GEO-tography: Birds

Most of us old codgers spend more time sittin' on our offroad bikes than ridin' on 'em compared to "young bucks" who wanna' just get there! After a few miles of bouncing around on an ATV or JEEP, it's a welcome relief to disembark and sit a spell.

Besides, that's when you see things and hear things. Only the very naive think they can see the sights in a moving vehicle – what, merely wave as you pass by the Grand Canyon? It is true that compared to what many kids listen to today, an ATVs engine is probably barely noticable; but, not for a chipmunk or a bird! If you're wondering why you never see any wildlife on your rides it's probably because of the direction you have your key turned.

You don't want to have to reply "the handlebars" when you get home and are asked "what did you see today?" If for no other reason than the fact that it makes it easier to convince your wife to let you invest in next season's model of bike - you need to bring back some pictures! Some intrepid souls even learn to like taking them and then even become quite good at it.

That's the point of these collections that I call "GEO-tography." Photos of the "GEO" that you and I see in our offroad forays. And, you really know that you are getting the hang of it when you can capture one of those flighty birds on film (or memory chips as the case may be).

Bird photography is one of the most challenging types of nature photography, but remains an incredibly popular hobby for many people. The subject is usually small, may not stay still, moves rapidly from branch to branch, sits in less than favourable lighting conditions and is extremely aware of an approaching photographer. Tricky!

Take a look at some of these that I found on the subject. You may get some ideas for your own.

Photographing Birds

Red Kite

The lost prey

Every day is sushi day…

A certain smile…

Totally in Love

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Palestine Sunbird.

attack

Common Tern.

As white as snow

White-throated Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Splash

Bombycilla garrulus

Siesta

"Fly away from my branch!"…

Pop-up Breakfast

Kingfisher and Dragonfly

Thirsty

The spaghetti incident

Kingfisher landing

"Measurement of the horses" – which is greater

Feeding

Egyptian Vulture

bird reflection

A Robin for New Year

Baby bird

Mystery Bird Eating Oceanspray

Birds

Flightless birds

Birds

Humming bird

Buffy Fish Owl

The Seven Year Itch

Dopo il tuffo

Eurasian Curlew

BABY BIRD IN NEST

Welcome to the New Year!

Wings of gold

Who’s afraid of red, yellow and blue

Woodland Kingfisher

Blue Song

Buffalo Buffet

Seconds from disaster…

Lady Bird

See! I’m more than just a cottonball

>

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

stir-fried …

In Frozen Time

Below Zero

Feed Me……!

Weapons

Reed Warbler.

Got a whole lot of Living to do…..

Three of a Kind

Ulula

Conversation

Vulgaris

Graceful Prinia.

We are The bird- Beatles

Pekin Robin

Fulvous-faced Flycatcher Warbler

Hello world!

Under the wing

Taiwan Blue Magpie

Firecrest Superman

Bubo Lacteus

Allen’s Hummingbird

Firecrest

Bird on a fence

Black-winged stilt.

Loros

Food Fight!

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Tips & Resources for Bird Photography

Here is a collection of advice that I found on the internet if you want to hone your skills a bit.

Practice on Your Pet!

A "captive audience." You may not own a collection of exotic birds, but many animals offer similar challenges. It’s easy, risk-free, and you have all the time in the world to set up and get a good shot - bring food.

Let Nature Come to You

Keep your distance, stay still, and wait. Your own garden can make the waiting more comfortable, why not set up a bird feeder? That way you’ll know (more or less) where to point your camera in advance, and it’s a simple way to get started with bird photography.

Continuous Shutter

If you know your camera I'm sure you've thought of this: set your shutter to "continuous" and hold down the button for several photos in a row. It's a great technique to practice when shooting a subject that’s liable to move quickly. Stock up on memory cards, hold the shutter down for a few seconds and one of 'em is bound to turn out good.

Other Resources

Here are a few other articles and tips in case you want to learn a little more about perfecting your bird photography technique!

• Backyard Bird Photography
• Bird Photography Tips
• Nigel Blake’s Blog
• Mike Atkinson’s Bird Photography Tutorial