Things I've learnt in taking birdlife images

[kathiemt]

Do you like to go out and take wildlife or birdlife photos? Have you wondered how others manage to get that shot you've always coveted? Perhaps my tips below might assist. I've still relatively new to birdlife photos but am addicted and always looking for that great shot. Below are things I've learnt that might help you also.

Some expeditions have been away from home and others in the scrub at the back of our property in The Dandenong Ranges. We're fortunate in that we're surrounded by rich birdlife, however you don't have to be living in an area like us. You can make the trip to places of interest to you, using the tips below. These are things I've learnt along the way which have helped considerably.

• Wear neutral or earth tone colours, not bold bright colouring. You need to blend into the environment, not stand out.
• Tread carefully and quietly – also slowly. Many’s the time I’ve disturbed or startled a bird (or other wildlife) by walking too quickly or noisily.
• With the above in mind, keep your eyes peeled to the ground around you – not just ahead or above.
• When at or close to home, leave your pets inside. I have a cat who loves to follow me and winds himself in and around my legs when I’m walking through the scrub – he could trip me over, is definitely distracting and makes me miss seeing things till too late. I expect he also upsets/disturbs the wildlife/animal life.
• Listening helps, listening for calls, moving branches, the crunching of leaf litter, etc will find you a lot more things than vision alone.
• Have the species and location sussed out well before you go spotting. This may mean visiting several times before really having a successful photography session in that area.
• Don’t be in a hurry. No point setting yourself just 20 mins - be prepared to stay longer.
• Having another set of eyes is very useful, i.e. a companion, daughter, son, friend, partner, etc. But don't get engaged in conversations - keep things quiet. They're there to help you see things you might miss.

I’m also learning which lenses work best, what settings to put them on and experimenting and trying things out. A monopod or tripod with longer lenses can be useful for some shots but if you're looking for BIF (birds in flight) shots then they may prove to be an encumbrance. Currently my favourite lens is a 70-300mm for my Nikon D90. Most of my best bird photos have been taken with this lens.

Finally, BEFORE you venture out – check your settings. There have been many times when I’ve been merrily clicking the button on my camera only to find part way through a shoot I have the wrong setting and I know those photos aren’t going to be as good as I hoped.





You can see more of my bird photos at my photoblog http://www.kathiesphotos.com/blog/.

[rontaube]

I take a lot of bird photos as well and this was very good advice. Also very nice photos. A friend of mine uses an Ipod touch which has a bird app with bird songs that he plays to attract certain kinds of birds. This is also a good idea if you know what you are doing.

[kathiemt]

Thanks Ron, good idea about the ipod. Hadn't thought of that.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by rontaube

I take a lot of bird photos as well and this was very good advice. Also very nice photos. A friend of mine uses an Ipod touch which has a bird app with bird songs that he plays to attract certain kinds of birds. This is also a good idea if you know what you are doing.

Key phrase: if you know what you are doing. Pishing and tape-luring have bad consequences as well. We won't even get into baiting. Far better to just be quiet and observe. Find a reputable birding organization to teach you the ethics of what you're doing.

From that linked article:

...So let’s return to the research: The peer-reviewed and published results (PDF) from the work of Professor Mennill and his team state that “two short playback sessions were sufficient to alter high-ranking, but not low-ranking, females’ perceptions of their partners’ status.” Two short playback sessions. Think about that. The paper goes on to reveal that the impact of these encounters ripples through the community as a whole, a finding that supports “the idea that information may be transferred between individuals in a communication network rather than simply within a dyadic context [between two individuals] and provide a conceptual link between the attractive and repellent properties of male song where mate attraction and territory defense may be simultaneous functions of a common signal”—a finding that reinforces Dr. Lucas’s statement “that there are lots of ways to disrupt a social system through playbacks.”

You can seriously disrupt not just a single bird--making it think it has to defend its territory--but also its entire community. It's springtime. You could be disrupting some seriously delicate negotiation, here.

[kathiemt]

Thank you inkista, worth considering. I'm not about to go get an ipod (I don't own one) but appreciated Ron's suggestion. And yes, I agree it is most important that you do understand/know what you're doing.

I have a neighbour who whistles and the Australian King Parrots respond to it most evenings. He has a pet Corella and his pet gets excited knowing other birds are coming to visit. I love hearing the birds when they arrive for their evening visit.

[inkista]

Yeah. Pishing is one of those issues that's relatively controversial among birders. The point is whether or not you feel that continually adding stress and disrupting the natural behavior of a bird is worth it just so you can get a shot. You have no idea how many other people came out and did the same thing this month to these same birds. Once a year, in an area where you're the only birder? probably no harm. Once a week multiplied by 100 birders with iPods? How would you deal with the stress if random strangers walked by to yell threats at you 100 times a week?

Just a thought.