still. If you can, wear sun glasses. Your eyes can give away that you may be a predator. Many birds have spectacular vision. In most cases, you aren't trying to hide from them, but rather convince them you aren't a threat.
Areas with lots of human traffic, like public parks, can be the best places to get very close to birds as they are accustomed to people. Also, photographing from a car window can get you way closer than on foot.
Heres some shots out of the car window on a country road...
As I mentioned in the other thread, bird call apps can be a VERY effective way to get close to birds. Especially combining calling birds while in your car!
Several years ago, I discovered this website. http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?src=...r=2014&eYear=2014&continue.x=67&continue.y=10
This site is invaluable for finding birds near you! Its like shopping! Looking for a specific species? Look on the site to see where members have been reporting specific species. Lots of people report their sightings and when you see several different people reporting a sighting in the same spot, its time for a road trip!
Heres just a couple example of birds I found relying on this website...
American Bittern
Whooping Cranes
Pileated Woodpecker
Cedar Waxwing
Barrows Goldeneye
Snowy Owl
Theres too many more to list!...
I know many of us are limited with our gear due to the expense of this hobby, so Id also love to know what gear you have been using, what you would like to acquire and what youd recommend. And most of all, how you may improvise on a budget
I was just re reading the other thread and saw Jesse talking about stealth. The majority of birds are near the bottom of the food chain. This fact alone makes them very wary and the fact that they fly makes them disappear completely in a nano second.
There are two schools of thought from birders Ive hung around with. Some are very mobile and like to look for birds. Some sit quietly for huge lengths of time and hope birds come. I like to do a little of both. However, far and away my best results have come from the patience strategy.
Its a good idea to go out with a plan. Strolling the landscape randomly with a tripod over your shoulder may stumble you into something good. you know what they say, even a blind pig finds an acorn from time to time. But your time is generally better spent quietly waiting in likely areas. A good example would be an area you regularly walk your dog, you almost always see a kingfisher in a certain area. This is a great spot to set up out of sight and wait for him to come into range. I talked about bird call apps for ipods in the other thread. This is a great time to use it.
Again, birds are wary AND smart. Don't just sit on a stump and queue up a bird call. If you can, get into a small grove of trees with a good view toward where you want to shoot. Pay attention to the orientation of the sun to accomplish the results you seek.
Your best tactic is to hunker next to natural structure (bushes, trees, high grass, etc) You don't need to be completely hidden, but you DO need to remain very still, so you must be comfortable. I cant tell you how many times my legs have started cramping from kneeling right at the worst possible time!
When your bird comes into view, don't get overzealous and start firing away. I like to remain totally still and watch it for a while first. Often the bird knows you are there but doesn't register you as dangerous if you are completely still. If you can, wear sun glasses. Your eyes can give away that you may be a predator. Many birds have spectacular vision. In most cases, you aren't trying to hide from them, but rather convince them you aren't a threat.
Areas with lots of human traffic, like public parks, can be the best places to get very close to birds as they are accustomed to people. Also, photographing from a car window can get you way closer than on foot.
Heres some shots out of the car window on a country road...
As I mentioned in the other thread, bird call apps can be a VERY effective way to get close to birds. Especially combining calling birds while in your car!
Several years ago, I discovered this website. http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?src=...r=2014&eYear=2014&continue.x=67&continue.y=10
This site is invaluable for finding birds near you! Its like shopping! Looking for a specific species? Look on the site to see where members have been reporting specific species. Lots of people report their sightings and when you see several different people reporting a sighting in the same spot, its time for a road trip!
Heres just a couple example of birds I found relying on this website...
American Bittern
Whooping Cranes
Pileated Woodpecker
Cedar Waxwing
Barrows Goldeneye
Snowy Owl
Theres too many more to list!...
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