Garden Bird Feeders - A Buying And Setting Up Guide
March 1, 2010
Before setting up your new bird feeder there are some points to consider to ensure that you attract the wild birds and that they keep returning to your garden. Which species of wild birds are you hoping to attract? Is the environment you are providing for the birds a safe one? Are you giving them the right types of food that will be healthy for them? All these points must be carefully thought about before you even buy your bird feeder.Types of Bird FeederNot all birds are attracted to the same kinds of feeder so you be aware of the species that are prevalent in your neighborhood and the types of feeder that will attract them. Do you want to attract hummingbirds? If you do then a feeder specially designed to hold the sugar water that they require is needed. What about attracting lovely finches? A tube bird feeder is the best design for these. Tube feeders are long and thin with attached perches that are used to hold seeds suitable for smaller birds such as nuthatches, titmice, chickadees as well as finches. For attracting a wide range of birds a gazebo bird feeder is ideal as it is large and you can add different kinds of food in the different compartments. They can hold a large amount of seed and the design ensures the seeds stay in the feeder and don’t spill on the ground where they can attract ants and predators.If you have a problem with squirrels in your area then you will want to use a squirrel proof bird feeder. These types of feeder employ a variety of methods to prevent squirrels stealing the food intended for the birds. What Food Should You Put in the Bird Feeder?Again this depends on the bird species in your area and which ones you want to attract. many people hope to attract lovely finches and for this you will need to supply their favorite foods, thistle or nyger seeds. These small seeds are best placed in a thistle or tube feeder which will keep them dry and the mesh allows the long beaked finches easy access without allowing the seeds to fall onto the ground. Other seeds to use include sunflower seeds which will attract a wide variety of birds including cardinal, jays, woodpeckers, chickadees and doves. A good seed mixture containing sunflower, cracked corn and millet can be used but avoid those containing wheat or oat seeds which are often added to the cheaper mixtures as most birds will not eat them.Making Sure the Wild Birds Feel SafeProviding the right kinds of food for the wild birds is fine but you will also need to provide a safe environment for the birds or they will not be visiting your feeder. You need to carefully consider where you place your feeder. Placing a feeder under trees means that they have a close escape route should a neighbors cat try to stalk them. If you have a cat yourself then consider attaching a bell to her collar to warn the birds of her approach.Other Ways to Attract Wild BirdsIn addition to setting up feeding stations make sure there is a supply of fresh water, especially in the winter when it can be hard to find. A bird bath is perfect but place it some way away from bird feeders as birds like to eat in the quiet! Allowing a small area of the garden to grow wild and seeding with wild flowers will attract, not only the birds but butterflies as well.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
By: Janet Bugby
Bird Photography - Learn How To Take Great Bird Photos
March 1, 2010
One of the most popular types of animal photography is bird photography. Taking great bird photos in the wild can be very challenging, but you can create lots of photo opportunities right in your own backyard.
Setting up your Backyard Photo Shoots
The biggest challenge isn’t actually attracting birds to your yard. Once your feeders are discovered, word will travel fast! The biggest challenge with bird photography is getting the birds to land right where you want them. So before setting up your feeding stations and birdbaths, consider the locations carefully.
Choose locations that won’t make the birds easy prey for cats and other predators, and at the same time that will provide you with the opportunity to photograph them with nice backgrounds and good angles.
Do remember that if you set feeders out in the winter to consistently provide quality seed so your feathery subjects aren’t filling up on something like bread that won’t provide them with the energy needed to stay warm at night.
Birdbaths also provide good photo ops, and birdhouses will help encourage birds to hang out in your yard.
If your goal is to attract certain species of birds, check with The Audubon Society to see what types of seeds or plants (in the case of birds that won’t take their meals at feeders) are best. You can also find good tips at the National Wildlife Federation’s “Gardening for Wildlife” pages at http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/tips.cfm?campaignid
Don’t limit your photographs to the bird feeders and baths either. These will help attract birds to your yard that will land on tree limbs and fences nearby, so make sure to scout these areas out with your camera in hand.
Camera Settings
Have you ever noticed that birds are in almost constant motion? When eating, their little heads are bobbing up and down, and when they are on the ground they are always looking this way and that for predators. The best setting for your bird photography will be a high shutter speed, so use Sports mode or set your shutter speed to at least 1/250.
If you have an optical zoom on your digital compact or a telephoto lens on an SLR, this will make shooting pictures a whole lot easier. An optical zoom of 6x, depending on the camera, can give you about the same magnification as a 200mm lens, meaning a photograph taken from about 10 feet away could look like a close up.
Some of the so called “bridge cameras” offer zooms from 10 to 20 feet, but not all produce quality results so check around before purchasing. You may also need a tripod or some other way to stabilize your camera when using high range zooms (and if you use a high range zoom always opt for an optical zoom).
Given a long enough lens, sometimes you can get some great photos of birds flying or sitting perched high up in trees. Professional nature photographers will often use a 600 lens to capture images with good detail of birds in flight or far away.
Telephoto lenses of this size are very expensive, but there is another way, brought to us from birders. It’s called digiscoping. With this method, you combine the birder’s spotting scope with a digital camera. Here is one of many good articles online introducing the digiscoping method to bird photographers: http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/photography/index.aspx
Blue skies are best for pictures of birds in flight. And the bluest sky of the day is often that hour after dawn. Also, look for patterns when you may have flocks of birds that fly over your yard at certain times of day. Or, if you want to photograph birds of prey, such as osprey, go to a lake or river early in the evening when they fish. This is also a good time for soft, even and warm lighting.
Hopefully by using these tips, you’ll not only attract more birds to your yard for more bird photo opportunities but capture some fantastic pictures that you’ll be proud to display.
This is great advice to consider. I hadn’t thought clearly about what I wanted the end result to be when I set up my bird feeder. I was dreaming of the beautiful life that feeding birds would add to my back garden. Instead, the feed was too far from the hole– which was too small for the birds that are in my area during the summer and fall months. Make sure you think about what you’re doing before you just jump into set-up mode with your bird feeder.
4 Comments
Before setting up your new bird feeder there are some points to consider to ensure that you attract the wild birds and that they keep returning to your garden. Which species of wild birds are you hoping to attract? Is the environment you are providing for the birds a safe one? Are you giving them the right types of food that will be healthy for them? All these points must be carefully thought about before you even buy your bird feeder.Types of Bird FeederNot all birds are attracted to the same kinds of feeder so you be aware of the species that are prevalent in your neighborhood and the types of feeder that will attract them. Do you want to attract hummingbirds? If you do then a feeder specially designed to hold the sugar water that they require is needed. What about attracting lovely finches? A tube bird feeder is the best design for these. Tube feeders are long and thin with attached perches that are used to hold seeds suitable for smaller birds such as nuthatches, titmice, chickadees as well as finches. For attracting a wide range of birds a gazebo bird feeder is ideal as it is large and you can add different kinds of food in the different compartments. They can hold a large amount of seed and the design ensures the seeds stay in the feeder and don’t spill on the ground where they can attract ants and predators.If you have a problem with squirrels in your area then you will want to use a squirrel proof bird feeder. These types of feeder employ a variety of methods to prevent squirrels stealing the food intended for the birds. What Food Should You Put in the Bird Feeder?Again this depends on the bird species in your area and which ones you want to attract. many people hope to attract lovely finches and for this you will need to supply their favorite foods, thistle or nyger seeds. These small seeds are best placed in a thistle or tube feeder which will keep them dry and the mesh allows the long beaked finches easy access without allowing the seeds to fall onto the ground. Other seeds to use include sunflower seeds which will attract a wide variety of birds including cardinal, jays, woodpeckers, chickadees and doves. A good seed mixture containing sunflower, cracked corn and millet can be used but avoid those containing wheat or oat seeds which are often added to the cheaper mixtures as most birds will not eat them.Making Sure the Wild Birds Feel SafeProviding the right kinds of food for the wild birds is fine but you will also need to provide a safe environment for the birds or they will not be visiting your feeder. You need to carefully consider where you place your feeder. Placing a feeder under trees means that they have a close escape route should a neighbors cat try to stalk them. If you have a cat yourself then consider attaching a bell to her collar to warn the birds of her approach.Other Ways to Attract Wild BirdsIn addition to setting up feeding stations make sure there is a supply of fresh water, especially in the winter when it can be hard to find. A bird bath is perfect but place it some way away from bird feeders as birds like to eat in the quiet! Allowing a small area of the garden to grow wild and seeding with wild flowers will attract, not only the birds but butterflies as well.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
By: Janet Bugby
If your looking for a wild bird feeder or a large comprehensive range of wild bird foods that a look at Pets Pantry’s wild bird department.
One of the most popular types of animal photography is bird photography. Taking great bird photos in the wild can be very challenging, but you can create lots of photo opportunities right in your own backyard.
Setting up your Backyard Photo Shoots
The biggest challenge isn’t actually attracting birds to your yard. Once your feeders are discovered, word will travel fast! The biggest challenge with bird photography is getting the birds to land right where you want them. So before setting up your feeding stations and birdbaths, consider the locations carefully.
Choose locations that won’t make the birds easy prey for cats and other predators, and at the same time that will provide you with the opportunity to photograph them with nice backgrounds and good angles.
Do remember that if you set feeders out in the winter to consistently provide quality seed so your feathery subjects aren’t filling up on something like bread that won’t provide them with the energy needed to stay warm at night.
Birdbaths also provide good photo ops, and birdhouses will help encourage birds to hang out in your yard.
If your goal is to attract certain species of birds, check with The Audubon Society to see what types of seeds or plants (in the case of birds that won’t take their meals at feeders) are best. You can also find good tips at the National Wildlife Federation’s “Gardening for Wildlife” pages at http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/tips.cfm?campaignid
Don’t limit your photographs to the bird feeders and baths either. These will help attract birds to your yard that will land on tree limbs and fences nearby, so make sure to scout these areas out with your camera in hand.
Camera Settings
Have you ever noticed that birds are in almost constant motion? When eating, their little heads are bobbing up and down, and when they are on the ground they are always looking this way and that for predators. The best setting for your bird photography will be a high shutter speed, so use Sports mode or set your shutter speed to at least 1/250.
If you have an optical zoom on your digital compact or a telephoto lens on an SLR, this will make shooting pictures a whole lot easier. An optical zoom of 6x, depending on the camera, can give you about the same magnification as a 200mm lens, meaning a photograph taken from about 10 feet away could look like a close up.
Some of the so called “bridge cameras” offer zooms from 10 to 20 feet, but not all produce quality results so check around before purchasing. You may also need a tripod or some other way to stabilize your camera when using high range zooms (and if you use a high range zoom always opt for an optical zoom).
Given a long enough lens, sometimes you can get some great photos of birds flying or sitting perched high up in trees. Professional nature photographers will often use a 600 lens to capture images with good detail of birds in flight or far away.
Telephoto lenses of this size are very expensive, but there is another way, brought to us from birders. It’s called digiscoping. With this method, you combine the birder’s spotting scope with a digital camera. Here is one of many good articles online introducing the digiscoping method to bird photographers: http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/photography/index.aspx
Blue skies are best for pictures of birds in flight. And the bluest sky of the day is often that hour after dawn. Also, look for patterns when you may have flocks of birds that fly over your yard at certain times of day. Or, if you want to photograph birds of prey, such as osprey, go to a lake or river early in the evening when they fish. This is also a good time for soft, even and warm lighting.
Hopefully by using these tips, you’ll not only attract more birds to your yard for more bird photo opportunities but capture some fantastic pictures that you’ll be proud to display.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
By: Autumn Lockwood
This is great advice to consider. I hadn’t thought clearly about what I wanted the end result to be when I set up my bird feeder. I was dreaming of the beautiful life that feeding birds would add to my back garden. Instead, the feed was too far from the hole– which was too small for the birds that are in my area during the summer and fall months. Make sure you think about what you’re doing before you just jump into set-up mode with your bird feeder.