Getting close to birds?

[derek_thornton1]

Anyone have any good tips on how to get close to the birds?

 

So far the only luck I have had has been in the drivers seat of my truck. Once

I get out, they are gone. I have tried the sit and wait deal and it has not

worked at all. In the car is good but I have to drive 3.5 hours to get to good

locations. This morning went to a nearby pond with a lot of ducks. Even though

I was very qite and somewhat camoflaged they still were spooked before I could

get close enough.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[jautey]

The best way to get close to wild birds is to use a blind and a long lens (500mm+).

The second best way is to have a place where the birds are habituated to your/human presence and have a smaller circle of fear (backyards, parks etc.).

The third best is to use a vehicle, but that normally only works for larger bird species since set back for most roads precludes tight shots of song birds on trees.

 

Of course photographers have been known to bait birds in closer, the ethics of that method are debatable.

 

In some places you can find any two of the above conditions that make for getting close to birds easy.

Habituated blinds are hard to find, usually set up for selected species, and often cost money to use-although the ones I've use have been well worth the money. (To be truly effective, the birds need to be habituated to the blind, this takes patience and planning.)

Other places, such as wildlife refugees, provide walking and driving routes that have habituated the birds to people and autos.

I've even used a habituated vehicle blind once (an old pickup parked off the road in a NWR-used by staff to set off net traps).

If you have access to a bird friendly backyard you'll be amazed how brazen the little birds will get if you just spend a lot of time in the yard. I've had a beautiful adult male cardinal land not 5 feet from me while lying on my deck reading.<div></div>

[jautey]

Another thing I forgot to mention, learn the behavior of the birds you're chasing. This can be more important than all the above.<div></div>

[jautey]

An lastly pay attention to the time of year. Each season brings different birds and different challenges. For birds I like spring the best.<div></div>

[derek_thornton1]

Hey Eric, nice shots. Here is one I got Sunday at Savannah NWR with a 300mm f/4 with 1.4 tc from my car.<div></div>

[leahc117]

In my experience, knowing where certain birds have nests helps. I frequent a wildlife refuge

and have learned the locations of an american kestrel nest box and an osprey nest. By being

patient around the nests I have almost always gotten shots of the birds. I agree with Eric and

have had success photographing birds in wildlife refuges (which in my experience often have

blinds already set up) and even in my backyard. Often times the car has been an efficient

blind as well. And try to use the situation to your advantage - while canoeing I crept up on

some ducks and only got so close when they were startled and took off - I ended up with

some great pictures of them running across the water and into flight.

[mark_chappell]

<I>So far the only luck I have had has been in the drivers seat of my truck. Once I get out,

they are gone.</i><P>

 

Shooting from a vehicle is a time-honored and often very effective way to get good images

of many bird species. Hawks especially tend to be much less wary of vehicles than of people,

although they tend to get nervous when a vehicle stops.

[doug herr]

You're asking for the bird photographers' most treasured knowledge :-)

<P>

One way is with your credit card: buy the longest, fastest lens you can and stack some

extenders on it, put the whole rig on a hefty Gitzo topped with a Wimberley, crank the

camera's ISO up as high as you dare, turn on the IS or VR and be happy.

<P>

Since my credit card lacks this capacity, what works best for me is to behave like a prey

species (and it doesn't always work so don't get frustrated if you don't get immediate

results).

<P>

Acting like a prey species means:

<P>

) don't pay particular attention to the bird. Don't stare, don't let your lens stare<BR>

) know enough about the bird to understand when it's feeling nervous, and don't get any

closer when it is.<BR>

) when you approach the bird don't walk straight toward it, wander sort of closer gradually.

<BR>

) BE PATIENT. It might take a few minutes, a few hours, or a few years.

<P>

These photos were all made with 250mm and 280mm lenses:

<CENTER>

<IMG SRC="http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/coha05.jpg">

<P>

<IMG SRC="http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/phasianidae/sogr02.jpg">

<P>

<IMG SRC="http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/turdidae/mobl00.jpg">

</CENTER>

[bobatkins]

Getting there before the bird does and sitting quietly often helps. It can be a long wait though.

[amolkhedgikar]

if you want to make your life slightly easy and want some more keepers, get a longer lens and a hide. The following pic and description says about the importance and strategy/planning. Please read the photographer's description of the preparation.

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo.tcl?photo_id=4915172

 

In any case, there are no short cuts for a good pic. What ever pain you go through will be worth when you get a wonderful image like this one.

Besides, I completely agree with Doug on all points. Not staring certainly helps. pretending to be complacent and not pointing the lens frequently in that direction make the more cautious birds less wary.<div></div>

[vfg]

Patience, hunters rarely bag their game on the first outing,

Practice, be in tune with your gear,

Position, let the birds come to you,

Planning, know when the time is right, understanding the animal and their habitat is important

[rayyeager]

Or they may just land on your deck ...

[mark_chappell]

<I>One way is with your credit card: buy the longest, fastest lens you can and stack some

extenders on it, put the whole rig on a hefty Gitzo topped with a Wimberley, crank the

camera's ISO up as high as you dare, turn on the IS or VR and be happy.</I><P>

 

Even if your credit card is bigger than Doug's and you go this route, take his advice (and

others) and work on your fieldcraft -- a lot of which is simply learning the natural history of

your subjects and adapting your behavior to theirs.

[douglas_greenberg]

This is one of those "$64 questions" in bird photography. The advice others have given is excellent. In the long run, knowing where and when the best opportunities reside is really important, i.e., where there are birds which have, in fact, become a bit accustomed to human presence.

 

Using very good, very long lenses is invaluable, of course, but be aware that the longer the distance between you and your bird the greater is the chance that atmospheric interference will degrade your image.

 

And yes, birds generally do not like big, long, scary-looking lenses pointing at them. So try to make your lens-pointing actions as inconspicuous as possible.

 

Taking photos at or around nests can be productive, but it goes without saying that one has to be discreet and cautious so as not to interfere with the birds' nesting activity.

 

Finally: the advice about time and patience cannot be overemphasized. I know of several bird photographers who work with fairly short lenses (around 300mm.) but who regularly get great closeups because they are willing to sit in a favored spot for hours, just waiting.

 

The more time you are willing to spend out in the field, particularly early in the day, the more good pix you will get. And of course, the reality is that some days the birds seem to pop out everywhere, and other days, nada. Go with that flow and don't get frustrated.

[greg s]

Some of the best photography for songbirds will occur soon (in the Spring). Male birds of various species (sparrows, blackbirds, warblers, robins, etc) change behavior and become more approachable when they sing. This can also make for some of the nicer photos, as they tend to sit on nice natural perches. Sometimes parking lots surrounded by small trees and suitable vegetation can be good choices in the morning or early evening. Every year where I work the parking lot (huge, size of a shopping mall's lot) draws lots of White-Crowned Sparrows that sit in the planted trees and sing for hours. Other parking lots at various parks or reserves are standard places for me to visit at 7am and see what's happening. Sometimes it's excellent and other times a bit slower. :) -g-

[myount777]

All good answers. I have even considered digiscoping with my Nikon P5000. The Nikon fieldscopes are almost within financial reach. BTW nice shots in your gallery.

[rdpufallphotography]

In terms of hiding and waiting you could pick up or make if you have the time a ghillie suit. If you live somewhere that is cold it's a god send because they're so warm. On the other hand warm climates you'll roast. For approaching birds use what other people have said: Don't look at it and don't walk directly towards it. If you have rabbits in your yard they're great practice. Walk in a circle around them that gradual gets smaller. You can get within 5feet of most rabbits this way and with what little bird experience I've had, works on a lot of them too.

[andrew robertson]

I find that going somewhere and pretending NOT to be interested in the birds is the best

way to get them to accept you as OK. An angle finder is perhaps my most useful tool, as I

don't have to look at the birds to frame them! Birds, and any wild animal for that matter,

get nervous when you stare at them, and putting a camera in front of your face doesn't

usually trick them.

[gizzo_sparkes]

I walked up to this Red-Tailed Hawk that was perched in a tree and he didn't move - even when I was at the base of the tree (which, in my limited experience, is rare).

 

A couple of things that I have noticed. The tree is by a busy intersection within 5 minutes of my house so the hawk is accustomed to some commotion. I believe this is a young hawk (maybe a hawk afficienado would know?) so he is not as spooked. I have returned a couple of times to this location and he resides here. The last time out, he was perched atop the tree and I snapped some nice pics with my tripod attached. I saw his head perk up - he then swooped down to the hill beside me and picked up a mouse. It was so cool. Unfortunately, with the tripod and my camera attached, I didn't position the camera and zoom quick enough to pick this up. It was a great experience, nevertheless.<div></div>

[mark_chappell]

Gizzo: that's a rough-legged hawk, not a red-tail. I envy you that shot -- very nice.

[gizzo_sparkes]

Thanks Mark, that's great to know. I was wondering as when he flew away there was not 'red' tail. I just figured he was immature.

I posted a couple of more. I have a really nice in flight pic at home that I will soon post in my workspace. Thanks again for the info and kind words.<div></div>

[gizzo_sparkes]

Oops, sorry for the same pic - how can I edit this? I'll add the one I meant to add.<div></div>

[derek_thornton1]

Wow, I left thinking this conversation was over. I should know better when speaking about birds. There is a lot of good tips here. Something tells me that to get the most keepers, and species, shooting from the car would be best. I could get a blind and set up in a good location and be there all day with no luck. In a car I could hit the nearest NWR drive around and see several species withen feet of my car. Seems like that would be the preferable method with little wasted time. However, I imgine sitting in a blind and getting one great shot in an 8 hour day would create some good memories. Not to mention probally the only way of seeing mink and bobcat.

 

Thanks everyone,

Derek

[mark_chappell]

<I> Something tells me that to get the most keepers, and species, shooting from the car

would be best.</i><P>

 

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. There are no guarantees of success in wildlife

photography.

[greg s]

"Something tells me that to get the most keepers, and species, shooting from the car would be best."

 

Quite honestly, it becomes a bit of a silly forum post to ask questions about bird photography and come to a conclusion that sitting in an automobile is "best". If all you want to do is photograph a few larger birds from time to time from the comfort of a car, then it may be a solution... but that's got little to do with bird photography techniques in general.