Winter Wildlife Photography Tips ?

davidbridges

davidbridges

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David Bridges
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Hi all,

I went up to my local woods today at about 3 o clock and the light was fading but enough to get decent shots, only there was nothing to shoot ! No birds at all, a few squirrels running away from me though so i sat and waited for some squirrels to come back but they didnt. What times do i really need to be out in winter to see wildlife. And how do i get close to squirrels ! should i take food or something because they just all seem to move off to somewhere where i'm not ! Any tips or tricks for photographing wildlife during winter months are greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Dave

PS would it be worth using my infra red remote and hiding a few meters away ?
 
davidbridges said:
Hi all,

I went up to my local woods today at about 3 o clock and the light was fading but enough to get decent shots, only there was nothing to shoot ! No birds at all, a few squirrels running away from me though so i sat and waited for some squirrels to come back but they didnt. What times do i really need to be out in winter to see wildlife. And how do i get close to squirrels ! should i take food or something because they just all seem to move off to somewhere where i'm not ! Any tips or tricks for photographing wildlife during winter months are greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Dave

PS would it be worth using my infra red remote and hiding a few meters away ?
Click to expand...


What equipment are you using Dave?

M advice would be to take a couple of handfull of nuts, and get yourself comfortable. Then its just a case of patience.

I use a 300mm lens, and usually get fairly acceptable shots. But I also find it depends where you are. Sometimes stalking out an area that has a lot of people traffic is more succesful, as the little fellas get used to human contact. :D

Hope that helps,

Ben
 
The birds round here are quite active from about 7.30 a.m. looking for food, and singing. They tend to calm down a bit later in the day. Try 'baiting' an area near to you, if you do it regular, they'll get used to the food.
Squirrels are a bit wary of people, unless they're used to them; like in a park or something. Then they're quite bold. Seed, or nuts; that'll bring them close.
 
Try going out just before sunset. There always seems to be plenty of bird activity local to me around that time.
 
Hi david,

I've moved this to Talk Photography, as the Tutorials section is for providing tuts, rather than requesting them :)

There are plenty of wildlife lovers on here who will no doubt help you out.
 
You might be better off going to the local park rather than the wild woods- for the simple reason that in the park the resident critters are used to seeing people and less wary. This means you can get close enough to get pictures without it becoming a major stalking exercise. True- you're not going to see a Golden Eagle but you have to start somewhere!

Here are some pictures I took in the town park (Jephson Gardens, Leamington) this very morning.

Geese.
Dscf4162.jpg


Swan
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Duck.
Dscf4288.jpg


Robin
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Unidentified
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Ubiquitous squirrel
Dscf4389.jpg
 
the reason i don't really want to go to a local park is i wan't to capture something that only i have seen, down at the parks ducks/ other water birds are down all the time whereas if i could capture some animal that can only be captured by me being there at that time with the the right equiptment would make me feel alot better
 
davidbridges said:
the reason i don't really want to go to a local park is i wan't to capture something that only i have seen, down at the parks ducks/ other water birds are down all the time whereas if i could capture some animal that can only be captured by me being there at that time with the the right equiptment would make me feel alot better
Click to expand...

Whilst the feeling of capturing a new animal will give you a huge confidence boost, it is always good to practise on the easy ones! Even if it just to get used to animals movements and how you frame the shot etc :) I have been chasing kingfishers for months and have only so far come away with a couple of below par shots...but I'm forever taking pictures of other small common birds to practise my panning technique and composition and so on!
 
davidbridges said:
the reason i don't really want to go to a local park is i wan't to capture something that only i have seen, down at the parks ducks/ other water birds are down all the time whereas if i could capture some animal that can only be captured by me being there at that time with the the right equiptment would make me feel alot better
Click to expand...

The park animals are still wild- they'll fly/run away if if you get too close. I know what you mean though- it would be great to get some real good shots of woodland fauna but finding them & then getting close enough for that killer shot is a real problem.

I want to get some pictures of the local buzzard group this year. I know where they are but getting in close is going to be the problem. I'm toying with the idea of setting up a hide and then baiting a nearby perch with roadkill bunnies! Has anyone ever tried this approach?
 
Hunting/shooting books will give you some good tips for bringing in the wildlife. Learn to call them to you, sounds silly maybe but I can call in Geese, Hares, Foxes, and various others. I wouldn't do this in a public park otherwise the men with white coats might turn up.

One for Woodpeckers that never fails is the rapid tapping (best between two close branches) of a stick. Try this if you can hear one in the vicinity and it is very likely to come in.

Try to blend in to your surroundings, you don't need full Realtree regalia (Camouflage) but drab colours will help. And without doubt the most important piece of advice for getting close is to stay downwind if you can.

As for the Buzzards, I flew these years ago and if I lost one I was assured to recapture with some carrion so they will come to a baited perch.
 
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