Song Bird Photography - Sucess!

Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS + TC 14 @ 700mm, ISO 500, f/11, 1/640

One of the biggest challenges for me when I started wildlife photography was actually finding wildlife to photograph. Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to go shoot something but not sure where to go. Derek and I started by going to the zoo where there are many subject at the ready. But after a while we wanted wild subjects.

Another great place to looks is bird feeders. Unfortunately Derek and I didn't have access to our own backyard feeders. So this forced us to use bird feeders at public places such as parks, wildlife areas and the zoo. The problem was none of those feeders offered the flexibility of modifying the area for optimal shooting conditions.


Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS + TC 14 @ 700mm, ISO 500, f/11, 1/640

In order to solve the problem of having a location with reliable subjects, I recently spoke to a property manager of a local park and wildlife management area. I got permission to place feeding stations at locations of my choice. I found spot at the edge of a wooded area, near a pond with both morning and evening light.


Nikon D90, Nikkor 500mm f/4 AFS + TC 14 @ 700mm, ISO 500, f/11, 1/640

It has been a couple of weeks now and the feeders are being frequented by many birds. I stop regularly to check the feeders and refill them. Earlier this week was the first time I spent time photographing there. All of the photographs shown above were from that shoot. It sounds like such a simple thing but this is a point of pride for me, because now I have my own reliable area for song birds!

Photo of the Day: Back Yard Chickadee

Nikon D90, Nikkor 300mm f2.8 w/TC14

 This is your everyday Black-capped Chickadee. If you see these little guys keep your eye out for other species!

Click on the image to view it larger in our gallery!

Back Yard Birds

There are birds everywhere! You just have to take the time to look around for the little guys. One of my favorite types of photography is shooting back yard birds. These are typical birds you might see out your window or on your way to work.

Why do I enjoy photographing something that is so common? The answer is a fairly simple one. Generally, you don't get so close to small quick birds to notice all the intricate feathers and colors. An added bonus is that you soon realize how many different species and sub species there are around your neighborhood.

For Example, we all probably have seen or heard a Black-capped Chickadee. But if you look closely at the feather details in the photo below. You can begin to see the different shades of white, gray, black and brown.



If you look at the photo below of a Boreal Chickadee That Chad took. The Black-capped Chickadee and Boreal Chickadee are very similar.



To help keep track of the birds in your back yard with or without a camera is to download a free birding checklist. There are several websites to help you keep track and help identify the birds. One to try is http://printablebirdchecklists.homestead.com

Click each image to view it larger!

Bog Wrap Up

Boreal Chickadee
In a word... Success! What a couple of days it was. The trip exceeded my expectations. I figured seeing some new species of birds was worth the drive and getting some images would be a bonus. Not only did we see some new species, but we got GREAT images. Much better images than I had ever anticipated.

Black-capped Chickadee

New species of birds I'd never seen before Monday: Great Gray Owl, Boreal Chickadee, Red Breasted Nuthatch, Pine Grosbeak, Gray Jay, and Common Raven. On top of that I got better than expected images from almost all of them. The little Red Breasted Nuthatch eluded me, but I'll be back.

Great Gray Owl

What a treat it was to see the Great Gray Owl. I had low expectations of seeing any Owls. Here in the Twin Cities, I hardly ever them. So to see some in a two day period, I could only hope right? Well first first thing Tuesday morning, there she was, a Great Gray Owl no less! It was dark and snowing so the photos weren't great, but that didn't matter. We even got some video (we'll post that later.) Then again in the evening on our way out, there she was again! Same spot, same tree! This time the sun was still up and we were able to get some shots.

This was a great experience that we will be repeating, hopefully soon.

Blog from the Bog

Derek and I are "up north" photographing some pretty cool birds. We came to see and photograph Boreal Chickadees, Red Breasted Nuthatches, Pine Grosbeaks as well as the normal Black Capped Chickadees and Pine Siskins. If we get lucky, we also hope to see Great Gray Owls and Northern Hawk Owls.


Due to some great guidance from our new friend Jim we got some wonderful shots of Black Capped Chickadees and Pine Siskins. While we saw some Boreal Chickadees and Red Breasted Nuthatches, we just didn't get any great photographic opportunities.

We're getting up early tomorrow to spot some Owls then shooting some more little birds. Hopefully we'll have more to share soon.