Backyard Bird Setup

[david cramer]

We are filling in the pond... just too many maintenance/headaches problems. So I figure it will be a good spot for a backyard bird photography setup, as the light is great. Any and all suggestions, links, as well as thoughts about what to avoid are appreciated.

[Cal Walters]

David
I also looked to the back yard to create bird photo scenes. There are a few books (but I did not really find any web sites) on creating bird attracting gardens. Of course now that I go to look for them I can not find them - the landscaper may still have them. I found them at the book stores my wife likes to shop at. The topics are around backyard, birds and gardens - likely you can google/amazon search. A few things that came out: make sure you know what the birds in your area that you are trying to attract eat; make sure you buy heritage generations of the plants as many have been hybridized to dissuade birds and bugs that they want to eat; think full food chain: plants to bugs to birds. Also, the wild bird centers and locations like that have different feed mixes - some of the straight up commercial mixes do nothing in our area (SF Bay) to attract birds. Good luck.

[William Malacarne]

Type this into Google

attracting backyard birds

and you will get 150,000 plus hits....:) You can probably cut it down some by refining the search to your area.

Bill

[Rocky Sharwell]

I don't have it with me at the moment but as I recall Artie's Ebook, the Art of Bird Photography II had a chapter on backyard setups. I also think it is discussed in one of his bulletins which are archived at www.birdsasart.com.

[david cramer]

Thanks everyone. I've done the google searches before and found some good ideas. Just thought I'd check to see if anyone here has a backyard setup and knowledge to share. I also have information on what local seed to use, and where to get the quality stuff so the birds will eat it and not kick it to the ground, which would then attract rodents.

Rocky - thanks for the suggestion on searching Artie's bulletin archives. I did find a gem of a recommendation in bulletin #119.

[Aidan Briggs]

David, use black oil sunflower seeds for chickadees, sparrows, finches, and just about any seed eating bird. Use thistle for finches, sock feeders are cheap, and work well. Water drips should work too, though I have never used one. If you set up a perch, make sure it is above the feeder, and thick enough that the birds will land on it, but thin enough that it will look good in an image. Also make sure that there are no other perches in the area to compete with yours. Sometimes the birds will land straight on the feeder, so it might be a good idea to temporarily take them down. Hummingbird feeders work great too. If you are shooting hummers, remove the feeder put up some natural flowers, and if possible fill them with nectar with an eyedropper. Salvias, penstemons, and bleeding hearts, have worked well for me.

If you want to see some superb examples of bird images from set-ups, check out the websites of Alan Murphy, and Matthew Studebaker.

[ChasMcRae]

Hi David,
I dug a 10 by 10 ft pond with a home made back hoe -and enjoyed the childhood thrill of digging a hole.
I then realized I would need filters,pumps,etc and started thinking.
A recent trip to Pawnee Grasslands at that time revealed a flurry of birds confined to a faucet drip pudde.
I then hand filled in the hole and made a 3 by 1 ft hole with liner with shallow end to concentrate bathing birds. A constant mist-drip entices birds.
We learn with experience ! I hope this helps you make a decision. Of course I vary approach perches for the bathing birds.
Chas.

[david cramer]

Thanks for the replies. Black oil sunflower seed and suet are popular in my area.

Charles - Now that is a bit of overkill... dig a 10x10 hole to make a 3x1 wader! I plan to put in a shallow wader, and your idea of a mister is a good one!

[Billsnature]

Plant a dead tree. I cut the top 20 feet off of an invasive Norway and planted in the ground near my feeders and in the best light for my basement window/photo blind. Almost every bird stops on a dead branch on the way to the feeder, and woodpeckers are on it all the time. It has the advantage of looking better than birds on feeder, and since it has no leaves year round, less issues with shadow and blocked view. The other option is to literally ask a local nursary for a tree that didn't make it and plant that.