ISSUE 128
34 / BIRD SPECIAL
MID-AIR MAYHEM If you live in a rural area, it’s common to see birds of prey in action overhead
Shoot more and spend less with our round-up of budget-friendly cameras. Going cheep: Affordable cameras ideal for birding
Canon EOS R100 £559 The Canon EOS R100 is an entry-level 24.1-megapixel mirrorless with an APS-C sensor and RF lens mount. It has Dual Pixel CMOS AF, Full HD video up to 60p, Movie Digital image stabilisation, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
Backyard birding From robins and blue tits to woodpeckers and sparrows, your garden can become a dream outdoor studio PECKING ORDER Set up a feeding station and you’ll get lots of bites
Nikon Z 50II £849 This impressive APS-C sensor Nikon offers 20.8 megapixels of resolution and boasts the Expeed 7 processor engine. With subject detection AF, images can be composed using the EVF or a large, 3.2-inch LCD. The camera offers a max native ISO of 51,200.
You don’t have to travel far or spend big money to capture
impressive bird photography images. Many of the UK’s most colourful and charismatic species can be found right outside your back door. With just a few simple techniques and a little patience, your garden could be a surprisingly productive wildlife photography location if you follow our tips. Switch your support Tripods can prove clumsy in smaller shooting areas, so why not ditch the tripod and switch to a monopod, which is lighter and easier to set up? Alternatively, if you prefer to be static, use a beanbag on a window sill to cushion your lens or camera body. Feeders Give birds a reason to visit your garden by putting out feeders that offer them a meal. Remember to use appropriate seed, and bake in some time for birds to get used to the feeding station. Don’t
Sony A6700 £1449 While not at the lowest end, for serious birding it offers top-notch performance. It’s Sony’s flagship APS-C sensor camera and costs a lot less than full- frame versions. It has a 26-megapixel resolution in a tiny body that you can carry around all day, with five stops of IBIS.
expect to put out a feeder and see birds land that instant. A week in advance is a much better approach. Hides A pop-up hide doesn’t have to cost the earth and it will enable you to set up closer to a feeding station without scaring off your subjects. Give yourself time to set up and stay still before birds start landing in position. Oh, and try to avoid making noise as this could scare off your subjects. Small garden ideas No big garden? What about creating a micro-reflection pool? Find a plastic seed tray, fill it up until there’s around an inch of water and then mask the edges with twigs, branches and moss. Wait until smaller birds land and take a bath or drink to click the shutter and capture stunning shots.
Garden-friendly lenses If you’re working in a smaller space, then you might be able to dispense with the 150-600mm lens and pick up something smaller and a bit more affordable. An optic like a 75-300mm should do the job nicely or, if you’re using a crop-sensor camera, a 100mm macro lens can fulfil a second role by acting as a budget-friendly and fast- aperture lens. GARDEN GATHERING A long zoom is great for backyard bird shots
OM System OM-5 Mark II £1099 Sporting a very cool safari sand paint job, this value-for-money Micro Four Thirds camera offers 20.4 megapixels of resolution and up to 7.5 stops of image stabilisation – all wrapped up in a robust body that claims an IP53 weather sealing rating. And the price isn’t bad for all that.
MAN SEEKS HIDE Wildlife centres have hides but you can buy pop-up versions
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