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Thread: Best Educational Books for Birding?

  1. #1
    Dana B. Hughes
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    Default Best Educational Books for Birding?

    I am new to the hobby but not to the camera... I need to learn about the how to bird and how best to photograph birds. I have a tripped planned to the Outer Banks of NC in November around the time of the "Wings over Water" festival and I wanted to be somewhat learned before I go. I'd hate to be in a tour and be the biggest novice there hehe Also on the way back home I plan to spend at least one day at the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge.

    Books, DVD's, or any educational media.... recommendations and suggestions are greatly appreciated! :)

  2. #2
    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Hi Dana, and welcome. For birding you will want to get yourself a decent field guide, Peterson is best as a first guide followed up either by Sibley or the National Geographic Guide. For general birding try Bill Thompson III's Bird Watching for Dummies (or something like that). For bird photography you will want to get both my classic The Art of Bird Photography (we will have them by mid-October) and ABP II on CD only. Both are classics. Have fun.
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

    Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,

    E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.










  3. #3
    John T. Watson
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    Dana,
    I would get the books Artie recommended, to include both of his, Also, check around your area for Audubon chapters and other local nature groups. This is fall migration time and there should be birding walks. Talk to the field naturist in your local state parks about where to go in your area to learn birding. . Another way to to get on the state birding list serve, for NC that would be at https://lists.duke.edu/sympa/arc/carolinabirds Once you are on the list, (just follow the instructions at the above site) ask about learning opportunities in your area. Also, a very good set of DVD's about Birds are the "watching .....
    series. I have watching warblers and watching sparrows. I think they also have a watching shore birds on DVD now. They are put out from birdfilms.com.

    Best of luck John

  4. #4
    Don LaVange
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    I am a LOOONG time photographer, but I am fairly new to BIF , auto focus modes and stymied by the custom functions required for BIF on the Canon 1D Mark 111. As many know there have been thousands of posts about the focus performance as well as firmware upgrades for the camera.

    Autofocus is somewhat new to me and BIF are a constant challenge, I have Artie's 1DMark 111 report, but the CF recommendations are (I think), not the latest. Canon itself has issued a white paper on the CF functions in differing settings, but seems to "purposely leave out" BIF??

    Can anyone here give me some recommended BIF settings or practices that will help me?

  5. #5
    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Don LaVange View Post
    I am a LOOONG time photographer, but I am fairly new to BIF , auto focus modes and stymied by the custom functions required for BIF on the Canon 1D Mark 111. As many know there have been thousands of posts about the focus performance as well as firmware upgrades for the camera.
    Quote Originally Posted by Don LaVange View Post

    Autofocus is somewhat new to me and BIF are a constant challenge, I have Artie's 1DMark 111 report, but the CF recommendations are (I think), not the latest. Canon itself has issued a white paper on the CF functions in differing settings, but seems to "purposely leave out" BIF??

    Can anyone here give me some recommended BIF settings or practices that will help me?
    Sorry Don, I did not see that you were referring specifically to the MIII. There has been no update becuase I am still using the same settings as in the Guide... Since the last firmware update AF performance has been about the same as with previous D-series cameras...

    Tons of stuff in the Bulletin Archives and in ABP II. Here is one link:

    http://www.birdsasart.com/b37.html

    If you do a search for "Birds in flight" or "Photographing Birds in Flight" you will have lots to read...

    Also, from BAA Bulletin #240:

    FLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS

    Ullin Levell: My auto focus goes wild when I try to take pictures of flying birds. In and out, in and out, in and out. Could you kindly share the basics with me?
    AM: Flight photography is extremely challenging.
    When it is sunny, flight photography is best when the wind and the sun are both coming from behind you. When it is cloudy, try to get in a spot with wind behind you. In both cases, the birds will be flying towards you. (Note, when it is sunny, having the correct light-angle, with your shadow pointed at the bird, is of utmost importance. Even with a perfect light angle the bird's near-wing may cast a shadow onto its body or the head and neck may cast a shadow onto the far wing if it is in the down stroke position). I rarely find such images effective.
    Next, make sure that the limit range switch on your lens is at the far setting. So that your AF system will track the subject in flight, be sure that it is set to AI (Artificial Intelligence) Servo mode (not to One-Shot). The corresponding Nikon setting for proper tracking is C (Continuous) (not S).
    With the Mark II bodies you will usually get the sharpest images by using only the central sensor but it is difficult for many folks to keep the central sensor on the bird consistently. The alternative is to use AFPS with all 45 points activated. It is much easier to keep the subject in focus especially with birds flying against the sky (rather than against a distant background). While I have found that fewer images are razor sharp when using 45 point (or AAFPS with the MIII), folks like Robert O'Toole use it all the time with great results. Similarly, folks using the pro-sumer camera bodies (like the 20D, the 30D, and the new 40D) need to choose between the central sensor and the full AF array while Nikon folks need to decide whether to use the central sensor or the dynamic AF setting. (Hope that I got that right…)
    I do not attempt to track the birds from the time they are small in the frame until the time comes to make a good few images. Instead, I pre-focus manually as the bird approaches "The Zone." For me, the bird is in “The Zone” when it is flying towards me and towards the light (if it is sunny) and when it fills a good portion of the frame.
    In almost all cases I make only one to three images as the bird enters and remains in the zone. Once it leaves the zone I rarely make any images. Folks who create ten or fifteen images as a bird flies by are almost always just trying to impress the folks standing around them...
    Once you start creating in-focus images only a small percentage will be very good or excellent images. Good flight photographs almost always include pleasing head angles and wing positions. Wings in the full upstroke or full down stroke position usually yield acceptable or exceptional images. When the wings are relatively flat, the images are generally effective only when the bird is angling towards you.
    Most important of all is that you get out and practice, practice, and practice some more.
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

    Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,

    E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.










  6. #6
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    Hi Dana
    As you say you're new to bird phototography I take it you are already taking bird pix in your garden,local park,lake,estuary etc. Practise,practise,practise.
    Might be an idea to check out what are the most frequently seen birds on your itinerary and then gen up on them.
    Hope you have a great trip and don't be too dissapointed with near misses they're par for this game !!!
    Cheers: Ian Mc

  7. #7
    Don LaVange
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    Thank you Arthur!

    I am pleased to know that the last Mark 111 User Guide is the last. I have the 36 page version with the updates in BLUE. So much occurred after that period that I made the assumption that there was later data.

    I will go back and recheck for those settings and the recommendations outlined here. Thanks again. One thing I had missed was using panning mode #2 (DOH).

    One of my problems is using the 500 f4 with the 1.4x because it is tough to get close here in RI. Using it on a Gitzo 3530LS with a 4th Gen Gimbal. Maybe I just need to get closer and develop better motor skills, but heck, I ma older than you, Artie!

    Thanks again.

    PS: Sorry I missed the Portland and Newport visits. I was out of town.

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