Questions for the birders...

[jedirunner]

Ok, so I've been bitten -- hard -- by the urge to better my bird photography. I am taking two main approaches to getting around more birds:

1. Learning how to better attract birds to our yard, and then to build a hide to sit in and shoot.
2. Learning about *LOTS* of areas to go birding locally.

My questions are based around #2 ... when I go out bird watching. My plan is to head out to some marshy lake-side areas which are part of wildlife refuges and other publicly accessible areas. When I go out there, should I take a chair, tripod, camera, snacks and just sit and watch? Or should I be more on the move from spot to spot? What do you guys do?

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[coastalconn]

LOL, I always warn people about just how addicting these little birds can be

I think we might all have different answers depending on our gear and the area and the target. My Tamron 200-500 is really light and I have sort of a custom shoulder harness. I am very active when I go out. In one spot I will sit on some rocks and wait for my Ospreys, in other spots I tend to wander around looking for birds. I think if I had a big heavy lens and used a Tripod I would be less likely to move as much. I don't think there really is a right answer to your question...

 

[MSnowy]

Before you head out into the field I would also suggest you get some info on the type of birds in your area. I found that when I first started out I was moving around a lot looking for active areas. So I would bring all those things you listed, because you never know what you need. Once you find some nice places to shoot you'll know what gear to bring for those specific spots. Once your out searching you'll most likely meet a few bird watchers out and about. I've found that most bird watchers are very friendly. They love to share their knowledge of birds and will point you towards some great viewing areas you've never heard of.

 

[matthewo]

Ibird pro, iPhone, and silicon speaker horn. It works for some birds. That's a little tip for the day

 

[HL45]

I generally take the monopod with me in the woods also been know to take a few beers

 

[WesternGuy]

Another convert - pretty soon you will be wanting a 600mm lens, a big Gitzo tripod and a gimbal mount -

As coastalconn says, a lot depends on where you are going. For the last couple of years I have made a winter-time trip to sunny Florida to shoot the big birds - herons, egrets, ibises, wood storks, spoonbills, etc. In most cases I have used my 600mm on a Gitzo with a gimbal head and simply shot from the shore of a rookery such as the Venice rookery, or places like the Viera wetlands or Ding Darling NWR. You can do this, particularly in nesting season because the birds ignore you and simply go about their business. The birds are fairly used to us crazy photogs and our gear. Closer to home, I will often walk through the park with my 100-400 and watch for the birds. They are leery of people in general and, I find, the smaller the bird, the more leery they are. Remember, if you are going to do a lot of walking, things like chairs, tripods, etc., get heavy very quickly, so have some idea of how far you might walk - don't forget - you do have to return to your car so a one mile hike very quickly becomes a two mile hike. Snacks, take a granola bar or something if you plan on being out for any length of time and water - don't forget water. I don't usually go out for a great length of time, so I tend to leave my snacks and water in my car so they are there when I return.

Also, as MSnowy says, get to know your area (Google is your best friend) - get to know a few local birders and then you will learn what you need to take and where to go.

Hope this helps. Welcome to the "club" and happy hunting.

WesternGuy

 

[sm4him]

As many others have already said, for me it all depends on WHERE I'm going. I have a couple of spots where I can stay almost within sight of the car and set up, so I might use a chair and even the tripod at those spots. But I'd say the majority of the time, I move from spot to spot and may end up two miles or more away from my car. I generally move around quite a bit the first couple of times I visit a spot, looking for spots that seem to be good for birds, spots away from any people that might be in the area, where the sun is relative to places I might want to stake out, that sort of thing.

In my regular, favorite spots, I kind of know where I want to go. So, I'll go to a spot and sit for an hour or two--if it's productive, I stay. If nothing much seems to be happening, I may move to another spot down the trail/river and try it for a while.

WesternGuy mentioned a great point--if you're going very far from your car, make sure you're prepared. I generally carry a small backpack with any "essential" camera gear--for me that includes my macro lens (70-300 would already be on the camera), extra battery, extra memory, two plastic trash bags (one to sit on if I need it, one to cover the camera if it starts to rain), that sort of thing.

Then I have my waist pack--in it, I carry two or three water bottles. At least one of those bottles is frozen solid, so it acts as a cooler of sorts to keep the other water cold. I also carry a few snacks (usually granola bars), a pocketknife, my smartphone, my ID (just in case the worst should ever happen; at least they'll know who I am!), and an air pistol. That's to try to help keep the worst from ever happening...

A GREAT resource for selecting good spots in your area is ebird.org. The Explore Data option allows you to find where specific birds you might be looking for have been spotted, or just generally find birding "hotspots" that might be worth your while.

 

[SCraig]

I have to agree with the others: It depends on where I'm going. At one of my favorite spots the lake is a quarter mile from the parking lot so I carry what I need. At another I sit in the back of my truck and shoot out of it because the parking lot is at the edge of the lake. At a third I have a choice of either sitting in the truck and shooting or hiking around a bit.

I use a Think Tank belt and shoulder harness for a couple of lenses, a speedlight, and a bottle of water. Camera and 150-500 are on a Black Rapid sling and I usually carry a tripod.

 

[Aloicious]

+1 on all this. if I know its somewhere that i'm going to be staked out at, then its the tripod, etc. if its a hike that I'll be shooting at various places during, then its the monopod. although there are several places that I shoot directly from the car, so I take something like a beanbag or something to stabilize the lens from in the car.

snacks are good if you're going to be gone a while. water is REALLY important if you're going to be hiking or anything.

 

[jedirunner]

Thanks everyone for the great comments. Today I went out with the daughter and we just took our cameras and walked around, as we went from stop to stop along the marshy shores of Utah Lake. Just shot every bird we saw all around, and had drinks/snacks in the car for between stops.

I did end up buying a watering thing for hanging in the tree for the birds. Already have one feeder, and have 2 others ready to put up soon. I picked up an Ameristep Outhouse blind, and was able to use that to get much closer to the feeder and the birds without scaring them away. It was pretty cool. Felt like a dweeb for being in a camo bird hide in my own back yard, but whatever, I got better shots. Maybe I'll take the hide with me after I find some good birding spots, or if we go camping or in the mountains, so I can have it with me. Until then, I'm sure it will see occasional use in my back yard.

Thanks again for the comments,

Kevin

 

[Aloicious]

I didn't even notice you're in Utah, we've got alot of good places around here to shoot, especially up near the salt lake. Antelope island is a great place, that's where I got an owl last week, bear river bird refuge up by brigham city is a good place, farmington bay (its closed right now though, I think it re-opens in may or june?), fish springs, utah lake, strawberry reservoir, etc...go to utahbirds.org, they have a good long list of good places and how to get there.

 

[jedirunner]

I didn't even notice you're in Utah, we've got alot of good places around here to shoot, especially up near the salt lake. Antelope island is a great place, that's where I got an owl last week, bear river bird refuge up by brigham city is a good place, farmington bay (its closed right now though, I think it re-opens in may or june?), fish springs, utah lake, strawberry reservoir, etc...go to utahbirds.org, they have a good long list of good places and how to get there.

Actually planning on taking my daughter to work one day this summer, then we can head up north after work on a friday, and hit antelope island that afternoon/evening, and then bear river refuge the next day. Several of the other spots are on my list as well.

Kevin

 

[Aloicious]

nice! you'll be shooting from your car a lot at bear river, but if you call ahead of time you can reserve one of their permanent blinds, they have them for hunting but they let photographers use them if no one else has them reserved.

You'll have the possibility of a lot of hiking around at antelope, be sure to stop by the Garr ranch on antelope island, they have alot of birds in that area, these are all from Garr Ranch last time I was there: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nature-wildlife/325305-great-horned-owl-hawk-warbler.htm

 

[dudley_53]

Great advice found here! Thanks for sharing!