BIRDS TO SHOOT
THIS WINTER
OWLS
Photogenic and
enigmatic in equal
measure, owls can be
seen during the day,
but most are active
at dawn or dusk,
(crepuscular)
or nocturnal.BLUE TITS
Next to a robin, the
blue tit is one of
the most attractive
visitors to any garden.
They feed actively, so
can be easily coaxed
into good positions
for photography.WILDFOWL
Swans, geese and
ducks are just three
types of bird that fall
under this grouping.
You’ll find them in
habitats with water,
or on large dedicated
wildfowl reserves.SETTING UP
THE PERCH1
If you don’t have a bird
table in your garden,
there is a quick and easy
alternative. If you own a
flat-handled garden fork,
place it close to your
feeders to give birds a
platform to rest on. To
separate your subject from
the background, don’t
place the fork too close
to any bushes or fences.USE A GARDEN TOOL
TO MAKE A BIRD TABLE
USE A TRIPOD
AND ZOOM LENS2
Taking into account
the focal range of
your lens, find the ideal
position for your camera
and place it on a tripod or
rest it on a monopod. Make
sure the camera and lens
is balanced (a heavier lens
will have a tripod collar –
see page 49), as you want
to eliminate any possibility
of camera shake blurring
your images.SETTINGS FOR
TAKING THE SHOT3
To prevent scaring
your subjects off,
select continuous frame
advance with silent shutter
operation enabled. Choose
a wide aperture (f/2.8
or f/4), pre-focus on the
garden fork, and lock the
focus on it – this way, you
won’t have to re-focus for
every shot. This technique
will save time and increase
your sharp-shot hit-rate.SHOOT WINTER WILDLIFE42 DIGITAL CAMERA^ MARCH 2020 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
USE
YOUR
FREE TIPS
CARD!ShutterstockFutureRoddy^ Llewellynژ
PHOTOGRAPH BIRDS
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nature reserves
from which to
photograph a
wide variety of
birds (see page 52), but don’t
underestimate how many
colourful and photogenic birds
you’ll encounter in your own
garden. Robins, blue tits,
blackbirds, chaffinches and
sparrows are just some of the
most common visitors, and all
will look good in photographs.
The key to encouraging our
feathered friends to visit is to
provide food for them to eat.Feeders can be purchased
from garden centres and some
supermarkets, and packaged
bird food – whether seed
blends, nuts or suet balls- will soon have birds visiting,
as long as the supply doesn’t
get swooped on by flocks of
crows, which will make the
smaller birds take flight.
Your bird table could be
positioned at the other end of
your garden from the camera,
or closer to the house, so you
can shoot from behind a
window and use one of
your rooms as a bird hide.
T