A few tips on backyard bird photography

Four requirements to capture decent backyard bird photographs:

1) Bird-friendly environment,
2) Good camera with telephoto lens,
3) Patience, and
4) A lot of luck!

ENVIRONMENT   Fayette County is blessed with an abundance and large variety of birds.  But, first, you must get them to visit your yard.  Although one well-positioned feeder will attract several varieties of birds, multiple feeders of various types with specific food offerings work much better.  Sunflower & safflower seeds attract cardinals, titmice, grosbeaks & Carolina wrens.  Peanuts and suet attract bluebirds, blue jays, brown thrashers, mockingbirds, nuthatches, and several species of woodpeckers (red-headed, red-bellied, downy, & flickers).  Millet & niger seed attract finches and warblers. And bluebirds love meal worms!  Don’t forget to add a birdbath for water and birdhouses for nesting!  Wild Birds Unlimited is a great place to get everything you need to attract and keep birds in your backyard.

CAMERA   Although you can take pictures of birds with most any camera, to get descent photos you need one with a telephoto lens (200 mm or greater).  Either a film or digital camera will work.  Check out Wolf Camera’s inventory.  Digital is great if you have a good computer and quality photo printer.  Of course, you can also scan slides, pictures or negatives printed at a lab.  Digital cameras rated above 4 megapixels obtain images with sufficient detail for enlargements up to 8”x10”.  A digital camera not only allows you to take many photos at minimal cost by printing only “keepers”, but also lets you see your results immediately.  Pictures should be taken at the highest shutter speed existing light will allow to “stop the action”.  Always keep your camera handy and ready for that “perfect photo”. 

PATIENCE   For most folks this is the hard part.  It takes time.  Don’t be frustrated!  Watch to see when birds frequent your feeders.  Early morning is a great time.  Position yourself where the lighting is best.  Don’t shoot into the sun.  You may only have a few seconds to take the shot.  Some birds may stay at a feeder for several minutes; others grab a peanut and are gone in a couple of seconds.  With time most will accept your presence.  Our resident bluebirds allow me to approach within 8 feet without flying off.   

LUCK   To some extent, some of my best photos were just lucky shots.  But it does help to be in the right place at the right time with camera ready.   Remember…Being prepared will increase your luck!

MISCELLANEOUS TIPS:

1)  Place your main feeder within ten feet of a window, preferably where the sun hits it during a large part of the day.  Use your flash if existing light is low, but if shooting through glass do so at an angle to avoid reflections.  Brace the camera to avoid movement.                   

2)   If you have a deck rail, try placing feeders on the rail or on poles attached to the rail.  Birds land on top of the poles, making for good photo opportunities.  Fledgings will wait to be fed near the feeder.

3)   If your feeder has two or more feeding ports or sides, try sealing off the back sides.  This forces them to feed on the side facing you.

4)  Most birds prefer a nearby “landing area” before proceeding to your feeder.  Position your primary feeder near a tree or large bush.

5)  Don’t position a feeder near a birdhouse.  Chances are birds will never nest in the box because of all the adjacent activity.

6)  Squirrels love birdseed, particularly sunflower seeds & peanuts.  If your feeder is mounted on a pole, be sure to install a squirrel baffle to keep them off the feeder.  Also…since squirrels can jump a long distance, be sure the feeder is not so close to a tree that they use it as a launching pad to gobble seed intended for birds.

7)  Feed birds all-year long.  That will keep them around, plus different species may make a quick stop to feed when migrating.

8)  If out of town for longer than a week, have a neighbor keep your feeders full.  The birds will still be there when you return.

9)  A cold winter day is a great time to get pictures of colorful birds in surrounding trees.    

10)  One of my best investments was a rusty hand water pump.  I place seed or meal worms on it to entice birds to land.  It makes for neat photos!  And I can move it to wherever the flowers are blooming for a great background.  Consider using other yard “props”.

11)  Use your imagination and have fun.  And don’t forget to photograph other area critters that may frequent your yard.

Dan L. Nelson