Help setting up for garden birds

[prime60]

Hi ive recently installed a collection of feeders in my garden and am quite happy with the amount of different birds that are visiting my distance from the feeders from my open window is about 17ft and the birds dont seem to be that bothered about me being there how is it best to make some kind of perch to take the shots from so i dont get the feeders in the shot, ive not chosen a lens yet for this project that will come later but any advise on getting good bird shots please ie backdrop,composition would be helpfull to get this setup.

Many thanks Michael.

 

[theMusicMan]

I am lucky that the backdrop to my feeder is against a slope of the garden, and we have deliberately left that slope rough and ready as it were.....!!

I have also placed some branches/logs into the ground behind my feeder and have hung coconut suet feeders from theses, which gives a nice natural and 'wild' feel to to some of the shots I have managed to capture. I also make sure that I get a good composition to the shot by ensuring what's immediately in the background of the shot is appealing. This can be set up beforehand with some test shots. One still has to leave the obligatory wired/mesh feeder to hand as this attracts birds to the area initially.

 

[Ewan]

Get some big branches and stick them in the ground around the feeders. Or even better some bushes or small trees where the birds will perch before flying onto the feeders. Large pieces of dark green/brown material can be draped over walls or garden furniture to make nice backgrounds but make sure they're quite far away from the table so they're nice and blurry.

Could you post a picture of the feeders and the garden around it? It would help people to be more specific

 

[CT]

If you have a nice setting in the garden somewhere, try just hand scattering some seed at that location. You do need to be doing it on a daily basis though.

It's pretty easy to set something up too - a pile of stones or logs etc then scatter the seed over it. Consider planting something suitable which has foliage which wont obscure the birds and look good in your shots- then scatter seed over and around it.

 

[prime60]

Thanks for the replys here is a quick shot through the dirty window please excuse the bright yellow washing line that will be removed, ok my thoughts are to put a perch in the position of the blue mark in the pic, my garden faces se and is very short so my best time is late afternoon and on the light will come from over my right shoulder.

Thanks.

 

[theMusicMan]

My first thoughts are that you will need a pretty long lens to get some good close ups of birds from that range. Lovely background already there though, I shouldn't worry about that. Can you not bring it closer...?

 

[prime60]

Thanks musicman this shot was at 35mm the tall tree is 17ft from my window sorry i should have taken closer shot.

Michael

 

[Ewan]

That's a great background so don't worry about that. I would attach some branches to the pole of the feeder for the birds to perch on like so. Red lines represent sticks!:

Also bringing your whole setup closer might be a good idea if you can do it without too much effort. The birds will soon get used to it's new position.