Setting up bird feeders

I would like to set up some bird feeders in my backyard to take

pictures of the birds(in addition to feedeng them). Please give me

some advise where to start, what to buy, how to set them up, etc,

etc. I have absolutely no previous experience with this kind of

photography. Are there sites that I can access ?

 

Youe help is highly appreciated.

 

Thanks

Swapan:

 

It would be helpful to know where you are.

 

That said, feeders are a great way to attract birds for photography. As far as what/when to feed, you might check with local birding groups, if you have any.

 

Photographically, a couple things to keep in mind are:

 

(1) Set up so that you can use some kind of blind to photograph from. This can be as simple as a curtained window in your home that looks out on the feeder. More elaborate, you can set up a cheap plastic tarp tied between trees or temporary posts and cut a slit in it.

 

(2) Mornings usually are prime time for bird feeders, though many species will feed all day. Take natural light direction into account if at all possible, putting the sun behind you for the easiest photography. Yeah, I know that's not necessary for a lot of other photography, but birds are hard enough that you might as well use ultra simple lighting.

 

(3) Set up some natural perches near the feeders and watch the bird traffic for a while. Soon you'll know just where birds perch before or after feeding and you can pre-focus and get natural looking shots (i.e. no visible feeder) as well.

 

Have fun

 

Bob Keefer

www.bkpix.com

Check your local bookstore, and see if they have information. I think you can find several books on the topic.

 

We have a store in this area called "Wild Birds Unlimited" that specializes in this sort of thing. You might check if there is something like that in your area.

 

We once had a birdfeeder that was mounted right on the deck of a house. I was able to mount my camera right next to the feeder and fire with a bulb extension.

I'm experimenting with that now too - just set up the feeder on Thursday:) They're coming in like crazy - too bad my office hours will only allow me the great light on Sat and Sunday mornings, when I'm actually home to watch them feed. :( One thing that might be noted here is that the use of fill flash will VASTLY improve a lot of the shots. If you're using a long lens, the use of the $30 Better Beamer flash extender (it clips on to your flash and magnifies it) will help.

Another VERY important consideration for the photographer; make sure your backgrounds don't have any distracting components. Watch for bad twigs, too much open sky, anything 'unnatural'.

A source of water is as important as food -birds will be attracted to dripping water.

The previous answers have been quite good. Let me just emphasize that when you "take photos of birds at a feeding station," you probably in the long run will NOT want a lot of photos of the birds hanging onto artificial feeding devices. What you want to think about is where the birds will choose to go before and after they feed, i.e., the "natural" perches on branches, bushes, etc., that will afford you natural-looking photos. You can situate your feeders accordingly.

 

And again, think in terms of placing the feeding station in a location where you can place your camera strategically so that you can get reasonably close to the birds without spooking them.

 

Let me add finally that you might consider setting your feeders up in such a way that pest predators like neighboring housecats have the least chance of using your feeding station setup as a recreational opportunity. This might mean a bit of vertical elevation, or a sufficient amount of open area between the nearest "cat hiding area" and where the birds feed.

In addition to the bird feeder, add a water drip. Both are needed to attract birds. Or when both are present, the growth in the number of birds that will show up will be exponential, not arithmetic! Joe Smith

I'm currently on my 7th version of a feeder-pole station designed to get pics of birds. It works very well. You can see it and read about it <a href=http://photography-on-the.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=268542>here</a>.<p>

 

One of the pics from the rig:<p><div></div>

I refer you to an excellent book: "The Backyard Bird Watcher" by George H. Harrison, ISBN 0-671-22664-9. The book offers detailed advice how to construct and stock feeders, and provide an attactive environment for birds and bird watchers.

It is so wonderful to see people responding ! What a place to learn!!

 

Bob, I am in the outskirt of Atlanta, GA. A small city named Canton.

 

Christopher, I wiil be using a EX 550, a better beamer flash extender with my lenses.

 

As the distance is adjustable,(where I set it up) what is the best focal length to use? I mean the rule of thumb ?

 

Douglas Stemke, can I set up my camera on the 2nd floor to have the grass as the backgroud or it will mess up the perspective ?

 

Greenberg, thank you for your advise,I will remember (and implement )them

 

Joseph I will have the water drip

 

Scott, wonderful ideas, I am going to follow them

 

Edward, the book will be ordered tonight.

 

Thanks a million to you all guys.

There's plenty of information on the web, a simple google search using "feeding birds" or "birdfeeders" will turn up a long list of sites. One good one is

 

http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/abtbirds_index.html

 

I can't emphasize too much, please make sure that you're not setting up the birds to be attacked by cats. Other considerations are pests like squirrels, keeping the seed clean and disease free, and keep the area clean so as not to attract rats. This will not make you popular in the neighbourhood. As others said, when setting up, try to set up some "natural" perches, with clean backgrounds. Good luck!

>> Christopher, I wiil be using a EX 550, a better beamer flash

>> extender with my lenses.

 

>> As the distance is adjustable,(where I set it up) what is the best

>> focal length to use? I mean the rule of thumb ?

 

>> Douglas Stemke, can I set up my camera on the 2nd floor to have the

>> grass as the backgroud or it will mess up the perspective ?

 

Best focal length... The shorter the lens the more DoF, but the closer you have to get so the more chance of scaring the bird. Tough choice there. I pretty much stick to 400mm on a Canon 10D or 20D frame at 8 or 9 feet. This focal length at this distance is enough to get a titmouse to fill the frame, but not a chickadee, and a Blue Jay will overflow the frame.

 

I also use extension tubes since they inherently give some magnification - a 20mm tube gives me 15% magnification on my 100-400 L @ 400mm at a distance of 12 feet.

 

The Better Beamer is designed for 300mm or longer, so that may have some influence on your lens length. However, I'd get a remote cord and find a way to mount the flash off to the side and aimed at the feeder. Without the BB it will cover a wide range at 10 feet, adding some fill light, but the side angle means that it won't flatten the bird like a mounted flash will do. Be aware that a flash will severely slow your frame rate - I usually just bump the ISO.

 

Having grass as the background is awesome - that's the background in my chickadee picture above. Try not to go too high as it's just not usual to look at a bird from above. I placed my feeder so that almost all shots are very close to straight on - aimed down just enough to get the nicer backgrounds. If you can plant a bunch of 20-foot evergreens they'd make a perfect background all the time. :-)

 

 

A few more pics from my feeder if you're interested:

 

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/AmericanGoldenFinch_7909.jpg

 

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/BlueJay_7371.jpg

 

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/HouseFinch_7344.jpg

 

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/TuftedTitmouse_9277.jpg

 

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/WhiteBreastedNuthatch_9735.jpg

well in my experience I can offer some advice.At a bird feeder situation here the guy built a 6x4 feet box blind equiped with plug point holes for telephoto lenses. Good for all year. Another idea was to use an old refrigerator box wether proof it. I had a friend who put the bird feeder right near his window and shot from his armchiar using a remote cord.

I had a bird feeder and used a stick planted in the ground right near the feeder then attached a 12 inch branch. Only had small birds so this was sufficient length. I would change the prop say use a sunflower for goldfinch and different style branches. I also put a background board with blue sheeting as backgrounds are very important. Then I would use a total of 3 flashes 1 for the background. The thing what you have to watch out for is pigeons but use a sling shot or small airgun a few times on them and they will get the message. Squirrels some times can be a real problem use the same tactics on them. Mornings and late evening are the peak times for birds. If you can put a bird bath up it will add to your set up. Be consistant in your feeding else you could lose your clientel. See if anyone else has a feeder in your area because to much competition could result in a waste of time for your efforts. Cats can be a problem as well they could scare your birds away

Scott, those pictures are awesome ! I am impressed. It inspired me too.

 

Glen, thank you for your suggestions. I will try to make it as safe as possible for the birds.

Ditto all of the above.

 

I set my feeder in the front yard so that I can photograph the activities. There's a space between the buildings opposite and it's nothing but trees. Of course you'll be using shallow depth of field, so that's not a problem, but I like the green blur. Looks more natural. So placment and orientation are important.

 

Also, I have a roll-out blind that I set up on the porch. Just some neutral cloth on some PVC pipes with feet. Go to your local hardware store and buy two long lengths of pipe and enough elbows and pieces to create stable "feet." I roll it out at night and set the camera up in the morning using a hole in the cloth for the lens. I also have a tree in a large plastic pot that I plan to repot this year. The birds love it and it's low enough that I can shoot at the feeder or the tree. If that's not an option, you might consider just sticking a chunk of wood at feeder height nearby. Find a realistic chunk of wood and use clamps or such to hold it in place. It works fine as long as you don't include them in the photo.

 

have fun

Thanks Joe.

 

For everybody who cares, on the 3rd day of my setting up a bird feeder, a sparrow visited it. I am hopeful things will improve!

If you build it, they will come.

 

In a week or two you'll be swarming with birds. Early morning & late afternoon work best for me, and I don't mean dawn or sunset so that's nice. Darn cardinals only show up at dawn, though. :-( I still haven't gotten a decent picture of one of them.