Back in April I wrote a journal about how to locate and approach birds of prey - [link] Since then, I've had a few people ask me to do one about other types of birds. This one will be on songbirds. If anyone wants, I can do one on waterfowl eventually as well. I know this is much longer than the last one, I didn't realize how much I had to say about this.



Before even leaving your house make sure you have:

A halfway decent pair of binoculars or a scope - Even though most bird photographers use lenses in the 300mm - 600mm (and above with TCs) range, I cannot even begin to emphasize how important binoculars or birding scopes are when locating birds (especially little songbirds). Most lenses used on SLRs for birding are quite large and sometimes very heavy. They cannot usually be whipped around as easily as a pair of binoculars (especially if they're on a tripod). If a songbird quickly flies by you and lands in the brush or trees somewhere in front of you, it's much easier to scan for it with a light pair of 8x42s binoculars than a five or six pound foot long lens. If you quickly locate the bird with the binoculars, you can approach the bird and frame your shots much quicker. Songbirds rarely sit in the same place for more than a few seconds...so this saved time can prove to be invaluable. Binoculars and scopes come in all shapes and sizes, and information about choosing the right one for you can be find over on birding.com here - [link]

A decent bird book - Successfully photographing birds is very fulfilling, but its even more fulfilling to photograph them and know which species they are. A bird book will quickly help you identify birds from your photographs, it will help you learn the times of the year various species are in your area, as well as the types of habitats you should go to find each species. After you see a bird, assume its a very common species before anything else, because most of the time, you will see common species. If you see a bright red bird, don't automatically assume its something exciting like a scarlet tanager, because it is probably just a cardinal. Rule out all possible common species first, before moving on to the exciting ones.

A local species list - Along with a bird book, I always carry a list of local species tailored to the location I am shooting. I shoot a lot in Massachusetts as well as New Jersey, and there are many different species living in both locations that although they look similar, are different species. A local list will help you determine which species you're actually seeing, and allow you to rule others out. Checklists can also be nice to look at later, and see just how many species from a certain area you were able to document. A list of checklists to most major locations in all 50 US States as well as other countries around the world can be found here - [link]



What should I wear?

This subject has been debated forever. For me personally, I have found that as long as you don't wear something ridiculously bright like an orange or neon hunting vest, you'll be fine. I have found that camouflage clothing actually occasionally makes the birds more wary of you. If you're wearing something they can see, birds may be apt to let you come closer, because they're aware that your actions and movements appear to be non-threatening. Camouflage makes it harder to see your movements, and this may make some species more nervous because they can still see you, just not as well. I have read that some people find that wearing a baseball cap to shield your face and eyes can sometimes help. I'm wearing a baseball cap about 50% of the time when shooting birds, and I've never really noticed a difference. Although, as a general rule, eye contact with any wildlife should be avoided.



I see a songbird, now how do I get close enough for a decent photograph?

Low and slow - Approach from the absolute lowest angle you can, at the slowest pace you can. After thousands of years living with humans, birds know what we look like. If you crouch or crawl or bend over, you're changing your form, and some species will let you get close this way. When you think you're walking slow enough, cut that speed in half. I've had very good results from literally approaching birds inch by inch. During all of this, avoid looking directly at the bird.

Keep shooting! In my opinion, this is one of the most important things. I have seen so many people get perfectly close to a bird, only to have it spook away the second the camera is raised. If they had just been shooting throughout their approach, they would have left with decent shots. If you're handholding the camera, take a picture after each step you take, because you never know if you're as close as this particular bird is going to let you get. If you're shooting off a tripod, pick up the tripod and set it up every three feet and take a few shots.

PATIENCE - If patience is not one of your virtues, avian photography or any wildlife photography for that matter is not going to end well for you. Sitting low and still in areas known to have birds is an excellent technique. Go into that area and have a seat (read a book or a magazine even), because once you've been sitting for long enough, you will be SHOCKED just how close the birds will COME to you! Also, if the bird you want to shoot is up in a tall tree, try to avoid shooting it altogether. The lighting will most likely be horrendous, and even if its good, all you're going to shoot is bird butt (and you may even get pooped on - trust me, its happened to me). Just be patient, and if you're lucky it may come down to a lower perch.



Equipment

Focal Length - Just to be honest, if you can't reach at least 300mm, you're going to have major problems photographing songbirds. My meager equipment can reach 560mm (a 100mm focal length with my ridiculous crop factor). Before writing this, I checked through the EXIF data of over 200 of my bird photographs, and found about 90% of them were shot at over 450mm. Even with 560mm of reach I sometimes find myself wanting more. Image stabalization or vibration reduction or whatever your camera brand calls it, is important as well, because some shots just cannot be shot with a tripod.

Settings - A combination of the fastest shutter speed, a wide open aperture and the highest ISO setting you can take your particular camera without noise should be used. For birds, I always keep my camera in aperture priority wide open, set my ISO between 200 and 400 depending on light, and let my camera choose the shutter speed. Because my particular camera cannot produce noise free images above ISO 400, I am normally forced to shoot wide open. Even though my camera produce sharper images when i stop it down to F/8, I can't sacrifice the shutter speed. Although this is the method I prefer when shooting birds, there are definitely other ways. Some photographers shoot in full manual when shooting wildlife, but in my opinion the camera is better at picking shutter speeds than me, and sometimes you just don't have time to change the settings. I wouldn't really recommend full auto mode; however, if you're shooting through glass it's the only way to go...the absolutely ONLY way to go.



Ethics

Respect the birds - Please don't get too close to birds. If the bird you are shooting is going about its business (eating, singing, bathing ect), than you're in the right spot. Its when they stop what they're doing that you've disturbed them. Also, never ever get close to a bird on a nest. Nest shots should be taken from a far distance, because birds have been known to become so disturbed that they will abandon their young and move on.

Don't force the action - I have seen countless people intentionally disturb perched birds in order to take action shots (honking a car horn under an osprey nest, throwing things in the direction of perched birds, making loud noises ect). If you have patience, the action shots will come. Don't force them.



Great Examples from Around DA