Creating A Yard For Bird And Wildlife Photography
It is easy to create a sanctuary in your backyard that will create an opportunity for bird and wildlife photography. Birds need food, water, shelter, and nesting sites (if your yard has trees or nesting areas). All you have to do is think ahead regarding the placement of the food and water, so that the background is favorable for photo opportunities.
Consider Placement for the Best Photos
Consider the best areas in the yard for placement of the food and water. You likely already have a place in mind that you will be photographing from. Keep in mind that movement will spook the animals, even if you are inside.
Lighting and Time of Day
Birds tend to eat in the early morning and later in the afternoon because of the placement of the sun during those times. This works out great, because the lighting is best for photographing birds and wildlife during those times of day as well!
On a nice sunny day, walk around your backyard, keeping in mind where you will be photographing from, and notice how the light hits certain areas of the yard. Also, pay attention to the backgrounds of these areas. If the red riding lawnmower will be behind all the photos, obviously that needs to be taken into consideration! Hopefully, you can find a good spot with nice lighting and a natural background.
Ensure That There is a Waiting Perch Nearby
For safety reasons, many birds will land on a nearby perch before going to a feeder. This allows them to ensure that there are no predators lurking around, and they can wait for other birds to finish eating before they approach the feeder. It is always a good idea to look around your yard and see where the potential perches are. If you don't have one, you can create one with a dead branch that is cut short and set it up nearby the placement of your feeder.
Placing your Bird Feeder
Now that you have considered the natural lighting of your yard, where you will be photographing from, the background scenery, and created a perch as a 'staging area', you can hone in on the best area to place your bird feeder. Ensure that it is placed in an area that you can get to easily to fill it! The birds will not continue to return if you are not diligent about keeping the feeder full of seed! One more thing, research what birds are native to your area and buy seed that they like. If you are in migratory area, such as Florida, research what birds come through when, and cater to that. Also, consider suet feeders. If you are buying finch food, but finches do not come to your area, you will be wasting a lot of money on seed and getting no photographs to show for your efforts!
Work With the Squirrels, Not Against Them
No matter what you do to keep the squirrels out of your bird feeder, they will always find a way to get to them. So rather than fighting them, cater to them to minimize the squirrel intrusion at the feeder by offering them their own feeder. Squirrel feeders hold an ear of corn on the cob. The ears last quite awhile, and the squirrels will come during all times of day to grab a few more kernels. They also tend to be less skittish than birds, so it provides an opportunity for squirrel photography as well.
A Few Other Ideas for Natural Photos
Brush piles and stacked logs also offer opportunities for natural photos. With stacked logs, you can drill or carve an opening into the top log and place seed or a mixture of peanut butter and seeds in it, which results in a lovely natural bird photograph. Brush piles, especially with evergreens in the winter, can create a lovely background if you toss seed on the ground in front of them. The birds will perch on the brush, and then hop down onto the ground to eat the seed.
I hope that these suggestions help you to create a wonderful backyard habitat for birds and other wildlife, and that the habitat that you created results in beautiful photographs!
Consider Placement for the Best Photos
Consider the best areas in the yard for placement of the food and water. You likely already have a place in mind that you will be photographing from. Keep in mind that movement will spook the animals, even if you are inside.
Lighting and Time of Day
Birds tend to eat in the early morning and later in the afternoon because of the placement of the sun during those times. This works out great, because the lighting is best for photographing birds and wildlife during those times of day as well!
On a nice sunny day, walk around your backyard, keeping in mind where you will be photographing from, and notice how the light hits certain areas of the yard. Also, pay attention to the backgrounds of these areas. If the red riding lawnmower will be behind all the photos, obviously that needs to be taken into consideration! Hopefully, you can find a good spot with nice lighting and a natural background.
Ensure That There is a Waiting Perch Nearby
For safety reasons, many birds will land on a nearby perch before going to a feeder. This allows them to ensure that there are no predators lurking around, and they can wait for other birds to finish eating before they approach the feeder. It is always a good idea to look around your yard and see where the potential perches are. If you don't have one, you can create one with a dead branch that is cut short and set it up nearby the placement of your feeder.
Placing your Bird Feeder
Now that you have considered the natural lighting of your yard, where you will be photographing from, the background scenery, and created a perch as a 'staging area', you can hone in on the best area to place your bird feeder. Ensure that it is placed in an area that you can get to easily to fill it! The birds will not continue to return if you are not diligent about keeping the feeder full of seed! One more thing, research what birds are native to your area and buy seed that they like. If you are in migratory area, such as Florida, research what birds come through when, and cater to that. Also, consider suet feeders. If you are buying finch food, but finches do not come to your area, you will be wasting a lot of money on seed and getting no photographs to show for your efforts!
Work With the Squirrels, Not Against Them
No matter what you do to keep the squirrels out of your bird feeder, they will always find a way to get to them. So rather than fighting them, cater to them to minimize the squirrel intrusion at the feeder by offering them their own feeder. Squirrel feeders hold an ear of corn on the cob. The ears last quite awhile, and the squirrels will come during all times of day to grab a few more kernels. They also tend to be less skittish than birds, so it provides an opportunity for squirrel photography as well.
A Few Other Ideas for Natural Photos
Brush piles and stacked logs also offer opportunities for natural photos. With stacked logs, you can drill or carve an opening into the top log and place seed or a mixture of peanut butter and seeds in it, which results in a lovely natural bird photograph. Brush piles, especially with evergreens in the winter, can create a lovely background if you toss seed on the ground in front of them. The birds will perch on the brush, and then hop down onto the ground to eat the seed.
I hope that these suggestions help you to create a wonderful backyard habitat for birds and other wildlife, and that the habitat that you created results in beautiful photographs!
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