Woodland bird photography.

[coasty]

I have always been interested in birds and and have always liked angling,,, Nearly all of the closest bird sightings werewhen I was fishing,,, Sat still for long periods,,,

[Tursiops2]

I've no personal experience of woodland photography, but just to add some thoughts from a birdwatcher:

Do it as early in the morning as you can bear - birds are most active then, feeding up after the night, and may be more confiding. There's also less chance of disturbance.

Woodland edge is probably better than deep woodland - if you can find the eastern edge of a wood (or western edge of a clearing), warming up in the early morning sun, there'll be good light and lots of activity.

Scout out some likely spots beforehand, set yourself up before dawn, and be patient.

HTH
T2

[STEinGUZZ]

Hi Redwing210,

I'm new to this game myself, only just purchased my gear and been probing for info on best techniques for bird phots.

You said if was a local country park, would it be worth hanging a few fat balls from branches or a few handfuls of seed on a tree stump or the likes. In a remote part where maybe you could dictate the lighting etc to your benefit. Done on a regular basis this may be effective for attracting the little critters.

I was in the lakes (Grisedale forest) last week on a day visit only. Seen plenty of small birds (tits, nuthatch's, tree creepers etc) but they were so actively pursueing insects, with the poor light I got nothing worth keeping. Allthough my experiene may have been the major problem.

I was using a 300mm + 1.4x converter (420mm), got close enough to them for images I would be happy with.

In my opinion at this time of year most birds are trying to survive, i.e actively feeding. I am looking forward to the spring, good lighting conditions and most birds in the open singing proud to attract a mate or establish territory. Hopefully the best time of year to get to grips with the basics before I can try the more challenging missions.

Hope this was in anyway helpful,

yours aye Ste

[redwing210]

Thanks guys, looks like I have some sitting and waiting to do!

Redwing.

[ron1863]

Have you tried photographing birds in your local public park. In these places the birds are used to humans as they are fed by them on a daily basis and tend to approach closer than they normally would.

[denisg]

Originally Posted by ron1863

Have you tried photographing birds in your local public park. In these places the birds are used to humans as they are fed by them on a daily basis and tend to approach closer than they normally would.

...........just stay well away from children areas! (personal experience!)

A not too expensive accessory worth consideration would be the Kirk flash extender. Won't give you the perfect picture but a better and sharper picture is possible. You still have to get near enough to the subject though. Whats wrong with using feed and getting them to come to you?. Many folks set up their own feeding stations in good settings and use a dead simple willow screen type hide at suitable distance. Check out Birdforum, Your Patch, Durham and look for posts by Jbee as this is exactly what he has done at a couple of sites. Birders from all over the UK now visit one of them.

Denis.

[djchewie]

Hi

I bought that hide by mail order from the US (worked out to be about £40with the shipping costs and import duty - take advantage of the weak $!)

im generally quite new to woodland birds, but after a few months of basically trail, error and a bit of luck, patience laying down food over a period of weeks and spending so much money on mealworms, im finally getting the hang of it all, finding out what works for me. the trickiest thing is finding a location which has potential as a feeding station, has a generally north facing position and devoid of Dog walkers!

Ive found a lil patch in Epping Forest and after trying a few sats and sundays and at different times of day, i find that Dawn on a sat (if i get out of bed early enough) till about 12pm is the time ive had most activity.

i started off with the usual bird seed, but have found that if you use mealworms, you will have much more luck.

i try and find a setup on a downed tree, which enables me to shoot at a slightly higher or lower angle, and position my hide approx 2-3m from the spot im focusing on ensuring that i can get a small bird full frame from a 300mm lens. try and set up a feeding station where there is a bit of cover for the birds to fly from, as they mostly come down, pick their food and feel more comfortable eating up in the trees close by.

Ive found that Robins are always one the scene first followed by Great Tits. Ive seen other birds (treecreepers, woodpeckers, sparrowhawk from a distance and a fly past by an owl of somekind).

ive also had a bank vole take advantage of the free seed on offer.

what ive found not to do, is to put down a spread of food at any one time... the small birds are way too fast for me and the AF on my lens.

I check my new location this morning and all of the food from last weekend has gone. it will be the 1st time in a new spot, and hopefully ill get more than just Great Tits and Robins!


i will post them all up on the Gallery here once i get a spare moment!


good luck!

[tonyvee]

Originally Posted by redwing210

For the last few weeks have been trying to get photos of woodland birds in
my local country park with no luck. How do you or the pros get these shots, my main problem is getting close to the birds and/or not spooking them.

Cheers
redwing

Hi
I'm a new boy to this forum, but been into wildilfe photography for some 20 years using a variety of equipment. So maybe the following will be of interest. Camera: In this day and age, unless you can afford an endless supply of colour film and are able process it yourself, then digital is the only way to go. Type: It's no good trying to get good photographs of wildife with a cheap compact camera. I use a Nikon D-50 digital SLR. So put that type on your list. Lens: Mine consists of 18 to 55mm for plants and birds at the nest etc. 70 to 300mm for general work and birds in flight etc. 800mm mirror lens for distance work. Add similar lenses to your list. Clothing: The number of 'photographers' I've seen walking around with brightly coloured and noisy (rustling) anoraks on who say they've been out all day and seen nothing. Usually travelling in pairs chatting loudly !! Put camoflage clothing and stealth at the top of your list. The two things you cannot buy in a shop are 'Patience', and more 'Patience'.

I go out early most morings to local nature reserves and an estuary, when the tide's right, and never come back without having taken lots of photos. My next job, and most important, edit out all but the very best, which I then print and file the origials on an external hard drive.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes
Tony

[redwing210]

Have been away for WAB for a while, am only just getting up to date with some of these posts - but thanks for all th info!

[jcurtis]

Public areas such as parks generally mean wildlife becomes less spooked by humans over time? I would set up a feeder where it isnt on public view and allow the birds time to get comfortable with me being there. However animals do have a minimum distance that they will allow you to approach. I can get within 10ft, I lens of 200mm could be usedm but I would recomend 300mm as a minimum.
JASE