American Goldfinch |
Attracting Birds to Your Backyard
In order to photograph birds in your backyard you first want to attract the birds to the area where you want to photograph. Last week Review This contributor Susan wrote a great article on attracting birds to your backyard in her article Backyard Garden Birds: Springtime Review . In order to attract birds you need to have things birds will enjoy like feeding stations, birdbaths and perches.
Fuscia Basket |
Getting Ready to Photograph
In order to get good bird photographs on a regular basis you need to
- Be Prepared
- Be Patient
Look for Interesting Habits
I have found the bright yellow Finch that come to our feeders to be especially interesting. Sometimes we have as many as eight on our feeder with several more perched on a nearby hanger or on the fence waiting their turn. I like the birds in this photo, note how the one on the feeder seems to be warning the approaching bird to stay away.
Backyard Goldfinch |
Best Time of Year to Photograph Birds
Although you can photograph birds all year long, I find the springtime and winter to be two of the times when I am able to capture my best bird photos.
- In the spring the bright yellow finches are in abundance in our area and are very enjoyable to watch and photograph.
- A bit later in the spring and summer the hummingbirds will start to flock to the area. They always make for some great photos
- In the winter, my favorite birds to photograph are the Cardinals. I love the way their colors stand out on a drab winters day and when it snows they puff up and look so majestic.
Pair of Cardinals at Icy BirdFeeder Card by mbgphoto
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I enjoyed making cards out of my bird photo's. The one above is of a male and a female Cardinal sitting on an icy birdfeeder. The card below depicts the American Goldfinch photos.