Creating setups with a photography blind and bird feeders is a productive way to attract birds for photography in an ethical manner. While some birds like chickadees and nuthatches are generally tolerant and will continue to come to your feeders if you sit in the open, other species won’t. If you are concealed, you might even get lucky and have something special like a hunting Sharp-shinned Hawk perch close by. A small photo blind like the Tragopan V6 Blind that you can move around for different lighting, perches, and backgrounds is a great option for this type of shooting.
When creating a setup for bird photography pay attention to light
direction and backgrounds. Don’t just set up a bunch of random feeders
and perches and start shooting. Strategize and think about how you can
manipulate the movement of birds by limiting food sources and available
perches so that action is concentrated where you want it. Many birds
will stage or wait on a conveniently placed perch until a feeder becomes
clear of other birds or to survey the area before visiting a feeder.
Use this to your advantage. You can also strategically place food so
that it is not visible in your photographs but gets birds to perch where
you want them to. Try to provide perches that are attractive and
natural but not overdone.
For a quick primer on getting started with backyard bird feeding and other ways to attact birds to your yard check out these resources from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
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