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My favourite is the robin! I've never heard of a dunnock before either! Looks similar colouring to sparrow but very different beak, so not part of the finch family! I wished I'd had my camera on me the other morning! Had a male sparrow come up to me twice, intently looking at me, as if asking for something! On second round, he brought his mate & was about 6 inches from my face! The birdbath was empty & this bird had flitted about that & fish pond before coming back the 2nd time! Needless to say, I went to fill the birdbath very shortly thereafter!
My favourite is the robin! I've never heard of a dunnock before either! Looks similar colouring to sparrow but very different beak, so not part of the finch family! I wished I'd had my camera on me the other morning! Had a male sparrow come up to me twice, intently looking at me, as if asking for something! On second round, he brought his mate & was about 6 inches from my face! The birdbath was empty & this bird had flitted about that & fish pond before coming back the 2nd time! Needless to say, I went to fill the birdbath very shortly thereafter!
tut tut mumble mumble ...fancy letting the bird bath go empty.
Should be a law against it.
Could you give some of us some tips on how to go about photographing our garden birds?
Ian
The thing is I'm not able to get out and about much so the garden is my studio so to speak and I took some care into making it bird friendly.
I don't have any special tricks and I don't use a hide, I can only describe my garden setup and my own approach to photographing birds.
I have a multi feeder station sited approx 10 feet from my garden shed doorway.
The feeder has a small open tray and 4 hanging containers with various contents.
There are also 2 other small tables attached to the fence also within 10 feet of the doorway.
A bird bath completes the setup in this area.
Branches from my neighbours plum tree are only a couple of feet above the feeder station and give the birds a secure and safe place to launch from.
Around the garden are various other single feeders all of which are easily focused on from my position.
I set the tripod with 2 legs outside the doorway and 1 leg inside and make myself comfortable.
I use a Canon 100-400mm IS L lens mounted on the Canon 40D for most of my bird photography.
I set up for continious shooting so that I can take 3/4 shots at a time and use aperture priority or manual.
ISO setting is dependant upon the weather as is white balance though this is set to auto most of the time.
For insects I have the Canon 60mm macro and for 'IN Flight' I use the Sigma 18-200mm.
Having sat many hours in this position I have of course learnt something about their feeding habits.
Great-tits and Coal-tits for instance don't hang about on the feeder. They drop down, fill their beaks and return to the tree to eat. Blue-tits are quite happy clinging to a feeder for several minutes at a time.
The Robins never seems to fly onto the feeder, they pops up unexpected from the other side of the fence.
They sit on the fence for a while then hop onto a table, eat their fill and then go off. Very often they will forage on the ground and experience has taught
me not to bother photographing them unless they hop up onto a shrub.
The Long Tailed Tits always arrive in bunches, stay for 3/4 minutes then fly off again together.
They all have there own little ways and if you want a good 'keep' percentage it's well worth spending some time on observation.
I think my being in the same position also helps. I am in full view of them
at all times and I'm quite sure that they accept my being there and that I mean them no harm. I have had Doves and Robins come within inches
of my hand and am convinced that they now know me.
In short:
Be comfortable....Be observant ... Be patient
Hi, Great shots as usual Pops. And thank you for your description of your set up, very informative. When I was a lad I was told that a Dunnock is a hedge sparrow, and the common sparrow is a "House Sparrow" ? The difference in the beaks is because the Dunnock is predominantly a fruit eater, "vegie"(short beak) and the other is an insect eater "carnivor". although they can eat both. I may be wrong I am sure Pops will put me right if not.
Hi, Great shots as usual Pops. And thank you for your description of your set up, very informative. When I was a lad I was told that a Dunnock is a hedge sparrow, and the common sparrow is a "House Sparrow" ? The difference in the beaks is because the Dunnock is predominantly a fruit eater, "vegie"(short beak) and the other is an insect eater "carnivor". although they can eat both. I may be wrong I am sure Pops will put me right if not.
Oh Well,
I was nearly right, got the beaks back to front, aint it funny how ya memory plays tricks on you, especially if your in your Very, Very, very late youth.
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