Whatbird.com

I usually do okay with photographing water/shorebirds, raptors, etc., but songbirds are so hard to get good photos of.  I know that the type of camera makes a difference; I only have a P&S which takes fairly clear shots if the subject isn't too far away and not moving too much (I have 18x optical zoom). 

However, the main problem I have is SEEING and/or FINDING the birds.  I hear them in the trees around me but usually I just can't find them, and usually by the time I do find/see them, they take off.  I know it takes a lot of patience to get pictures of passerines but I just can't seem to locate them when they are in trees.  It's very frustrating!  I also try to find them through my binoculars but they don't help a whole lot, either, as you have to be focused where the bird(s) are. 

Can anyone offer any advice on this?

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

I'm a firm believer in learning to locate birds, observing them through binoculars if not close, noting details (bill/body size/shape, markings, colors, habit, etc.), and researching them through formal field guides (whether printed or electronic) before paying much of any attention to bird photography. This is just my opinion---I know there are many who disagree with me---I really believe that if one wants to become a more adept birder, it's important to focus on the fundamentals of the birds, rather than the fundamentals of the photography of the birds.

It takes time, practice, patience, etc., but what a fun, rewarding activity this is! 

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8 days camping in Western Colorado and 5 new birds: Juniper Titmouse, Mountain Bluebird, Black-billed Magpie, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay. Beautiful!!!

Unlike jmmoon, my interest starts on the photography side of birding and the learning process, both about the birds and the pictures I`ve taken, usually comes after the pictures are taken. I think part of Curlybirds problem, and one I encounter often, might be the trees themselves. If the birds are in the trees they are usually on the other side of the tree or hiding behind branches and leaves. If I am in a forested area I am automatically handicapped because of the lost light which means slower shutter speeds and more motion blur in the picture. When I am photographing water birds, I have the advantage of the brighter light and usually less obstructions to deal with. That could be why Curlybird has better luck with shore birds. When I go out to photgraph song birds, I try to find an open meadow along the edge of a tree line, which my yard is fortunate enough to have. The birds are still quite often hidden from view, but when they do come into view on the meadow side of the trees, I have the added light I need for faster shutter speeds.

Another method I use for getting bird pictures is to take them from my car. I will quite often drive slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) down one of the many backroads in the country and watch for birds in the trees at the roadside. I usually focus my attention on just one side of the road so that I don`t have to worry about shooting into the sun and dealing with the backlighting complications. To make things easier, I choose my light related driving direction so that I am looking out the driver`s side and try to look a little bit ahead of the car to allow time to coast to a quiet stop. When I see something worth taking a picture of, I turn the car off and put my homemade beanbag on the dirver`s window and raise or lower the window to give me a comfortable shooting angle. I`m not always successfull but I find it easier to sneak up on birds in the car than to stumble across them while walking a trail through forests.

Another successfull method I use for getting songbird pictures is just sitting still and waiting for them to fly within shooting distance. I`ll pick a spot that I suspect birds will frequent, set up the tripod in front of my portable chair, and just sit and wait for the birds to come and pose for me. I try to pick my spot according to the lighting situation at the time and then just patiently wait. The birds don`t always cooperate, but I have been successfull often enough to keep using these methods.

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My unorganized pictures can be viewed at

http://picasaweb.google.com/lonestranger102

Songbirds are definitely more challenging than herons and egrets.  You just have to be persistent.  I spent the better part of an hour tracking down this one particular bird by its call (I didn't know the specific call, but it was distinctive, so I kept looking for the bird making it).  The little guy wasn't shy about calling, but it sure didn't want to be seen.  The best shot I got is attached below.  An obstructed view with a bit of blurry head movement, but it was good enough to ID it as a Black-throated Blue Warbler (I'm gonna have to get a better shot someday, though!)  You're most likely to hear the call before you see the bird, so just keep zeroing in on the sound.  Look for movement (a calm day helps).  I've also found that walking right under a tree when looking for the bird seldom works.  You're better off keeping back and circling around it.

Jmmoon makes a good point too.  The more prepared you are for a given species of bird, the better your chances of getting the shot.  If you know where and when you can find the bird, what habitat it likes, what food, what time of day, etc., you have an advantage.  If you further understand the bird's behavior, you have an even better chance.  Try picking a species close to you and learning all you can about it before you go out.  Then, when you find it, spend some time observing it before you try for a photo.

I kind of fall on lonestranger's side, though.  The more you try to photograph a bird (whether you succeed or fail), the more you learn.  Every shot you get, and every experience that it takes to get it, teaches you more and more about the subject.  I do carry binoculars with me, but I typically only use them when I don't have enough reach with my camera lens.

I don't know for sure, but I expect you're at a bit of a disadvantage with a P&S camera, especially with the more jittery songbirds.  That doesn't mean you can't get the shot, though.  Keep at it, and you'll eventually figure out what works for you.

Great, thanks (everyone).  I have a good example today - see my post titled "Small Birds needing ID" - see if any of you can figure out what they are!

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

Heh, take a look at the one I just posted.  It's called "Terrible photos, but..." 

lyceel:

Jmmoon makes a good point too.  The more prepared you are for a given species of bird, the better your chances of getting the shot.  If you know where and when you can find the bird, what habitat it likes, what food, what time of day, etc., you have an advantage.  If you further understand the bird's behavior, you have an even better chance.  Try picking a species close to you and learning all you can about it before you go out.  Then, when you find it, spend some time observing it before you try for a photo.

Thanks for distilling my response, Lyceel, and for interpreting it in terms of a photographer's focus (no pun intended). Although I occasionally get a great pic with my p&s, I don't share the desire for the great photograph, so I don't always express myself effectively when photos are the objective. Regardless, we all appreciate beautiful/interesting birds~ 

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8 days camping in Western Colorado and 5 new birds: Juniper Titmouse, Mountain Bluebird, Black-billed Magpie, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay. Beautiful!!!

I see my previous response to this post didn't make it.  Are we limited to the number of photos there can be in one response?  I tried to post 3.  I photograph small birds all the time with an 18x optical zoom camera.  Here's one tip.  Find any place where there is a parking lot close to the edge of woods and park parallel to the curb or where the grass meets the pavement.  If you look out the driver's side window you should be looking at the woods.  Shut the car off, roll down the driver's window and observe and listen.  Try to do this within the first two hours of sun up.  Move if you don't see movement or hear birds.  Why parking lots near woods?  Because the birds are used to seeing/hearing cars and you can get fairly close.  On weekdays, try church parking lots, restaurant parking lots, state/county parks parking lots, store parking lots before stores open.  On Sundays, try community college (no one lives at them) parking lots or regular school parking lots, bank parking lots.  Take the photos from the car.  You'll get to know good spots after awhile.

This brown thrasher was taken from a community college parking lot.  I've taken photos of mockingbirds, cardinals, bluebirds, wrens, chickadees, sparrows, finches, crows, mourning doves, towhees, kildeer, blue jays, woodpeckers, starlings, robins, kingbirds, waxwings, grackles and even a turkey vulture from my car.

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LauraC:

I see my previous response to this post didn't make it.  Are we limited to the number of photos there can be in one response?

It's hard to nail down the specific rules about when a post does or doesn't get flagged.  I've posted up to five in a shot before.  Others have had their posts flagged by just posting links (not image links, just regular links).  THere are a specific set of rules somewhere, but no one in the know has ever indicated what they are.

Your tip makes so much sense that I can't believe I haven't thought of it myself!  It's always true that birds are less afraid of four wheels than two legs, but I'd never thought of staking out a patch of woods from a parking lot before.  I'll definitely have to try it (although I'm not a morning person )

lyceel:

LauraC:

I see my previous response to this post didn't make it.  Are we limited to the number of photos there can be in one response?

It's hard to nail down the specific rules about when a post does or doesn't get flagged.  I've posted up to five in a shot before.  Others have had their posts flagged by just posting links (not image links, just regular links).  THere are a specific set of rules somewhere, but no one in the know has ever indicated what they are.

Your tip makes so much sense that I can't believe I haven't thought of it myself!  It's always true that birds are less afraid of four wheels than two legs, but I'd never thought of staking out a patch of woods from a parking lot before.  I'll definitely have to try it (although I'm not a morning person )

Not a morning person and you photograph birds?  The early bird gets the worm, remember? 

I love the morning outdoors; not a lot of people around, it's usually quiet and that's when the birds are out!

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

LauraC:

I see my previous response to this post didn't make it.  Are we limited to the number of photos there can be in one response?  I tried to post 3.  I photograph small birds all the time with an 18x optical zoom camera.  Here's one tip.  Find any place where there is a parking lot close to the edge of woods and park parallel to the curb or where the grass meets the pavement.  If you look out the driver's side window you should be looking at the woods.  Shut the car off, roll down the driver's window and observe and listen.  Try to do this within the first two hours of sun up.  Move if you don't see movement or hear birds.  Why parking lots near woods?  Because the birds are used to seeing/hearing cars and you can get fairly close.  On weekdays, try church parking lots, restaurant parking lots, state/county parks parking lots, store parking lots before stores open.  On Sundays, try community college (no one lives at them) parking lots or regular school parking lots, bank parking lots.  Take the photos from the car.  You'll get to know good spots after awhile.

This brown thrasher was taken from a community college parking lot.  I've taken photos of mockingbirds, cardinals, bluebirds, wrens, chickadees, sparrows, finches, crows, mourning doves, towhees, kildeer, blue jays, woodpeckers, starlings, robins, kingbirds, waxwings, grackles and even a turkey vulture from my car.

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Thanks for the tips.  Good advice - also, that's a great shot!

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

I read somewhere-probably here- that you can draw a bird out of hiding by going "psssst".  I tried it this past weekend at a fishing cabin in the back country of Kansas.  I kept hearing a loud mouth bird coming from a brush pile near the cabin.  I walked up on it slowly and I could hear him and see him jumping around on the backside of the brush.  When I got close he went deep in the brush.  So, I went Psssst psssst,  He came right out and stood on top of a stump. It turned out to be a C wren.  Small bird, Big voice.   Does anybody eles know of a way to bring the birds out of hiding?

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Life List: 68. Photo list: 60.

This bird hid from me for about 5 minutes until I went pssst, in a second after making that noise he was on that stump looking at me.  does anybody know how pssst should be spelled? 

edit- if that is not a Carolina Wren please tell me.

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Life List: 68. Photo list: 60.

Danny Collins:

This bird hid from me for about 5 minutes until I went pssst, in a second after making that noise he was on that stump looking at me.  does anybody know how pssst should be spelled? 

Yeah, he probably came out of hiding out of curiosity re: that noise - interesting; never heard about that before.

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

Danny Collins:

 does anybody know how pssst should be spelled? 

 

The way I make the sound is with an "sh" sound, more like "pshhht". This has worked for me many times with small birds, including Wrens, Bushtits, various Warblers, Sparrows, RC Kinglets and others. It has also brought in Mockingbirds, Jays, Crows, and has gotten the attention of a few Hawks, too. Dunno what it means in bird-speak, but it does work!

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We did not inherit Mother Earth from our ancestors...... we have borrowed Her from our descendants.
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