Grab your guide books and apps to get your bird knowledge up to speed
Do your research
There’s a strong chance that if you want
to improve your bird photography, you’ve
already got an interest in the genre. Although
you don’t need to be a dedicated twitcher
to succeed here, it’s important to find out
a little about the habitat and behaviours of
each species you want to photograph: this
will teach you where to find them, what time
of the year and day they’re most active, and
what they eat, for example.If you’re new to bird photography, it makes
sense to start shooting in your local area or
back garden. Bird knowledge can be picked
up by reading specialist guides, but also by
talking to other naturalists and photographers.
Scouring bird forums is a great approach
when hunting for locations: you’ll often find
up-to-date information on rare sightings.
When you’re ready to spread your
photographic wings further, why not get intouch with your local nature reserve, or head
there in person and chat to the wardens and
rangers? As well as gleaming valuable info,
their passion for the site is likely to rub off, too.
Online resources such as the RSPB website
can point you in the direction of your nearest
reserve, as well as help with bird identification
and birdsong. Other popular organisations
include The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust,
The National Trust and The Wildlife Trusts.KnoW Your
bIrD SpEcIES
Even a compact bird
guide will improve your
knowledge and help
you to identify speciesbuILD Your
KnoWLEDgE
Making a fieldcraft
journal is more funSpoT SpEcIES
on THE MovE
Mobile apps such as the
rSpb’s giving nature A
Home are handy to refer to,
but less detailed than a guide© Lauren Scott
36Techniques