Thursday, April 27, 2017

Reviewing Tips on Backyard Perch for Bird Photography

Goldfinch on Perch photo by mbgphoto
Goldfinch on Perch
Backyard bird photography can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby.  There are many books to give you ideas on getting the most of backyard bird photography and they contain tips on everything from feeders, to lighting, to setting up an ideal setting for the birds. 

Setting up a Natural Looking Perch

On this page I would like to concentrate on one aspect of backyard bird photography, setting up a natural looking perch.  I have been photographing birds for a few years now, but I always felt I was fighting the background and surrounding features in my backyard. I would photograph birds on the feeders and sitting on the shepherds hooks but just never quite got that photo I was trying to get. When our photography club announced that our speaker would be talking on backyard bird photography I was really excited to be going and getting some tips.  

When the speaker first started he showed us lots of photographs he had taken of birds on natural looking perches.  I thought they looked great and figured he had to be out in parks or the woods to capture the birds sitting on those perches.  Then he told us his secret.  He creates his own perches in his back yard and trains the birds to come and sit there.  He does this by watching the birds habits when feeding and then setting up a natural perch nearby.  In his example he showed a feeding box he had made that he sat on the ground and then mounted a branch, using an old tripod,  to hang just above the feeding area.

I liked his idea, but I have a small backyard and wanted to keep my backyard attractive and yet still use the natural perch idea.  The next day I was wondering around my backyard thinking about the lecture and I came across a big tree limb that had fallen in the storm the night before.  I took the limb and buried it in an old flower pot and then moved it near the bird feeders.
perch limb set up for photography photo by mbgphoto
Perch Limb
I set up the perch and now I had to wait for some birds to come.  I had my camera set up on a tripod just inside our patio doors and I would sit and watch all the birds but they never landed on the perch when I was watching.  

Backyard Bird Books



Moving Perch for Birds Convenience

I next decided to move the perch between my finch feeder and my songbird feeder to give a better landing place for birds waiting to get their turn at the feeders.  In just a few minutes I captured a photo of the first bird landing on the perch.  Since then I have captured many birds sitting on the perch.  I have added some green plants to the container to make it more attractive and I am quite pleased with my first attempt at setting up a perch.

Photos of Birds Landing on Perch

Here are some of the photos I have taken in the last week.  I have my camera set up just inside our glass patio doors and the photos are taken through the glass.  I have the camera on a tripod and I have a remote shutter that I have close by when I am sitting at the table in front of the doors.  This way if a bird catches my eye I can grab the shutter and click away.  The camera is set at aperture priority with a f5.6 setting and is focused at the very top of the perch.  
sparrow on Perch photo by mbgphoto

Female Cardinal on Perch photo by mbgphoto

American Goldfinch on Perch photo by mbgphoto

Male Cardinal on Perch photo by mbgphoto





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5 comments:

  1. The bird pictures are amazing and the technique - perfect! Thanks for sharing such an awesome, but simple to implement, method for capturing beautiful bird pics.

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  2. Absolutely beautiful bird on a perch photos, Mary Beth. Thanks so much for once again helping us amateur photographers by sharing your helpful tips. I don't do bird photography, but I am beginning to use some of your tips for taking photos of my crocheted plush animals. It gives me a more interesting background for a natural looking image.

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  3. I really admire your dedication and patience with photography! I never even considered the background (grass or fence) in my bird photos and I love the idea of setting up a "natural" perch. As always, your photos are great and I very much appreciate you sharing your fabulous techniques and tips for great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much for the tip about the perch. What a great idea! Your photos of birds are so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  5. as usual, terrific insights and tips, and your photos are beautiful

    ReplyDelete

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