Photographing birds

There is no doubt that birds are near the top of the list of challenges in photography. They are very wary creatures, quick to respond to even the slightest hint of danger. They don't want to be found, and certainly won't just sit there and patiently wait for you to set up - on the contrary. Apart from the owls and other nocturnal species, birds are active during the day, and many, water birds for example, are particularly active during the early and late hours and when food is most readily available.

The most important tools for photographing birds are telephoto lenses with focal lengths of between 300 and 600 mm. I think that moderate to advanced camera skills are essential because most species, other than Black Swans, common ducks and friendly pelicans will not provide a great deal of time for decision making. Lenses longer than 400 mm will require a tripod or monopod for support, although I have made many images with a hand-held camera, usually because light availability dictates a higher shutter speed.

Other aids are automatic focus and through-the-lens automatic metering: both assist in getting shots away a lot quicker. A motor drive, now an integral part of most high quality cameras, gives you another advantage over an animal capable of moving with alarming speed, particularly if, like small bush birds, they give no warning that flight is imminent. Larger birds, such as birds of prey, water birds, and so on, will engage in all sorts of pre-flight body language so you are far more likely to have the time to compose and fine-focus before take-off.

Here I have grouped the birds according to a general approach you could take. The overall photographic style, however, can be applied to any group. The groupings relate more to a combination of habitat and general behaviour than to taxonomic groups. For example, sea birds are used to being in an open environment and may not take flight until you have crossed the invisible line that defines their comfort zone, and you will usually be in a broad, open area. In the closed environment of a small bush bird, its comfort zone, into which intrusion will not be tolerated, will be much smaller, but it may still encompass most of the area available to you.

Bird photography, for all its challenges and frustrations, can be richly rewarding. The feeling of elation when an image turns out the way I wanted it to is indescribable. When you see the result that you were after, you know that you have captured on film one of nature's most elusive beauties through your skill, nous and determination.

Perching birds - Smaller perching birds, such as the fairy-wrens, finches, honeyeaters, and so on, represent the majority of Australian species and are, assuredly, the most difficult to photograph. In this area of interest, your spontaneous reactions will be tested to the limit as will your skills as a hunter, because perching birds are extremely aware of their surroundings. You can rest assured they will be alert to your presence long before you spot them. The reason for their sensitivity is that the smaller birds must be constantly on the watch for predators - either birds or reptiles, the latter a particular threat when the birds are nesting and raising young. To photograph small birds I employ three approaches. One is to walk, equipped with 300 mm to 400 mm lenses. This can be particularly productive if I am in and around flowering shrubs. A busily feeding bird is often easier to approach. Another method is to stand, usually near a large flowering shrub that appears to attract smaller birds, with a longer lens, around 500 or 600 mm. The third approach is to use a blind, but in most circumstances I choose to use vegetation rather than rig a structure.

Ground birds - The only true native ground birds in Australia are the flightless birds, the Southern Cassowary and the Emu. There are others that spend the majority of their time on the ground and usually fly only when escaping predators or roosting in trees. Birds that are in this category include quail, the Malleefowl, brush-turkey, bustard, scrubfowl and rails. The majority of these birds are cryptically coloured and habitat specific and most are not commonly seen. Some are common even in urban areas: brush-turkeys have adopted Brisbane's western suburbs as home. They start building their giant incubation mounds in suburban gardens without giving consideration to the often fastidious labour that the householder has put in. Even cassowaries wander into the odd northern Queensland back yard where their tropical rainforest home still remains. In fact, a Cassowary once woke me up by tapping on the window, looking for apples! All these birds pose interesting photographic challenges.

Finding your comfort zone - Birds all have their comfort zone, and so do people. It is important that you work on yours as well on your quarry's. Whatever the species, you will need to immerse yourself, body, mind and spirit, in the bird's natural environment. So, whether that environment is mud flats, the biting insect world of mangrove or freshwater paperback swamps, or aridland scrub - wherever it calls home - you will need to get in there and relax. "Ouch!" I hear the cries, "mozzies and leeches!" Don't be put off. These experiences will do wonders for your spirit, and all those physical discomforts can be reduced considerably with good boots, protective clothing and a dose of insect repellent. Before long you will start feeling that this is your home, and when that happens you will find that you start to receive visitors, visitors filled with as much curiosity as you.

Sea birds - Terns, gannets, frigatebirds, tropicbirds and noddies have one thing in common: amazing fishing skills. Each species has adapted to survive in one of the harshest environments on earth. Great Barrier Reef coral cays are ideal locations to work with these fishers, especially one of those with resort accommodation, such as Heron and Lady Elliot Islands. Both these islands have large colonies of permanent sea bird residents that, over time, have become relatively tolerant of the presence of photographers and will go about their business taking little notice of your presence. Many nest right outside the accommodation, so, if you are looking for a quiet break, especially during the breeding season, these islands are not for you. In some remote island areas, signs have been erected to stop people entering and disturbing the larger, more sensitive colonies. There is no need to enter a colony because there is lots of action, peaking at sunrise and sunset, elsewhere.

"Water birds" is the collective name for birds whose principal habitat is freshwater lakes, rivers, floodplains and coastal estuarine waterways. This large group of birds includes such well-known species as ducks, geese, herons, and stilts and, of course, the ever-popular photographic subject, the Australian Pelican. What makes these birds so special to photograph is the inclusion of water in the composition. Water offers reflections, patterns and textures and, depending on the sky colours, some delightful colour tones that can become part of your images. Some, such as the egrets, the Brolga and the Jabiru, are very elegant, and the preening and courting postures they assume can be very appealing.

Birds of prey - Birds of prey - eagles, falcons, kites etc. - are extremely appealing as photographic subjects for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are predators with hooked talons, curved beaks and sharp-eyed stare. They are a worldwide symbol of stealth, aggression and power. You are more likely to successfully photograph a bird of prey as it soars above, sweeping finger feathers extended at the tips of large curved wings, than a small bush bird flitting from branch to branch giving no warning of its intention to take off or the direction of its flight. It is often possible to tell when a bird of prey intends to take flight and you can pull focus in time to make spectacular images. Once airborne, these birds will soar aloft, scrutinising every nook and cranny until prey is detected. Photographing the stoop, or dive, and the ultimate prey snatch is possibly the number one target for photographers focusing on birds of prey.