Written by Randy Cummings

Photographing birds is both fun and easy, and you can do it right in your own backyard. All you need is a small birdfeeder or two. Set them up near a window so you can photograph your avian visitors from inside your house all year round.

A northern exposure is best, to avoid shooting into the sun.

Birds generally like to land on a tree branch, a railing, or post before jumping to the feeder. So if you can place the feeder near a tree, then you can photograph the birds in a more natural setting. I sometimes cut a long tree branch and set it up near the feeder for the birds to perch on.  You can stick the branch in the ground or anchor it in an old pot with stones.

If you have a deck, put a couple of birders around the ends of the deck. The railings on the deck will serve as landing points for your birds, but you can add more perching spots by fastening some branches to the railing or perhaps attaching a small trellis near the feeder.

This natural-looking photograph of a bluebird is really nothing more than a large tree branch for perching and a small cutting from a flowring apple tree to add color. Out of sight on the ground is a feeding dish in which I place a few mealworms, which the bluebirds love. They perch on the branch both before and after feeding, giving me several good photo opportunities at each feeding.

If your deck won't allow photographing from a nearby window, you can still photograph birds from on your deck. Just sit very quietly on a chair several feet from the feeder or the landing/perching point and wait for the birds to land. For really wary birds, you may have to sit with your camera close to your face so you can shoot quickly; otherwise, the sudden movement of raising the camera to your eye from your lap will startle the bird and you'll lose your shot.

Put out a variety of seed to attract different birds.  Thistle or Niger seed is best for Goldfinches, Chickadees, and Chipping Sparrows. Black oil sunflower seed is best for Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds, and other larger birds. Blue birds like mealy worms. Orioles are attracted by orange slices.

Photographing birds on the feeder is ok, but your shots will look more realistic and attractive if they show the bird in a natural setting--sitting on a tree branch or a shrub.  Move your feeders around to take advantage of these more natural backgrounds; or create a natural background yourself with your perching branch or by putting plant or sapling containers nearby.  I like to buy a small sapling from a gardening supply company and keep it near my feeder for a month or so before I plant it permanently.  This gives me variety in my backgrounds, plus plenty of trees for my lawn.

This red-winged blackbird is perched on a stick I have stuck in an old plastic container, braced with rocks and sand, near a regular bird feeder. These birds (as well as blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, and others) like to perch before and after feeding. A low aperature blurs the background, making the subject standout.

If you have a digital point and shoot camera, put your setting on "sports" to be sure to freeze the action of the birds. Your camera will automatically adjust for the exposure.  If you have a DSLR and have a telephoto lens, this will allow you to fill your frame with the bird's image. A telephoto zoom reaching up to about 200mm will capture birds nicely. If you don't have that long of reach with your lens, get closer to your subject by either moving yourself or the feeder.

A large aperture will blur your background, making your subject stand out.  A fast shutter speed will freeze the action and eliminate any camera shake.  High ISO settings make your camera more sensitive to smaller amounts of light. I generally use 400 ISO, put my camera around f/4 or f/5, and shoot at 1/1000 of a second. Depending on the light, I will adjust these, usually increasing my ISO so I can keep my other settings constant. Some cameras have an exposure compensation setting, allowing you to vary the light in your exposure without adjusting any of your original settings. Use your LCD screen frequently to view your shots to see if adjustments are necessary.

In this bluebird feeding set-up, I have placed a large stone in the middle of a tray feeder. A small log sits in the background. The birds land on the log or a nearby branch and then perch on the stone, from which they search for the mealworms I have placed on the feeding tray. I usually put a handful of wood chips in the feeder to give the mealworms a place to hide and make it a little more difficult for the bluebirds to finish their meal quickly. Giving me more time to photograph them!

For ultra sharp photos, I suggest using either a tripod or a bean bag. A bean bag is just a small bag (about 12" x  8") that is filled with beans or rice or similar material. You set the bag on something firm and place your camera on top of the bag.  This provides tremendous stability.  Anything will do. I know a lady who photographs birds from her kitchen window and uses a bread box with a bean bag on top to stabilize her camera. She gets great photos.  An advantage of a tripod or bean bag is that you don't have to hold on to your camera all the time. You can take your hands off the camera to do something else or just take a rest. When your avian subject presents itself and you are ready to shoot, your camera is usally close to the right position for composing your shot.

Knowing your subject and anticipating its moves will also result in better photographs.  If you know a bird nibbles a little and then straightens up to swallow or looks around before continuing feeding, you can get the shot when he is sitting tall.  If a bird like a tufted titmouse or downy woodpecker takes a sunflower seed and then flies to the nearest branch to crack the seed and eat it, you will be ready to take the shot of the bird landing on the branch, seed clenched in its bill.  The more you photograph birds, the more knowledgeable you will become and the better photographs you will take.

I placed an old rotten stick in a container filled with rocks and sand for support. Nearby is a suet feeder and a sunflower feeder. The downy woodpeckers like to take a seed from the feeder and then bring it back to the stick where they place it in a crevice and then peck it with their bill in order to remove the seed covering. They also land here before they jump to the suet feeder. I also smear some chunky peanut butter in the crevices on the old stick. Downies love peanut butter!

The real secret to taking great bird pictures is to be patient and to take lots of photos.  Don't be discouraged if three-quarters or more of your shots are discards.  Even the pros don't score on every shot. The lighting changes, the bird moves rapidly, your hand shakes, you miss the pose, etc.  If you get a handful of awesome shots out of a day's outing be more than happy.  I know I am.  

Happy bird photography to you until next time