When, where, it is the best to bird shoot

[Edward Legaspi]

Hi,

Can you give us advice on where, when, etc it is best to bird shoot :-D? We (me and chaps) tried last Saturday at UP Los Banos and in the foot of Mt Makiling, but we didn't see any other bird aside from shriek :-D. Perhaps it's too hot?

Thanks,
Edward

[Romy Ocon]

Apr 6, 2010 12:44:00 GMT Edward Legaspi said:

Hi,

Can you give us advice on where, when, etc it is best to bird shoot :-D? We (me and chaps) tried last Saturday at UP Los Banos and in the foot of Mt Makiling, but we didn't see any other bird aside from shriek :-D. Perhaps it's too hot?

Thanks,
Edward

Hi Edward,

Birds are usually active during the first hours of the morning, and to a lesser extent in the late afternoon. They can be seen all day too in places where they can source food (fruiting/flowering plants, fishponds, etc.).

If you're serious in wishing to see many of our birds, try to join a birdwatching club (many of us are members of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines - birdwatch.ph/). You can then join club guided trips and tap the wisdom of experienced members.

Romy

[Tonji Ramos]

I agree with Romy, join Wild Bird Club its the best place to learn birding skills plus the members are fun and very friendly. I started out as a bird watcher before taking pictures of them. Learning how to spot them, keep your distance and learning bird behavior will really help your bird photography a lot!

When I was starting out I would go around my street every morning and look for birds. You will be surprised with the variety of birds you can find living near you. Its also a great way to learn about their behavior. Just going around our village we have already photographed 50 species of birds, a lot of them in our street and garden. As I am writing this I have hear a pair of Black naped orioles, some Yellow vented bulbuls and an Olive backed sunbird in my back garden.

Common birds are great subjects for practice. Shrikes are the best, they hardly move. Plus you get to learn how to expose a subject that has both black and white.

[Edward Legaspi]

Hi,

@sir Romy, now that you've mentioned it. Yes the birds are just all around our house these past few days, every morning (we have trees adjacent our house). I believe most of them are "maya" and some are "pipit" (this one is pretty active, can't get a good shot :-D). Perhaps we would join the birdwatch group so we'll appreciate birding more :-D. Thanks for the tips.

Tonji Ramos, I will try to scan our barangay next week. Still we have greenfields here, so hopefully I would be able to experiment with my shots :-D. Maybe I can get a couple of good shots with other birds aside from shrike :-D. I found it hard to take photos of them, since often the background color is the same as them :-D.

I really am enjoying this hobby :-D.

Thanks,
Edward