Photographing warblers and other small birds

[Steve Shapiro]

Can anyone offer suggestions on photographing warblers and other small birds in rather dense foliage. I was very frustrated trying to photograph these small birds in dense foliage after shooting in rather open conditions and larger birds in Florida. :(

[Desmond Chan]

Can anyone offer suggestions on photographing warblers and other small birds in rather dense foliage. I was very frustrated trying to photograph these small birds in dense foliage after shooting in rather open conditions and larger birds in Florida. :(

Now you know why most people like or only shoot large birds? :)

A lot the the small birds photographs were shot in a controlled environment, i.e., a set-up in background of the photographer's backyard, for example.

For myself, I either accept the background as is (and don't post those images here :D), or wait until the small birds have a better background. There's some discussion on this topic here before and how to approach birds, but don't be surprised that many of those approaches don't work with small birds in the wild :) They're too impatient with photographers. One thing I could suggest is to shoot around feeders. But then usually there're no feeders in the wild, are there? :D The other thing would be to use a blind.

Good luck.

[Rob Miner]

Steve,

No doubt you will receive plenty of excellent instruction regarding your request. Here is what I learned with the help of many people. When I started photographing again, about five years ago, it came to me that photographing birds would give me many more chances to learn (make a mistake) in a given day than landscape photographing. So off to Brownsville, Tx I went, a considerable journey from my home in California and spent a month. I was lucky that I ran into a number of professional bird photographers and plenty of birds to make mistakes on.

1. Get the biggest and best lens that you can afford. 2. Get the fastest camera body that you can afford. 3. Set your camera, lens and Better Beamer on the a gitzo or comparable tripod. 4. Set your Speed Ligtht to fire at 50mm. 5. Extras - camo blind (Dog House from Ameristep) if you can not afford a 600mm lens (to get closer to your quarry,) a Turbo battery backup from Quantum (allows fast consecutive flash shots,) etc. Patience! On your off time, get books from Arthur Morris and read religiously. Read this forum every day and its archives.

If the above sounds a bit over the top, GET THE BIGGEST AND BEST LENS THAT YOU CAN AFFORD AND START SHOOTING! Looking forward to see what you can accomplish and submit to this forum.

Rob..........

[WIlliam Maroldo]

I do all of my small bird photography in winter when the leaves have fallen off the trees (in Texas at least), and 400mm seems quite adequate.
Using bird feeders in a back yard, and perhaps some set ups seems the absolute easiest, and also not requiring a lens that costs as much as a used car(or even a new one)!
Spring and Fall migration fall-out points (High Island and Quintana Neotropical Refuge for example) are the best for photography of the little guys around here. Timing is extremely important, and there typically is only a few week opportunity, like right after a norther in the spring. In either case, a large lens isn't absolutely necessary. The good thing about the spring migration; the breeding plumage is often at its peak.
regards~Bill

[Scott Grant]

good advice from above! maybe try using audio very sparingly to bring them to a cleaner perch?

[Gene Potter]

All I can say is practice, well maybe, will get you your best shot. Little birds are a particular passion of mine. Very seldom will you get you one in the position were the background will be perfect. They’re almost always deep in the foliage and they never hold still for more than a few seconds. If you get 5 seconds to acquire, focus and shoot, you’re lucky. You have a lot of good advice above, but shoot a ton of images and making the best of what you get. Crop and clone out what you can. But for the most part, all the twigs and leaves are part of the habitat that’s unavoidable. :D

[Daniel Cadieux]

I've been succesfully photographing warblers and other small songbirds with a 100-400mms, so its quite doable. A combination of audio (used judisciously, of course) and a blind is your best bet to get them close enough if that is all the focal lenght you have. This will also help in getting them down from the tree tops and out of the dense foliage...and hopefully on a great, open perch. Keep in mind that even with these tools the success rate is pretty low...but well worth it when it all comes together. You may get away with it without a blind if you use 500mm + TC or longer.

A couple of links that may be of interest to you:

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=37765

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=63115

Also check out Alan Murphy's Songbird Setup Guide:

https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=33

Have fun!! Songbird photography is a challenge, and can certainly test your patience...but at the same time very rewarding when the results go the way you want:)

[Bill Jobes]

When photographing warblers, I try to position myself, if possible, so that some blue sky is visible through the foliage or above the leaves.
That adds some color variation and visual interest to the image.
You've undertaken a wonderful challenge!

[Julie Brown]

Hi Steve,

Good advice from all above. I have found that although frustrating at times, photographing warblers is a fun challenge. Without a big lens, your success rate will be lower, but you just have to keep trying. As others have advised me, getting closer to the smaller birds makes a huge difference. This takes practice, but it is another reason to get out in the field.

My longest lens is a 300mm f4L IS to which I add my 1.4X extender. I have captured some decent images of small birds with this combination. Another option is to rent a lens. For my trip to Magee Marsh at the end of April, I rented a 400mm f2.8L IS lens and added a 2X extender to get 1280mm with the 1.6X sensor of my 40D. I have also rented a 300mm f2.8L IS a couple of times-it is easier to carry than the 400mm f2.8. Next rental for me will be the 500mm f4L IS.

Good luck and have fun!:)

[Bill Jobes]

Steve and Friends, here's an example of the scenario I strive for with warblers. Even when there's foliage, I try to position myself so that some sky, hopefully blue, is in the background. Then, I wait.

Nikon D300
600 VR w/1.4 TC
1/1250
F/7.1
-0.3 EV

[Steve Shapiro]

Thanks so much everyone for the excellent advice!!

[David Stephens]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4630270838_d481306552_b.jpg

I think that patience is the key. I've used no setups and gotten nice shots of the warblers and finches visiting Colorado. I'm using an EF 500mm f/4L IS with an EF 1.4x Extender, on a tripod, with gimbal. I go out in the early morning and late evening, listen for the birds then go where I see them, then wait with my tripod set up.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4655087282_66970e5662_b.jpg

Each of the above shots involved 45 to 90-minutes of waiting and watching within about a ten-yard range. I might see other larger, easier birds, like starlings and robins, as I wait, but I'm looking for the little flashes of color and/or their songs to help me zero in on the little peepers. When they're buried deep in the thicket I'll manually focus, just so that I can follow them, but with reasonable regularity they'll pop out to a level that I can get a clear shot.

The sequence below is not untypical:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4629666357_cb11ae4115.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3406/4629668663_ef42e3879d.jpg

Notice that he came out to get a bug and re-landed in a significantly better position for me.

Happy hunting,

Dave

[Tom Wilberding]

Excellent tips above. Also visit Magee Marsh boardwalk near Toledo, Ohio around Mother's Day. Many regard it as the best spring warbler viewing spot in North America. The warblers seem "ready for their closeup" here like movie stars at Cannes. They pop out of the foliage near the boardwalk, ten flashes go off, a hundred clicks. The warbler smiles and goes back to the leaves to forage. Occasionally a chickadee or catbird will pop out of the foliage in hopes of getting similar attention.
Here is my slideshow from Magee this year. I used my 100-400 Canon lens, and at times had to retract it to less than 400m because the birds are so close. http://twilberding.zenfolio.com/p353303752
Also check Kim & Kenn Kaufman's festival at Magee: http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/
Good birding and picture making!