Beginner Backyard Bird Practice

[Fishboy1952]

Nice shots Joaquin! I started on a D7500 and soon acquired a 200-500. Great setup and one you can learn with. The key with the D7500 is to be able to switch AF modes quickly…for perched birds (single point) to birds in flight (grp mode). Getting that transition seamless will definitely expand your keeper rate, if you try BIF.

 

[Joaquin]

Nice shots Joaquin! I started on a D7500 and soon acquired a 200-500. Great setup and one you can learn with. The key with the D7500 is to be able to switch AF modes quickly…for perched birds (single point) to birds in flight (grp mode). Getting that transition seamless will definitely expand your keeper rate, if you try BIF.

Did you like group mode or dynamic 9 for switching to BIF on the 7500? I was using group when I was ONLY trying to shoot BIF, but dynamic 9 is one click of the sub command wheel away from single point so I’ve been trying to use that more. Easier to get to for me

 

[Fishboy1952]

I preferred Grp over Dynamic 9 for BIF on the 7500. In my opinion you want to use the tightest group of AF points you can get away with. It puts you in more control. If Dynamic 9 works better for you, then go for it. I used Grp, and then graduated to a D500. Changing modes there was the release of a button. But I did get some very nice images on the D7500.

 

[Joaquin]

I preferred Grp over Dynamic 9 for BIF on the 7500. In my opinion you want to use the tightest group of AF points you can get away with. It puts you in more control. If Dynamic 9 works better for you, then go for it. I used Grp, and then graduated to a D500. Changing modes there was the release of a button. But I did get some very nice images on the D7500.

Yep D500 is going to be my next upgrade I think. I wish they would give a little more on a trade for a d7500 though!

 

[Joaquin]

Sure, why not? I really only got a couple of shots, both at the feeder, and it was gone. This is very heavily cropped.
View attachment 31206

Man that is so cool! I've never even seen one before, I've never really gotten serious about looking though in the past. I've seen Indigo buntings before, never painted though. Hoping to change that this year. I lease a ranch outside of Austin we're running cattle on and I think it may have some perfect habitat for them. Going to set some feeders up there with white millet and see what happens.

 

[Joaquin]

Pretty much some of the usual visitors so far - American Goldfinches and earlier in winter a Lesser Goldfinch. House Finch's, 3 species of woodpeckers, Northern Cardinals, Black-crested Titmouse, couple species of Wrens, Yellow-rumped Warblers. No shortage of White-winged Doves or house sparrows. Last winter we had numerous Pine Siskens but haven't noticed any so far this winter. I keep hoping for Painted Buntings also especially a male but so far I've not seen one but they're reported in this region in spring/summer.

So far I've got black crested titmouse, northern cardinals, downy woodpecker, red bellied woodpecker, house finch, white wings, house sparrows, redwing blackbirds, carolina chickadees, carolina wrens, yellow rumped warblers, and pheobes. Ive seen red shouldered hawks in the yard as well as one merlin and coopers/sharpshins. the hawks are zeroing in with all my feeders now. I haven't seen a pine sisken here either. Starlings too in the city aren't in short supply but since the red wing blackbirds showed up I think they've been keeping them run off of my feeders.

 

[Joaquin]

Finally got some Goldfinches (lesser goldfinch, not american goldfinch) to come to the feeders. First time I'd ever seen one I think.

Nikon D7500 with 200-500f5.6. 500mm-F5.6-ISO:800-SS:1/2500

 

[Joaquin]

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

Same Gear: 500mm-F5.6-SS:1/2500-ISO400

I can really tell the difference between the ISO:400 and ISO:800 on my computer. Got too excited about a new bird to remember to turn down SS. I could have gone down quite a bit. once he was still but he was jumping around really erratically before he settled on that limb for a little bit.

 

[Andrew Lamberson]

If you plan on staying in your home for a while,

or if you rent you can do this:
http://www.johngoodayphotography.co...e-reflecting-pool-for-garden-bird-photography

Water will attract more birds than feeding. Some birds won't come to feeders, but they sure will come to water!

 

[Joaquin]

If you plan on staying in your home for a while,

or if you rent you can do this:
http://www.johngoodayphotography.co...e-reflecting-pool-for-garden-bird-photography

Water will attract more birds than feeding. Some birds won't come to feeders, but they sure will come to water!

I was planning on a blind and bird bath next but that setup with the tray looks way better. I'm planning on selling this house before too long so I don't want to do anything too permanent. Really just trying to learn my camera as best as I can in the yard before I head out to some ranches I've got leased for cattle and start shooting more pictures of bobcats, coyotes, and foxes. We're covered up with them on a couple places. If I wasn't so swamped in my office I'd be out there already but I've had a lot of fun with the birds too. Something addictive about checking new ones off the list in these birdwatching apps on my phone.

 

[Andrew Lamberson]

You have the right lens for the big critters! The Nikon 1.4 Teleconverter works well on that lens. That gives you a whopping 700mm! But you will need a REALLY good tripod and Gimble mount. Don't try and go cheap on the tripod. I purchased a Really Right Stuff tripod with a Jobu Design Jobu Jr.3 Deluxe Gimbal Kit with Swing-Arm HM-J3D and shoot the 200-500 with super sharp images. There is no way I can shoot that lens handheld and get super sharp images! Also, get a cheap (under $20 or so) wired shutter remote and your sharpness will dramatically increase!! Shoot at a minimum of 1/500 sec and that will help also.

Above all, read...read ....read and watch videos! TONS of good information out there and especially on this site.

Again, get a really good tripod. It will last you forever and you be glad you didn't waste money on a cheap one!!!
Make sure the tripod extends high enough for you to be able to take pictures of birds in the trees. Find one that gets high enough WITHOUT extending the center column if possible. It will be much more stable.

Read up on motion blur.

Above all...have fun!!!

 

[Joaquin]

You have the right lens for the big critters! The Nikon 1.4 Teleconverter works well on that lens. That gives you a whopping 700mm! But you will need a REALLY good tripod and Gimble mount. Don't try and go cheap on the tripod. I purchased a Really Right Stuff tripod with a Jobu Design Jobu Jr.3 Deluxe Gimbal Kit with Swing-Arm HM-J3D and shoot the 200-500 with super sharp images. There is no way I can shoot that lens handheld and get super sharp images! Also, get a cheap (under $20 or so) wired shutter remote and your sharpness will dramatically increase!! Shoot at a minimum of 1/500 sec and that will help also.

Above all, read...read ....read and watch videos! TONS of good information out there and especially on this site.

Again, get a really good tripod. It will last you forever and you be glad you didn't waste money on a cheap one!!!
Make sure the tripod extends high enough for you to be able to take pictures of birds in the trees. Find one that gets high enough WITHOUT extending the center column if possible. It will be much more stable.

Read up on motion blur.

Above all...have fun!!!

I bought a Benro BAT24 tripod because it looked like the nicest, sturdiest one at my local camera store but I already regret it. It was expensive enough in its own right because it came with a very mediocre ball head. cheap tripod+cheap ballhead = overpriced package. I have a Wimberly sidekick gimbal though that has been working fantastic with that lens on the ballhead. I love that sidekick because its not as big and awkward to strap to my backpack and I can't see where a full gimbal would really be that much better. Probably going to wind up selling this tripod though and upgrading to a RRS soon with a RRS ballhead.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Joaquin]

I was thinking I could still make some use out of this more compact tripod once I get a RRS for situations like sitting in a blind or on the ground with it when calling predators but even then the RRS has the advantage of being able to get completely flat to the ground where the center column of this tripod stops that. This was the one impulse buy I had where I didn't research completely before buying. Lesson learned... always do your homework.