[missbirdphotos] Re: My new bird studio
- From: Robert Smith <rsmithent@xxxxxxx>
- To: Mississippi Bird Photos Freelists <missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:26:03 -0400
Jay & Q.B. Gray - Both of those looks & sound good! I've pretty much taken
down most of my perches & blinds in NC to make the house more marketable to
"normal" folks. And the feeders are mostly packed to move to MS. I was
running 13+ feeders in different locations & different perch configurations.
When I wanted to shoot in the best light, I'd take down the other feeders &
concentrate the birds where I wanted them... There are two schools of thought
on perches: 1) a single perch in perfect light/background etc. and 2) multiple
perches to provide different shot opportunities at the same time. Most of the
time, I'm a multi-perch advocate... I'll be at a GREAT bird blind for the next
several days. It'll hold 8 photographers shooting in two different directions.
It has two water features, MULTIPLE perches, & backgrounds. Many of the
perches & their accent vegetation can be changed out a couple of times a day if
needed. (Some of the perches are in Christmas tree stands....). That way the
perches can be turned & repositioned as needed. The perches have 1" holes
drilled in the side for suet. They also have 3/8" holes drilled in spots to
stick in "natural" color (pine limbs, honeysuckle sprouts, etc.). Keep the
ideas coming! Robert
Robert Smith
336-339-3497
rsmithent@xxxxxxx
www.photobiologist.com
> Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:46:30 -0500
> Subject: [missbirdphotos] Re: My new bird studio
> From: jcliburn@xxxxxxxxx
> To: missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Thanks for the thorough description of your setup and for the great
> tips I can use around my house. Would you mind posting a picture of
> it?
>
> I'm glad you brought up suet -- I've not had good luck with it. What
> "flavor" do you use? Do you make your own, or do you buy blocks? How
> high up is your cage mounted, and does it hang from something or is it
> mounted on the tree trunk? (Raccoons seem to REALLY like mine; I've
> found it halfway across the yard before.)
>
> Really exceptional shots of the grosbeak and parula. I've never seen
> a parula, and I've seen a RB grosbeak here only once. Thank you for
> sharing.
>
> On Mon, Apr 23, 2012 at 7:55 PM, <Qgray@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Jay
> > It sounds like you have a nice setup with a lot of thought behind it.
> > I have an area in my yard setup also to take photos from and thought
> > I would share with you what I use.
> >
> > The blind I use is one I bought from Sportsman's Warehouse and is
> > really a lawn chair with a camo. cover. It has zippered openings
> > in front and on both sides to see out of and can be folded flat so it
> > can be carried in one hand
> >
> > Birds like to use and travel along edges of cover so I placed a brush
> > pile on a fence row with my feeders in front of the pile. I use a mister
> > that I tied to the inside of a waist high bush next to the brush pile. The
> > mister attracts birds and keeps them coming back to bathe. My birdbath
> > is located on the ground below the mister and as the mists collects on
> > the leaves of the bush, drops form and falls in the birdbath. The mister
> > is on a 25 foot small hose and connects to a garden hose.
> >
> > To the side I have a suet cage that faces the my house that I keep filled
> > all the time but when I am taking pictures, I remove the cage and place
> > suet in shallow holes I have drilled in the side of the tree. That way when
> > the birds are using the suet, I get a side shot of the bird but no feed is
> > in the picture.
> >
> > I also place a log close by that I have cut a small groove in it that I fill
> > with
> > peanut butter and sunflower seeds. The groove is cut in the top of the
> > log but to the back side so as not to show up in any pictures.
> >
> > The mister really works as it attracts birds that don't use sunflower seeds
> > or suet. I get most of my photos as the birds are coming to the mister
> > or using limbs placed around the feeders as you have already done.
> >
> > I am attaching two pictures one each of a Parula and Grosbeak coming
> > to my setup.
> >
> > Q.B. Gray
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > In a message dated 4/23/2012 9:03:22 A.M. Central Daylight Time,
> > jcliburn@xxxxxxxxx writes:
> >
> > So a couple of weeks ago we had a thread here discussing a "bird
> > studio." I was intrigued, so I decided to convert my driveway loop
> > into one.
> >
> > First I had to move my birdbath and a couple of feeders away from the
> > front of the house, from where I could conveniently watch birds
> > through a big window from the comfort of my kitchen table. Then I
> > read somewhere that moving/dripping water was an effective bird
> > attractant, so off to the store for a little pump... I got a 60 gph
> > submersible pump from Home Depot for $15, but, alas, I had no power in
> > the driveway loop. Sigh. I remedied that by boring a 1-inch hole in
> > the front of my house, trenching across the driveway, laying 45 feet
> > of conduit, stringing 12-2 wire, tying into a circuit in my garage,
> > and installing a weatherproof riser box with an outlet and a switch
> > out in the loop. Presto: power for the pump. (Have you priced Romex
> > recently? Yikes!)
> >
> > The drippers at the store were too expensive for my tastes -- and they
> > weren't suited for a birdbath anyway -- so I went to a nearby
> > canebrake, harvested a couple of stalks, and fashioned a dripper out
> > of cane segments. Works like a charm.
> >
> > I wanted a rustic look, so I rejiggered my platform feeder by removing
> > it from its 4x4 post in the front yard, removing the roof, mounting it
> > on an old pine knot fencepost, and made an insert out of 1x2 and
> > window screen to allow water to drain through the seed when it's
> > installed in the platform. I then found some elm limbs and mounted
> > one to the feeder for a perch. I sat the other one on the ground over
> > a cast iron plant.
> >
> > Next, I went into the woods and found a deadfall white oak trunk that
> > had broken in a few places and used my chainsaw to cut off a couple of
> > "stumps." I found a deadfall elm limb with a nice bend in it that I
> > used to lean against one of the pine trees. I bored some 1-inch holes
> > in it and inserted peanuts, hoping for jays or woodpeckers. (None
> > have partaken yet.)
> >
> > Finally, I erected the Ameristep doghouse blind, which my poor wife
> > finds appalling, but I argue we live in the country and don't get many
> > refined visitors anyway, so what harm can it be?
> >
> > Yesterday was my first attempt at photography in the studio. The
> > highlight of the day was an early morning, dew-drenched Indigo bunting
> > who surprised me sufficiently to cause me miss a shot when he was on
> > the perch. I settled for a feeder sidewall shot. I also got a
> > cardinal and a chipping sparrow in the evening, but unfortunately they
> > weren't on the perch, either. (BTW, It gets HOT inside that blind
> > when the sun shines on it -- even on a cool, windy day!) I was
> > pleased to finally get good feather detail using only a 300mm lens
> > (without teleconverter, because I wanted to open up to f4). I'm not
> > pleased with the Chipping sparrow detail, but he was in harsh light,
> > so that probably explains it. The cardinal and bunting were in
> > diffuse light, and those seemed to turn out much better.
> >
> > So, thanks to Missbird photogs, I now have a studio! I'd be happy to
> > receive suggestions for improvements and additions.
> >
> > Jay
>
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