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Did your sightings surprise you? How do you think the research you did might help inform your photography? Tell us about it.You must be enrolled in the course to reply to this topic.
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I was able to take pictures of nesting bald eagles. It was interesting to see the behavior of the adults change as the young eagles grew.
One was always close by the young eaglets, but as they grew bigger they didn't hover over them so closely. I was able to take the pictures
from a safe distance away so not to bother them. Also of interest was how long the imature eagles stayed close to the nest.
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There is an osprey nest along a country road with a view of fields and sometimes a stream. The electric company made them a disk shelf above the lines so that they would be safe nesting after a disastrous first season. They have returned for about 5-6 years! How wonderful. The male often sits on another electric pole perusing the entire area. Because the nest is above the electric poles, their nest is about 15-20 feet high up. I have tried to take photos when I see the female poke her head out of the nest, but without very large telephoto lenses and the height of the test, I cannot find a way to see her clearly. I would never want to use a drone for fear I would cause trauma and they would never return. The male is on watch and darts as soon as I stop my car, even 30 feet away.
Suggestions? Perhaps this is one nest-stead that should just be left alone. No images to share.-
Hi Ruth,
I would give a respectful distance to the nesting site. Instead of trying to get images of the female on the nest, have you considered being further away and trying to get flight shots instead? That way you're not potentially spooking the birds, not dealing with an awkward angle and it's good practice on taking images of birds flying too. Since Ospreys are large raptors, there's a bit more leeway with getting good shots of them [than a smaller bird which flies much faster].
Try and work out where the Sun is in the early hours of the morning after sunrise, and the couple of hours before sunset too. If the birds are front lit and flying into the wind, that's ideal.
Unfortunately, length does matter in bird photography imho. Sure, you can get bird photos without long lenses, but that's not the norm in my experience. You haven't mentioned what camera and lens setup you are currently using. I find that 500mm focal length is the bare minimum. YMMV.
Good luck! Post photos if you get some.
Cheers,
Dave -
here's a fly Osprey shots.
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@David Thank you for all your ideas and support. Fantastic shots of flying Osprey! I really appreciate the clarity of the wing feathers.
I use a Nikon D3300, but my largest lens is just 55mm-200mm. I guess I should start my savings for something with more focal length. I usually take photos of flowers and insects feeding my plants, or sunset landscapes, or nature that is closer to me.
The adventure begins!
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@Ruth Hi Ruth,
IMHO, and others may have different opinions, 55-200 is too short unless the bird is very large and quite close and tolerant of humans. Birds have a very strong flight or fight response mechanism, so most are very easy to spook if you are in proximity to them.
The Sigma 150-600 contemporary (not the sports) is probably your best budget bet option for a longer lens. It is a bit heavy (2kg) and some users may not like that.
If you are not tied to Nikon with lots of lenses and accessories, I'm going to be biased and suggest moving to Canon. Grab a R10 and a used 400mm f5.6L lens. It's a longer term investment. If budget is an issue, or you are not sure if the hobby is something that will continue to pique your interest, then I would not spend anymore money at this point of time. Nikon has only the Z50II in the budget arena, and that is still quite expensive. Used older Nikon lenses (for example, AF-S variants) will work with modern Nikon mirrorless cameras for animal eye focusing. Whilst some will say animal eye focus is a gimmick, I can wholeheartedly assure you that it is not a gimmick. It's a tool, and will result in more keepers and greater personal satisfaction of your images. If you prefer a zoom, Canon's RF100-400 is budget friendly for most people, great AF and very good optical performance. I'm of the very firm belief that primes outdo zooms, but many others will disagree. I've been using a camera for nearly 40 years :-)
Bird photography, and bird watching have fantastic (imho) benefits - physical health, and especially mental health. The main thing is to get out there and observe our beautiful birds and relax.
Best wishes with your photography. Don't be afraid to show your images, would love to see them.
Cheers,
Dave
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Whilst I do location research (online webpages, Facebook groups and eBird as well as family and photography friends), a lot of bird photography is pure luck. Right place, at the Right time. Doing research does help imho. I also use Google maps and also search for the location to see what comes up.
I also research birds and bird behaviour. Subtle bird behaviour such as lifting the tail, or going to the toilet will indicate that a bird is about to take off. eBird is a great way to learn about birds, but I also have a rather large personal library of books on Australian birds. Some of the books are out of print, but nevertheless, I believe that they still add a great deal of information on any given species.
Never underestimate family and friends. All of my friends know that I'm into bird photography and I quite often get location tips on birds. Once my sister told me about being "eagles" less than a 15 minute drive from my home. When she told me the location, I already had a very good idea what the birds would be (Whistling Kites) and upon arriving at the location, I found that I was indeed correct. Why? I'd been to an area less than a KM from where they were roosting/nesting and I'd seen them several times over many visits during the past 2 years.
After 4 years of bird photography, I have learned to be able to ID by site most of the common species, including our Australian raptors, which I have a special interest in. This didn't happen by luck, it happened by a lot of research on my part. Get to know your birds. -
At a local pair of ponds, I have seen wood ducks multiple times and photographed them. They are spectacular birds, unreal looking, so beautiful. In reading about them, I found out that they are a year-round resident here in the Seattle area. They nest in cavities and rely heavily on nest boxes. There are two nest boxes at the ponds I visit regularly, but I did not see the ducks there. I hope to see them someday in the boxes and maybe get interesting photos of the parents or the babies jumping from the box, if I can do that without disturbing them. I was happy to see that the oldest wood duck was more than 22 years old! So, I should be seeing some of the same pairs for years to come. There were about a dozen wood ducks on the ponds this time--maybe migrating, even though they can be year-round residents. They have recently molted, and their plumage is fresh and shiny!
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These Egrets are pretty common around here, but I have never seen one standing on a thin branch like this before. The lake it is viewing is also pretty deep, whereas mostly they hang around in swampy, shallow water. Was it looking for food or just enjoying the view?
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Egrets may be common, but they are always elegant and amazing. Thanks for sharing this photo.
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There are resident Red-Shouldered Hawks in my neighborhood and I was alerted to the presence of one by some mobbing Bay-Breasted and Tennessee Warblers!
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Nice capture! What an amazing bird! Glad you understood what the warblers were upset about!
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I haven't went out in the filed yet. I'm keeping notes and want to dive more into my subject before going out.
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One of my dreams is to get a good shot of a loon! They seem so elusive! Lucky you for finding and catching one.
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Brown-headed nuthatches are a very common bird in my area. I've been struck in the past about how brave they are around my bird feeders; they don't fly off when I start to approach, and I often have to hang back a minute before they'll leave. Sometimes they swoop in while I'm still there.
They also have a very distinct sound, which I refer to as "like a little squeak toy," and All About Birds likens to a "rubber ducky." They don't migrate, so it's an ever-present sound.
Reading up on them, I see that they are so common due to the pine trees in my area. The climb up and down the tree trunks, often hanging upside down like little acrobats. They also are social and live/travel in groups, giving many opportunities for spotting these energetic little guys.-
We have the equivalent red-breasted nuthatches here in Seattle and the noise they make is hilarious. Like yours, they are brave at the feeders and will not be deterred for long even when I am right in front. This time of year they are frantically trying to find seeds to cache, so come to the feeder dozens of times an hour.
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Last year, by sheer chance I encountered a Mississippi Kite here in Cheyenne, WY. This year, at about the same date I had business downtown and stopped by the same area on the off chance that I would find another. I saw two of them flying around.
But two raptors hanging around together brings up the possibility of them breeding, which would be the first one documented in Wyoming. They are more prone to nesting in urban areas in the west, but they also will nest in wind breaks and will also nest colonially in old forests in the southeast. So, I have been checking up on them regularly, but I was starting to get discouraged. They were showing no signs of brooding or feeding young. Luckily, a coworker asked to see them about 10 days after the initial sighting, and it was like a switch had been flipped. We saw both adults flying and could hear the chick calling from a cottonwood tree. Success!
Since then, I have been going back every day or two to check on progress. It is far behind where it should be at this time is summer. It was only seen exercising its wings two days ago. According to Birds of the World, they should already be migrating to central South America. Their main diet of aerial insects is scarce enough in Cheyenne, let alone the alternatives of lizards or frogs and other small animals. Weather conditions tend to change quickly here, and those kinds of food sources will be gone soon.
I have taken some photos of the adults where they like to roost in dead limbs that overlook the nest area. The chick is visible from one area on the street, and the comings and goings of the adults has provided some great opportunities for family pictures. Awesome views of the adults flying in are much harder as they stoop in from higher up to enter the nest, and I haven’t been successful at those. -
I enjoy the Black-necked Stilts who are year-round occupants of shallow ponds near my home in south Texas. In the spring I've enjoyed observing mating rituals. Last summer while walking I inadvertently approached a nest - I was on a path and the nest was in tall grass. The parents chattered loudly from the air as I moved away without seeing the nest. This year I was rewarded with parents watching three young as they came to the edge of a pond. The parents stood in deeper water and watched closely, keeping their young along the edge. From across the pond I could get nice photographs from a sufficient distance that the parents were not troubled by my presence.
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I love seeing the American Goldfinches outside my apartment. When I researched them and learned their sound, as well as their bouncy flight pattern, I realized that there were many more living here than I thought! I took a walk around my apartment, listened and watched to see where they hang out, and then got my camera. I was able to capture this by slowly approaching the beautiful bird while he was digging in on some flowers.
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A few months ago I spotted my first Green Heron peering at me from some high grass along a lake, and I was enamored with it! I, however, did not get a good shot of it. It was very skittish, and it had definitely seen me coming. It was the first bird that came to mind when I started this section. My research into their preferred environment and how they hunt was extremely helpful. At first, I didn't think I'd get a good shot. The green heron was very aware of my presence, and after staring at me for quite a while, it flew away. I took a breath, backed off, hung up my hammock, and waited. Thankfully the green heron came back and was much more relaxed this time. It was such a cool experience to watch it hunt!
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I was always captivated by the Tree Swallows that would appear in numbers at a local marsh in spring. I watched them swoop and dart about before sunset and was determined to get a picture of this activity, not realizing at the time that they were feeding in flight on insects. As I looked through some photos, I could see a tiny insect just in front of the bird.
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That is such a cool shot! I love the insect detail.
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We live in a complex close to Cape Town, South Africa, with lots of trees and plants, most of them indigenous. We thus have a lot of birds around our unit, also Sunbirds. According to Birds of the World (https://birdsoftheworld.org) there are 151 species in the family of Sunbirds and Spiderhunters. All of them occur in Africa and the East, none of them in the Americas. The genus Cinnyris has 62 species, one of them is the Southern Double-collared Sunbird and wasthe focus of my research.
This sunbird has a narrow scarlet breast-band, compared to the Greater Double-collared Sunbird that has a wider scarlet breast-band and also a longer bill. Fortunately there is no range overlap where we live (Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa). But care is required to ensure proper identification if one travels eastwards along the coast.
The Southern Double-collared Sunbird breeds from April to December, and one can currently (June) see the yellow pectoral tufts on the males. I haven’t yet seen a nest close to our unit. But I read on Birds of the World that the nests are parasitised by Klaas’s Cuckoo. And we also have them in the area. In Spring when most of the Klaas’s Cuckoos return, I am going to look out for sunbirds trying to feed “their” massive chick!
My personal observation so far is that they are highly active, and rather difficult to photograph. We have Cape Honeysuckle plants that they love. In the mornings I wait close by until they settle and then take pictures while they collect nectar. They also do hover for short periods, my attempts to catch them hovering so far failed.
Fortunately their conversation status is Least Concern which means we will always hear their songs and calls and see them chasing each other around our unit.
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I am fortunate to live near a national wildlife refuge. I researched Trumpeter Swans, because they often nest in the refuge. When I went out to take photos, there were none around! But I did get a photo of this female House Sparrow feeding her young. I enjoyed researching the swans. The information will come in handy in the future.
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While strolling through Liberty State Park near the playground today, I had an unexpected encounter: a Red-winged Blackbird foraging just a few feet away from laughing children and people enjoying their meals.
These birds usually are more at home among the cattails and quiet marshes, fiercely guarding their territory in the wetlands. But today, this little blackbird with its fiery red-and-yellow shoulder patches seemed utterly unfazed by the crowd.
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I have been observing this hawk for quite a while and hopefully captured his beauty. He is a frequent visitor to our yard and is not ruffled by my presence at all. I think he is majestic and, yes, he will get a bird now and then and I have witnessed this; but he also needs to eat and I understand that. To be a naturalist you have to have reverence for all of life. I will continue to watch my hawk friend and hopefully have the opportunity to take another photo in the future.
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I am always surprised when I hear people exclaim that they have just seen the first robin of spring - here in the mild winters of the Pacific Northwest, robins are here all year round. This photo I took a couple of years ago during an unusual snowstorm on the Oregon coast illustrates this principle: a tree full of snow and robins! I hope by the time I've finished this course that my photography skills will have improved so that I can even more vividly illustrate the beauty and wonder of this so ordinary bird.
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I decided to research the Sparrowhawk more as it is a regular visitor to my area and often my garden. Our house backs on to a natural green area and there are always many sparrows and small birds around which is what attracts the Sparrowhawk. I have to admit that at the start of my birding journey I didn´t always appreciate visits from the Sparrowhawk but I have now learnt to have a deep admiration and somewhat of a connection to this bird. I can recognise certain alarm calls that the songbirds make when the sparrowhawk has either made a surprise dive or is sat somewhere waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It always arrives in complete silence. After hearing the sparrows going mad at the bottom of my garden I got my camera. This male sparrowhawk came and sat on our gate after an unsuccessful hit and was looking up at the hedge, waiting for any slight movements from the birds hiding in the dense top part where he can´t quite get in. That however does not deter him. I have witnessed him many times literally whacking the hedge with outspread wings until one of the little birds flies out...then zoom he is off straight behind it, although he´s not always successful. His dive into dense twigs is impressive and so very fast with the sound of what can only be described as a whoosh. Best Wishes to everyone and a big thanks for all the wonderful tips this course has already taught me!
“The hawk soars high above, untouched by the chaos below. It serves as a reminder to rise above adversity and maintain a clear perspective.” – Unknown
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I took a friend on his first birdwatching experience last weekend. It was good to experience things from his perspective; he was interested in even the most common birds that I see every day. Sometimes, we need to remember the wonder of birds instead of just looking species. Anyway, my friend was focused on a little grebe which I had noticed when he mentioned that the grebe had caught a fish and was eating. I probably would have missed it if he hadn't said anything. Now I am thinking how I should spend more time looking for birds "doing something" for interesting pictures. I was walking to work recently and saw a female night heron with a fish bigger than her head in her bill. If I hadn't had the earlier experience with the grebe, I think I would have been interested but moved on. Instead, I decided to wait for a bit and watched her work down the fish. Remembering how she ate the fish makes me want to learn more about night heron biology and behavior since they're common around here and the experience is just so vivid in my mind.
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"It was good to experience things from his perspective; he was interested in even the most common birds that I see every day." Insightful comment! Thanks for reminding us that birding can be more than bird ID (then move on).
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@Paul Which is, of course, what this lesson is about.
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I really enjoyed shooting a family group of Acorn Woodpeckers in the national forest close to my home. They are raucous and not shy around people, so easy and enjoyable to photograph. I’m completely fascinated by the granaries they maintain. They dig out holes in dead wood and fill each one with an acorn (or other nuts). As the acorns dry and shrink they are moved to smaller holes to make it difficult to steal them. These granaries are used for multiple generations. I was delighted to see them also using a sign post as a secondary granary-work smarter not harder! This was actually my first time using my new camera body, a used Nikon D500. Lens is a used Tamron G2 150-600 mm. I think I’m going to use eBird to search by species and try to locate other granaries to photograph in my area.
Brown-headed nuthatches are a very common bird in my area. I've been struck in the past about how brave they are around my bird feeders; they don't fly off when I start to approach, and I often have to hang back a minute before they'll leave. Sometimes they swoop in while I'm still there.
Last year, by sheer chance I encountered a Mississippi Kite here in Cheyenne, WY. This year, at about the same date I had business downtown and stopped by the same area on the off chance that I would find another. I saw two of them flying around.
I enjoy the Black-necked Stilts who are year-round occupants of shallow ponds near my home in south Texas. In the spring I've enjoyed observing mating rituals. Last summer while walking I inadvertently approached a nest - I was on a path and the nest was in tall grass. The parents chattered loudly from the air as I moved away without seeing the nest. This year I was rewarded with parents watching three young as they came to the edge of a pond. The parents stood in deeper water and watched closely, keeping their young along the edge. From across the pond I could get nice photographs from a sufficient distance that the parents were not troubled by my presence. 
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