One of the most challenging aspects of bird photography is getting close enough to photograph birds behaving naturally without disturbing them or making them take flight. Here you will find tips and techniques for getting within shooting range in the field, including advice for people just getting started with bird photography. There are many species, individuals, and locations where you can’t get close enough for good images; you may have to look for other opportunities.
Be Patient
Patience is the key to getting the best response from birds. Slowly approaching birds and allowing them to become accustomed to our presence and movement is perhaps the most effective technique for getting close to them while they behave naturally. Birds can become remarkably confident after they get used to our presence.
You should be wary of rushing things when a bird seems to tolerate your approach easily. There is a high probability that a bird will disappear with just one wrong move. Take your time.
Control Variables
Limiting variables is something you need to be meticulous about. This means you want the bird to be exposed to as few stimuli as possible so that it does not become alarmed or distracted. An example of this would be another person. In company with someone else, you don’t want them to do anything the bird will be distracted by, including staring at it from a distance. This person should also be on the same line as me-directly behind me so that the bird doesn’t feel pressure from more than one direction at once.
Another way to limit variables is to tuck in clothing or straps that might blow in the wind and avoid wearing bright colors or whites. Ideally, you want to be the only thing the bird needs to get used to. There is one variable you cannot control, and birds are often more difficult to approach in windy conditions. When the senses of a bird are highly stimulated, it tends to be less comfortable and will likely flee at a greater distance.
Don’t Look Threatening
To avoid appearing like a threat, you need to do two things, when walking or crawling toward a bird.
First of all, try not to stare at the bird unless it is comfortable with you being there. While getting into position, use your peripheral vision or glance at the bird from time to time. To appear smaller and conceal my face as much as possible, consider keeping your head behind your tripod and camera.
Secondly, instead of moving straight at birds, approach them at an angle. When birds perceive that you are moving past them instead of at them, it is easier to approach them. In either case, you can either approach in wide zigzags or at an angle that gradually draws you closer.
Minimize Noise
As a general rule, you should be as quiet as possible. Among these things is not speaking too loudly. Suddenly occurring or unfamiliar sounds, like snapping twigs, can startle birds.
Camera shutter clicks are a sound you won’t be able to avoid and should be introduced gently. Consider using the silent shutter function on your camera.
It is not uncommon for birds to react negatively to the shutter noise of a camera when presented at close range, especially if the noise occurs suddenly. Depending on the camera and how loud it is (some, especially when shooting multiple frames per second, are very loud), you should start introducing the shutter sound before you reach shooting range. After the bird gets used to it and you get closer, you may take some short bursts of images. Introducing loud shutters and flash slowly and from a distance will help most birds become accustomed to them. Shutters tend to scare off birds, so only shoot in bursts if necessary. When it comes to some birds, you will want to use the silent shutter function on your camera. This also applies when you work from a blind.
Minimize Movement
Birds dislike sudden or rapid movements. It is imperative to keep all your movements slow, gentle, and contained. Avoid waving your arms around, swaying your cameras, and getting up and down quickly. In general, the more comfortable a bird becomes, and the longer you spend with it, the more relaxed you can be with your movements. This is as long as they remain slow and calm. Once again, one wrong move will result in them taking off.
Reduce Your Profile
Keeping low to the ground, crawling, or sliding on your belly while pushing your tripod-mounted camera ahead of you, will allow you to get quite close to many birds, especially shorebirds. If you are working on uneven terrain, a hillside, or a ditch, approach your subjects from below rather than looming over them.
Recognize Behaviors
Often, birds give us behavioral cues about their comfort level with us and their likelihood to leave. When you pay attention to these cues, you can manage your approach and determine when it is time to freeze and wait and when it is time to move forward.
Alarmed birds stand up straighter, stop what they are doing, and make alarm calls when they feel threatened. Some birds, such as raptors, lean forward and expel waste before leaving a perch. Experience and observation will teach you more subtle clues that different species give you in addition to these more obvious ones.
Be aware of other species nearby that may spook or flush the bird you are trying to observe. There are some birds that are hyper-vigilant, like stilts and some ducks and geese. These birds can make approaching the bird you want to photograph nearly impossible. As a general rule, the more birds surrounding your target bird, the greater the chance of one bird sending the whole group flying. When possible, approach isolated birds.
Relaxed behaviors
Behaviors that indicate birds are not feeling immediately threatened include rhythmic and repetitious activities, including things like:
- Feeding
- Singing
- Nest building
- Territorial activity
- Sunbathing
- Preening
Nervous behaviors
Some signs of agitation/nervousness in birds include:
- Sudden interruption of feeding or singing
- Stillness
- Flying up to a perch
- Tail flipping
- Looking at you
- Moving away from you while continuing to feed
- Alarm calls
Recognizing the behavioral indicators of alertness, you can stop stressing that bird. Pushing past the alertness stage will trigger that bird’s fear response and it will fly aw
Practice With Habituated Birds
Learning bird photography or practicing new techniques can be made easier with habituated birds. Most of the time, you won’t have to travel far from home.
When bird species encounter people on a daily basis without being harassed, they become accustomed to them. The situation is most prevalent in urban and suburban areas, as well as in national parks and wildlife refuges, where wildlife is protected and human visitors are high. In city parks, ducks and wading birds are good bets, as well as gulls, terns, pelicans, and shorebirds at public beaches.
Conclusion
Please don’t give up. If you haven’t succeeded at photographing a certain species at a given location after a few attempts, it is easy to feel discouraged. Fight the urge to give up and try one more time – the result might be the perfect photo. Remind yourself to persevere from time to time.