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- Name
- Tim
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- United States
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- SE Michigan
I notice that most of the fantastic bird shots posted by several members here, most notably @mapleleaf56, @spudhead, and @charlyee are from their backyard (garden). Others like @Timothy Mayo post a mix. Most of my birds are from the backyard as well, mostly because as previously discussed, I'm lazy!
This is for anyone to answer, not just those named. They're simply who came immediately to mind when I was typing.
My recent shots of the Red Bellied Woodpecker were made from an unexpected location, the service door on my garage. I had moved the bird feeding station closer to the house for winter so I don't have to traipse through the snow to fill the feeder and to better see from the house. Since it's winter no one is outside much so the birds aren't disturbed. The result of that was the feeder ended up about 20' from the service door. When I realized how close it was I decided to stand in the doorway and wait. A couple of brief tries ended up with the Red Bellied shots. I have since decided to upgrade the setup to something more comfortable. I am going to change the service door window to a set of shutters that open inward. An old office chair from a drafting table and a small propane (Indoor safe) heater will keep me warm. I can sit in the garage for hours with a hot beverage, some heat, and remain completely out of view. I'll make the shutters so I can open one or both for days I want to keep more heat in. I'm also going to move the feeder a bit to declutter the background, which will actually put it a few feet closer. Now thaat I'm done testing the old Minolta lens, the weapon of choice will be the 200-600.
So, what's your setup? What tips can you give other members? Do you shoot from indoors through glass or have a good spot outdoors? Be specific. How far are you from the target area? How much time do you spend?
This is for anyone to answer, not just those named. They're simply who came immediately to mind when I was typing.
My recent shots of the Red Bellied Woodpecker were made from an unexpected location, the service door on my garage. I had moved the bird feeding station closer to the house for winter so I don't have to traipse through the snow to fill the feeder and to better see from the house. Since it's winter no one is outside much so the birds aren't disturbed. The result of that was the feeder ended up about 20' from the service door. When I realized how close it was I decided to stand in the doorway and wait. A couple of brief tries ended up with the Red Bellied shots. I have since decided to upgrade the setup to something more comfortable. I am going to change the service door window to a set of shutters that open inward. An old office chair from a drafting table and a small propane (Indoor safe) heater will keep me warm. I can sit in the garage for hours with a hot beverage, some heat, and remain completely out of view. I'll make the shutters so I can open one or both for days I want to keep more heat in. I'm also going to move the feeder a bit to declutter the background, which will actually put it a few feet closer. Now thaat I'm done testing the old Minolta lens, the weapon of choice will be the 200-600.
So, what's your setup? What tips can you give other members? Do you shoot from indoors through glass or have a good spot outdoors? Be specific. How far are you from the target area? How much time do you spend?