My feed has been full of birds since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. At first this was because I was stuck at home and they were the only subjects in the backyard, but as things have opened up, I have been seeking them out.
These red-bellied woodpeckers were in the backyard. I had been sitting at my desk all day, working on edits, etc. with my camera ready to go, and no birds. Or, so I thought… this pair was right outside my office window, but a little higher than my view. Joseph saw them, and I snuck around the house to shoot them. They did not end up nesting in the yard, probably because they didn’t want me photographing them everyday.
Click above to check out my most recent pictures. Getting crisp pictures of birds is not an easy thing! Here’s how I did it…
birding setup
- Camera Body: Nikon Z7, this is a relatively new acquisition and I’m still learning, but it is awesome
- Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR, with an FTZ mount adapter.
- Monopod: Oben CTM-2500 5-Section Carbon Fiber. I prefer more range of motion when tracking birds, so I prefer the flexibility of a monopod. The shutter speed is very quick, so I can hold the camera and track a flying bird, but not for long sessions – it’s a big lens.
- Bug Spray – always handy to have, nothing ruins a day of birding like mosquitoes and no-see-ums.
settings
Start with a clean memory card, and charged batteries. I usually format the card and clean the sensor – to start fresh.
It’s good to double check all the settings, because my set-up for shooting sunsets, for example, uses bracketing, and birding is entirely different… so get everything ready.
- Turn ON Silent Photography – the birds hear the shutter clicks and get spooked.
- Release Mode – High Continuous
- AF-area mode – Dynamic Area, keep the subject in the little red box, and the camera will track him for you.
- Focus mode – Continuous AF
- Shooting Menu, a7 AF Activation – AF-ON. The back button allows you to focus, then shoot a burst.
- Manual Mode – ideally, I want the ISO at 100-250, and the fastest possible shutter speed, and if the birds are moving quickly, f/8 is more forgiving with focus, but I do like a shallow depth of field. I have to adjust the settings to keep these settings as lighting changes.
capture the action
These roseate spoonbills were at the far end of my range, but I was able to get this guy enjoying a bath and splashing around. It is great to catch the birds doing something interesting, or interacting with each other.
get eye-level
These juvenile ibis were on the beach in Sanibel and I was able to get very close. I did not need my zoom lens that day.
patience
This is my parents’ hummingbird feeder in Franklin, NC. I set up just before dinner time and waited. It was late in the day, so my ISO is higher than I like, but it works in this case. I like to see the blur of the wings to show the motion of flight, so I had to play with the shutter speed to not freeze the wings.
Tracking birds takes practice, there will be a lot of missed shots and blurry birds for every keeper.
e-bird
I was having trouble distinguishing between the different types of herons and egrets, so I found this site for birders, and joined to share my sightings. It is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York.
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