Page 9 - Backyard Bird Photography: How to Attract Birds to Your Home and Create Beautiful Photographs

Although most species eat all of the mixed birdseed, the Oak Titmouse flies onto the feeder

and just picks out a black oil sunflower seed, then flies into a tree to consume his food. A
few minutes later, he’s back to collect another sunflower seed, choosing not to linger on
the feeder as a House Finch or a sparrow will do. So you have to be quick to get a
photograph of that titmouse.

If I put black oil sunflower seeds in my platform feeder in Los Angeles, I am sure to
attract a group of Nanday Parakeets. Sometimes, as many as seven or eight of these bright

green birds will land on the platform feeder. The parakeets will eat mixed birdseed as well,
usually in a group of two or three, but the sunflower seeds often attract a flock to the
feeder. The best way to get a good photograph of a group of parakeets, or any birds for that
matter, is to focus on one of the members of the group and then try to catch the other
birds while they are not moving. This way, you can get most, if not all of the birds in focus.

Perhaps just as important as your plantings and your birdfeeders for attracting birds to
your garden is a birdbath. Birds need water to drink and for bathing, and the birdbath

setting offers some great opportunities for bird photography. Birds will often take a long
time in the bathing process, so you may have plenty of chances to get a shot with the water
flying about as the bird flaps his wings during his bath. Other times, the bird will perch on
the side of the birdbath or stand in the water.

Golden-crowned Sparrow with peanut