Photography blinds

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marklangner

marklangner

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I hate bird feeder pictures, but want to take advantage of all my bird attractors. Thinking I can setup perches adjacent to the feeders for "natural" shots but many of them are super spooky. Any suggestions for a lightweight simple "blind" I could setup on my patio to sit there with my lens poking out and just wait for the little critters?
 
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I have a Tragopan blind; can't remember the model but one in which fits my foldable chair. I find it quite comfy (at least in cool weather).
 
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I set something pretty simple up this past week for about $20. I have a patio canopy with a little shelf on one side for drinks or whatever and I hung some camo netting down from the canopy to cover the opening. I covered the bottom with stuff to block my legs and so I can put the camera out under the camo netting. So far I've only been out with this for a couple of hours now, but I went from birdfeeder photos of woodpeckers to this:
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On a side note while you have this nice thread up, I am also looking into getting a popup blind and the local store has a hunting one on clearance now for a good price. Is there any reason a hunting blind wouldn't work as well as one marketed towards photographers?
 
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Depending on your climate and temperature, a chair blind can work well especially if you leave it up so the birds get used to it. If you are in hot climates, buy a bag blind which is just a big piece of camo material with an opening or sleeve for your lens. You use it with your own chair.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083LXZJRW/?tag=backcogaller-20

Photography Blinds for Wildlife Photography - NatureScapes Store

Shop a selection of photography blinds and camouflage for getting extra close to your subject in the field. Free ground shipping and satisfaction guarantee!
store.naturescapes.net store.naturescapes.net

 
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I have a large camo "blanket" which I set up between two trees. Or anything which I can tie it to on the sides. Cheap, light, easy to move - biggest challenge is finding 2 trees, That's where blinds have the advantage.
 
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marklangner said:
I hate bird feeder pictures, but want to take advantage of all my bird attractors. Thinking I can setup perches adjacent to the feeders for "natural" shots but many of them are super spooky. Any suggestions for a lightweight simple "blind" I could setup on my patio to sit there with my lens poking out and just wait for the little critters?
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I have spent the last four years trying different set ups to photograph birds that visit the granny flat. Initially I used plastic bird feeders but the Sulphur crested cockys soon destroyed them. I then collected dead tree branches and set those up. SCoombs is doing something similar. I find it better not to have perches that show 'saw marks'. Also dead tree branches are preferable for my purposes. Fortunately there is a large avocado tree that is adjacent to the granny flat. Birds that are visiting normally land in that first then come down to the feed trays either directly or by first landing on the dead tree branches I set up.
At first I often set up inside and used the curtains as a blind. I can only provide my own experiences and these may differ greatly from the experiences of others. [ See the chit chat about 'habitat' I started. ]
Initially many different species visited but overtime the number has reduced as certain species and individuals within the species have become dominant. Yesterday I was putting food out and one of the Sulphur crested was taking food from the cup . It 'bit' my finger. It did not bite hard so no problem. I have had four species come inside the granny flat. King parrot, Scally breasted lorikeet, Magpie, and Sulphur crested cocky. It is best not to let them come inside. They poop on things.

Each species of bird has different levels of 'spooky' in my experience. Some such as Rainbow Lorikeets and Noisy miners are aggressive nasty little bastards. Others such as King parrots are more refined. Also individual birds have their own characters. This may be related to the altruistic behaviour of about ten per cent of most species. I have not bothered to follow up on this but it could be a worthwhile project if you are inclined to that sort of thing.

'Blinds': I use a bag blind on the rare occasions I head off into the bush. I checked out a lot of types and decided on this one
www.ebay.com.au

Light portable Bag Hide wildlife bird watching photography lens camo Evo Oak | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Light portable Bag Hide wildlife bird watching photography lens camo Evo Oak at the best online prices at eBay!
www.ebay.com.au

It uses see through camo. It allows me to see what is going on around the place. I find this a great benefit. I would guess there are different suppliers and if I were setting up a hide I would probably buy a roll of the material and build my own.

Hope this helps.
 
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marklangner said:
I hate bird feeder pictures, but want to take advantage of all my bird attractors. Thinking I can setup perches adjacent to the feeders .
Click to expand...
One suggestion would be set the perch far enough from the feeder so that the birds will have to fly a bit to the feeder and catch them in flight. I use one of these;

photographyblinds.com

Lagopus Chair Blind

Combine a Lagopus Blind with the Lagopus Chair (sold separately) in short or standard seating height for the ultimate chair blind! (Please note the chair and blind are sold separately; the blind does not stand on its own) Attachment of the tent to the chair is very simple. The tent is placed...
photographyblinds.com photographyblinds.com

photographyblinds.com

Lagopus Chair Standard

The Lagopus Chair Blind System is our most versatile product to date. It can be used as a simple shooting chair or as a compact and efficient blind when used with the dedicated Lagopus Blind. The roof provides extra shade from the sun to ensure maximum comfort. The Lagopus Chair is based on our...
photographyblinds.com photographyblinds.com
 
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Winston Churchill (Sir) said:
I have a large camo "blanket" which I set up between two trees. Or anything which I can tie it to on the sides. Cheap, light, easy to move - biggest challenge is finding 2 trees, That's where blinds have the advantage.
Click to expand...
I dress in camo (including ghillie suit) and use camo blankets more often than I get the blind set up -- I just don't sit still long enough when taking photos :)
 
I use a 6' x 6' sheet of camo-print bug net, thrown over myself and the camera. A zipper added along the front edge to keep it closed, and a wide-brim hat to keep the netting off my face are handy. Back yard photos made using this blind:

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EDIT: the camo netting blind also rolls up to the size of a water bottle.
 
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I've had a couple of popup "Doghouse" ground blinds by Ameristep. Easy to setup, economical, and work well for photography.

www.ameristep.com

Doghouse

Ameristep®'s original ground blind, the Doghouse® ground blind features several of Ameristep's top technologies to keep you hidden through gun or bow hunting seasons. The Doghouse hunting blind blends into nearly any woodland or brushland environment with
www.ameristep.com www.ameristep.com

Available on Amazon.
 
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SCoombs said:
Is there any reason a hunting blind wouldn't work as well as one marketed towards photographers?
Click to expand...

ssheipel said:
I dress in camo (including ghillie suit) and use camo blankets more often than I get the blind set up -- I just don't sit still long enough when taking photos
Click to expand...

I have a small hunting blind that I got on sale years ago but have seldom used because I also prefer camo clothing and a ghillie jacket. My simplest set-up is a sniper's veil hung between two supports. Some camo netting would work even better than the sniper's veil, but I already had two veils and have never bothered to get camo netting.
 
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Winston Churchill (Sir) said:
I have a large camo "blanket" which I set up between two trees. Or anything which I can tie it to on the sides. Cheap, light, easy to move - biggest challenge is finding 2 trees, That's where blinds have the advantage.
Click to expand...
I had this issue & ended up buying two poles from a hunting website to hang the camo blanket off.
The poles were really cheap & now I can erect my camo blanket anywhere.
I also use a long length of para cord so I can also make what is similar to a washing line to hang the blanket off.
 
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Birds are primed to avoid predators and if I simply sit still in chair near my feeders and bird bath the birds quickly ignore my presence as I do not fit a threat or predator profile. The smaller song birds are the least skittish and I can stand within a couple of feet of the feeders and they will ignore me completely.

At my water dish I placed a couple of metal stands and placed a branch between them. Birds will land on the branch before and after using the water dish and this is when I can photograph them at my leisure.

Even a piece of camo netting works well as it hides your outline to wildlife. Very inexpensive and versatile. I use it when using my truck as a portable blind to cover one window and mask my movements inside.
 
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Calson said:
Birds are primed to avoid predators and if I simply sit still in chair near my feeders and bird bath the birds quickly ignore my presence as I do not fit a threat or predator profile. The smaller song birds are the least skittish and I can stand within a couple of feet of the feeders and they will ignore me completely.

At my water dish I placed a couple of metal stands and placed a branch between them. Birds will land on the branch before and after using the water dish and this is when I can photograph them at my leisure.

Even a piece of camo netting works well as it hides your outline to wildlife. Very inexpensive and versatile. I use it when using my truck as a portable blind to cover one window and mask my movements inside.
Click to expand...
If I wiggle a finger Kingfishers will leave the area for a day :)
 
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