Basic Birding Help.

Ok, I did not realize there would be so much to this but wow, what a challenge.
First let me state this is a new found hobby and very addicting, but I spend most of the year shooting portraits and thats how I make my living so can't go nuts with long lenses.

I live in North Western Pennsylvania so the birds are not large and winter is tough When feeding how close can I get to them with out cutting down on their activity.

What kind of feeders do you use to keep them coming but make for decent pictures.

My lens is the 300 2.8 and camera the 1D Mk III and 5D.

I have ordered a user guide for the 1D Mk III to set it up better for birds, but any other advice or tips you can give would be greatly appreciated.

With the 300 you could add a 2x TC which makes it very usable for bird photography and AF and image quality is still pretty good with this combination.

Denny,
Since you are doing feeder photography a 300 might be just the ticket if you place your feeder close enough to get good images. How close you can get is dependent upon a lot of variables. How well are you hidden. how close is the feeder to cover. How nervous are the birds. how hungry are they etc.
Look for a place where you can comfortably shoot from inside your house (open kitchen window or other). Set a feeder as close as you can to that window at window height preferably 3 -5 feet away from cover such as a bush or hedge the birds can dive into if they are threatened. Finally of key importance is background. Try to position the feeder so that there is a plain background far enough back behind the bird so it can be out of focus. Which should be fairly easy with a 2.8 lens. As a final step add some interesting perches for the birds to land on. Give the birds a week or so to find the feeder. then watch and see which perch or perches they use. Prefocus on that and have at it. As far as feeder type I would check with you local Audubon Society. They could help you find some good feeders. Personally I use Stokes tube feeders with large bird and squirrel guards and I use platform feeders for others. I also use plastic containers, film canisters, tuna cans and about everything else hidden on the back side of branches, knot holes and rocks.
I have gone on a bit here so i hope this gets you stared. Check out my blogsite. I have a lot of tips for people getting started. Take a look at my window blind for starters. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. There are a lot of good people on this site that can help you out.

Good luck and God bless,

Chris

Just to add on to what Chris said, usually less perches and feeders are better than more. The more perches/ feeders, the more likely the birds are not going to land right where you want them. Of course there are differnt types of feeders for different types of birds and so that shouldnt interfere too much - suet feedeer for woodpeckers, fench feeders, ground feeders, and your typical bird feeders.

Also, 10 feet from cover will work just fine as well - acording to the Audubon Societies guides. For me the slightly further distance helps with blurring the BG into a more uniform color.

Denny,

I have a feeder set up in my yard with a blind. I use a 100-400mm lens, but usually end up using focal lengths of 300mm or less on sparrows and towhees. A blind is a huge asset in these situations. Birds that would not let me get within 30 ft. of them will let me get full frame shots at 200-400mm in a blind.

Northwest PA puts you near Erie and Presque Isle. I would assume that PI would be a great place for birds.

Have you checked with the state park system to see what they might recommend?

North Chagrin Metro Park on the northeast side of Cleveland isn't far from you and is a great place to shoot birds/ducks/herons. The are two dedicated birding areas which draw birds and if you are patient you can end up with some nice images - year round.