Tips for finding wildlife

[Old_Video_Guy]

Ok, I totally understand how important time and patience is in wildlife photography, but for people who do not have endless time to spend in the field, what are the best ways to "find" wildlife to shoot? I'm an intermediate photographer, but new to wildlife shooting and I'm really enjoying it so far, but I'm finding it difficult to devote enough time to locate the subjects I want to photograph in the wild. I like to shoot at zoos and wildlife rehab centers for practice, but I want to get more photos of animals in their natural habitat. How do I best maximize my limited time in the field?

 

[JAJohnson]

A few quick thoughts from my regular practice. Do some research about the public parks and wetlands within an hour’s drive of where you live. For birds, determine which are year round residents and which are seasonal. The eBird app can help with this. Are there deer or elk in the area? If you’re near larger bodies of water there will lots of animals which are likely to be nearby.

Also, if you’re able, plan a visit to well known areas in which wildlife is available. National parks, well known bird migration stops, etc. are always a good idea.

I’m sure other Forum members will post great ideas from their experience.

 

[Halfblindphoto]

I use Facbook groups. It's plenty photo groups out there depending on your location and what you want to take photos of.

I'm on holiday in Washington State right now so I joined groups like:

• Pacific Northwest Birders
• Washington Wildlife/Nature Photography
• Washington Birders

And then of course you have this forum and others like this.

Good luck with your research.

 

[Dinusaur]

In addition to what JA said, as far as the birding goes, eBird has region/county specific birding 'hotspots' and each hotspot has sighting list. if want something in addition to birds, iNaturalist is another source.

 

[Old_Video_Guy]

I use Facbook groups. It's plenty photo groups out there depending on your location and what you want to take photos of.

I'm on holiday in Washington State right now so I joined groups like:

• Pacific Northwest Birders
• Washington Wildlife/Nature Photography
• Washington Birders

And then of course you have this forum and others like this.

Good luck with your research.

Do you find the facebook group users open to sharing their secret spots? I can see people not wanting these places to get overcrowded.

 

[Old_Video_Guy]

In addition to what JA said, as far as the birding goes, eBird has region/county specific birding 'hotspots' and each hotspot has sighting list. if want something in addition to birds, iNaturalist is another source.

great tip on the app recommendation. I am definitely interested in shooting birds and though I'm no expert, I think my area of Maine is full of a varity of photogenic birds. This stuff is all new to me and I'm encouraged by the endless resources available to people interested in viewing/photographing wildlife. I wonder if there are similar apps for other animals like deer/moose, foxes, etc?

 

[Old_Video_Guy]

A few quick thoughts from my regular practice. Do you some research about the public parks and wetlands within an hour’s drive of where you live. For birds, determine which are year round residents and which are seasonal. The eBird app can help with this. Are there deer or elk in the area? If you’re near larger bodies of water there will lots of animals which are likely to be nearby.

Also, if you’re able, plan a visit to well known areas in which wildlife is available. National parks, well known bird migration stops, etc. are always a good idea.

I’m sure other Forum members will post great ideas from their experience

 

[Old_Video_Guy]

How much time does everyone average on a typical wildlife shoot? I can usually get out for a couple hours but not much more. Is this enough time to come back with a couple keepers every so often or do I need to be out there longer?

 

[SCoombs]

Do you find the facebook group users open to sharing their secret spots? I can see people not wanting these places to get overcrowded.

In addition to this concern, I think it also depends on location. I've searched for WI groups, for instance, and found very few. It the few I found, only one of them actually responded to my join request. In that one I joined, there is basically no info like this.

 

[Abinoone]

Ok, I totally understand how important time and patience is in wildlife photography, but for people who do not have endless time to spend in the field, what are the best ways to "find" wildlife to shoot? I'm an intermediate photographer, but new to wildlife shooting and I'm really enjoying it so far, but I'm finding it difficult to devote enough time to locate the subjects I want to photograph in the wild. I like to shoot at zoos and wildlife rehab centers for practice, but I want to get more photos of animals in their natural habitat. How do I best maximize my limited time in the field?

Aside from JAJohnson's good advice of finding well populated areas, I'm afraid there's no easy substitute for investing the time to learn animal behaviors, and capturing them in action in the field (except maybe good luck). You'll have better luck with common species like squirrels, ducks, and backyard birds, but if you're after more elusive animals like bear, bobcat, and cervids, they will simply require more time and effort, and even more time and effort if you hope to capture interesting gestures, behaviors, and moments. My advice would be to concentrate on a particular species that interests you, learn everything you can about it, then use your knowledge to help you anticipate the animal's behavior and position yourself accordingly. I know this might seem simplistic and obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people don't follow this approach, then wonder why they can't get the magical keeper they really want.

 

[JAJohnson]

Aside from JAJohnson's good advice of finding well populated areas, I'm afraid there's no easy substitute for investing the time to learn animal behaviors, and capturing them in action in the field (except maybe good luck). You'll have better luck with common species like squirrels, ducks, and backyard birds, but if you're after more elusive animals like bear, bobcat, and cervids, they will simply require more time and effort, and even more time and effort if you hope to capture interesting gestures, behaviors, and moments. My advice would be to concentrate on a particular species that interests you, learn everything you can about it, then use your knowledge to help you anticipate the animal's behavior and position yourself accordingly. I know this might seem simplistic and obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people don't follow this approach, then wonder why they can't get the magical keeper they really want.

Excellent advice! In addition to knowing where a particular species finds food, water, and shelter, knowing and anticipating its behavior is equally important.

 

[JAJohnson]

How much time does everyone average on a typical wildlife shoot? I can usually get out for a couple hours but not much more. Is this enough time to come back with a couple keepers every so often or do I need to be out there longer?

Close to home, I try to be out at sunrise or before sunset, usually about two hours or so either way.

On a photography trip, I’m out just before sunrise to late morning and again three to four hours before sunset. Mid day is for having lunch and culling photos.

 

[Viathelens]

Ok, I totally understand how important time and patience is in wildlife photography, but for people who do not have endless time to spend in the field, what are the best ways to "find" wildlife to shoot? I'm an intermediate photographer, but new to wildlife shooting and I'm really enjoying it so far, but I'm finding it difficult to devote enough time to locate the subjects I want to photograph in the wild. I like to shoot at zoos and wildlife rehab centers for practice, but I want to get more photos of animals in their natural habitat. How do I best maximize my limited time in the field?

Find a photography tour provider who already knows where to go and what you'll be able to shoot.

 

[Ralph]

How much time does everyone average on a typical wildlife shoot? I can usually get out for a couple hours but not much more. Is this enough time to come back with a couple keepers every so often or do I need to be out there longer?

A lot depends on the area you are shooting in and time of year. I shoot regularly at a nearby reservoir during the migration season. I usually sit for 3 or 4 hours and see a lot of activity. Sometimes the action is immediate. Another area I frequent is a wetland. There is always activity. In your case, look for nearby ponds or bodies of water. Best time to go is early morning, right before sunrise and hang out for 3-4 hours. Also a few hours before sunset.

 

[jeffnles1]

I just want to reiterate what others have said above. Nothing is going to replace time and effort put into learning wildlife behavior and movement patterns. There are lots of books and articles written on the subject (hint, look for hunting articles and instructional videos, the skills used to hunt animals with a rifle or a camera are essentially the same).

Something else to consider, don't get totally focused on wildlife. Take your camera out in the woods and just start observing what is goin on. Take photos of nature which can be anything from abstracts of tree bark to fungi to flowers, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and landscapes.

Don't overlook parks with bird feeders. Set up so that you can get images of the birds on branches and other natural looking areas as they are coming into the feeders. I don't like photos of birds on the feeders or on the ground under them but birds usually land somewhere before their final approach to the feeder. A lot of bird photos you see where the bird is in a natural setting were captured this way.

Allow yourself more than "a couple hours" in the field. Typically, my wife and I go out 2-4 times a week and average about 3-4 hours each time not including travel time, just 3-4 hours outside the automobile. The overwhelming majority of our photography is within 60 miles of our house.

Hope all this helps. Best advice is to just get out there and do it.

 

[realspeed]

I have plenty of wildlife every day when I annoy my wife. Happy Christmas to all