Bird Photography in Winter
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell
Spring is just around the corner here in the Midwest, and the birds are chirping. This is the time of year that most people start thinking about getting outside and doing some wildlife photography. If you are one of those people – you missed out on a lot of great bird photography opportunities this past Winter. Want to not make that same mistake again next Winter? Then read on.
The time from late November to early March is a great time to photograph birds. There aren’t any major migrations going on during that time period BUT there are the usual residents still in town – the year ‘rounders like Cardinals, Robins, Chicadees, Nuthatches, Starlings, Great Blue Heron, Kingfishers, etc. And let’s not forget the birds of prey – Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, etc. All of these make for great subjects and are active during the Winter months.
Below are a few tips that I’ve learned from photographing birds over the last several years.
1. Snow makes for a clean background. Its not often we are blessed with great backgrounds when shooting wildlife – after all they won’t pose for us or do what we ask for them to do. But when the snow falls, and leaves that great blanket of white everywhere, getting separation between your subject and the background is easy and really makes the bird POP. Well, unless it’s a white bird. When possible, try to move around and position yourself where the bird has a nice snow backdrop behind it. Because again – they won’t move for us, no matter how much we may beg. Another thing to remember about shooting with an all-white background is that your camera, if left to its own choices, will under-expose the image by a stop or two, because its trying to place the white snow as a neutral grey. This is where you will learn to appreciate the exposure compensation function on your camera – you may need to dial in an extra 1-2 stops of exposure in order for the snow to be white, and your bird to be properly exposed.
2. Birds are where the open water is. Here in Ohio, when it gets REALLY cold in January and February, most bodies of water and slow-moving streams and rivers freeze over solid. A solid chunk of ice doesn’t provide any food, water, or habitat for most birds. So they move toward open waters. Have a local lake or fishing spot near you with an aerator or fountain that keeps it from freezing during the Winter? More-than-likely there will be a lot of birds there. Also look for larger rivers with spillways or other architectures that keep it flowing and moving. There you will find birds like Herons and Kingfishers, along with Gulls and other birds of prey.
3. Birds are where the food is. This one may be obvious but worth thinking about in a different manner. Yes there is the obligatory bird feeder that attracts all sorts of birds. If you, someone you know, or a local park has one this is often a great spot to spend time at. Look for shot opportunities when the birds are on tree branches near the feeder – I personally am not a fan of shots of the bird on the feeder and neither are most hard-core bird photographers. In general I like to have no man-made structures in my wildlife images. The other “food” to think about is bushes, hedgelines, orchards, un-mowed wildflower prairies, and farm fields. There will be all sorts of birds where the easy meal is – I have countless images of smaller birds eating the old, dried berries on Honeysuckle and other bushes and vines in the area.
4. Birds in trees with no leaves are easier subjects. This means that when you can hear the bird – you can probably see it. And maybe follow it until it and you are in a good spot for an image. Once Spring hits and the leaves are out, good luck. You’ll hear all sorts of birds but won’t be able to see them because of those darn pesky leaves. Why do trees need them anyway?
5. Large birds of prey are gettin’ busy. Large birds of prey take longer to grow and fledge than younger birds, so they have to get an earlier start than you think. This means that they are out doing all sorts of interesting things during Winter: gathering nesting materials, hunting, mating, building nests, etc. Great Horned Owls, Hawks, American Bald Eagles – all of them are gettin’ busy in the winter and will give lots of great shot opportunities. This is where some research and making friends with local birders pays off – you’ll learn where the nests are and the hotspots for activity. Just make certain to be respectful of those birds during mating and nesting season – don’t do anything to upset that activity.
6. Your gear takes a real beating. The constant going out into the cold and coming back into a warm house causes havoc in lenses. They will fog up, and over time, if that process keeps repeating, eventually nasty things like fungus and mold start to take hold in your precious glass. I keep several large plastic Ziploc bags in the car, and when I am done with a Winter session I will put the camera and lens in the bag before I bring it in the house. The bag helps the camera and lens warm up slower in the house and keeps problems at bay.
7. Batteries, Batteries, Batteries. This is one that I’ve learned the hard way. Camera batteries do NOT like the cold. They will lose charge much faster when you are shooting in the cold compared to warmer weather. Bring more charged batteries with you than you think you will need, and keep them stored under your jacket, or in your pants pocket, while you are shooting. You need to keep them warm. Also, DO NOT leave your batteries in your vehicle overnight in the cold. They will be dead the next day when you really need them, until you can get them warmed up. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. A couple of times.
8. Your shots will be more interesting. I’ve touched on this before in other posts – most people aren’t willing to get out in bad weather and do anything. By getting out there in the Winter to photograph wildlife you are creating images that often look different than what people are used to viewing. It’s easy to get a pretty image of a Cardinal with green trees and flowers as backdrops – how many people get an image of that same Cardinal in frozen February with snow falling and a nice white backdrop? Not many.
9. Remember to Have Fun. Getting out and photographing birds in the Winter months is fun and rewarding. Its also a great form of exercise – trudging around in the snow with a lot of clothing on and carrying 20lbs worth of camera gear with you is a work-out. But remember that its supposed to be fun – if you are out in some sketchy conditions that make you question whether what you are doing is a good idea – it probably isn’t. Use some common sense out there.
There you go. Now that you have absorbed all of the info above, you are ready to get out there later this year when it gets cold and make some great images. Don’t say I didn’t try to help!
That said, I am happy about the weather getting warmer and the coming Spring migration. I do love the change of seasons in Ohio. Just about when the Winter is over I am ready for the Spring to begin. Each season brings with it different opportunities and challenges. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jeremy
