Taking shots of birds/wildlife with basic kit.

akcron

akcron

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Paul
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Hello all.

Saturday or Sunday i am going to my local country park to try to photograph some Birds/Wildlife.

But as in the title i only have the kit lenses, 18-55 and 55-200vr.

So any help how to proceed would be a great help as i have never photographed any kind of Birds/Wildlife before.

Thanks.:)
 
Without wishing to discourage you, you'll struggle to get good pictures of birds with a maximum focal length of 200 mm. Away from the madding crowd (as suggested) and hidden in a bush, you might get lucky if you're patient and wait for them to come to you.
 
I agree, with a little perseverance and applied wildlife craft so to speak you can get right in their and produce good shots.


Not going against the guys good suggestions, but contradictory to them you can find especially brave birds in picnic areas at country parks. Those that dart in and out of the area from a thick hedge or open field for others. ...just sit close, be calm, and see what you can get.


six feet, 200mmm, f2,8 I'm sat at one of many tables packed with people. Good luck. :)
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the 55-200 is a good lens, just a little short for tiny birds unless you can bring them close as above. So instead? Go for bigger stuff. Rabbits and squirrels are generally quite 'tame' in big parks. Frogs/toads/turtles don't move very fast. Ducks and geese are friendly. Deer a big. All of the above would be just fine for walkaround. Dogs are fun too.

Thanks
Rick

All with the 55-200VR

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You could try live mealworms. If you have a garden try them at home. Many birds will come very close to get mealworms. We had a robin that would come in through the kitchen window to take mealworms from a pot on the windowsill and then fly out through the back door.

You can also get dried mealworms which I've heard are just as good, but in our garden they are ignored.

Dave
 
Thanks for the great ideas.

I have decided to go to one of my local RSPB sites.

They have several hides set up and from reading about the site the Birds do come very close, also they have bird feeders set up so again can get quite close.

If that does not work out then it will nip over to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park plenty of subjects to point the camera at there.

Thanks again for the replies.:)
 
That's a great question. I have similar kit (18-55 & 55-250 on a Canon 500D). I thought about getting a camo boiler suit (Ebay £25 ish) and taking an early morning walk in the local woods. Plenty of birds and a few deer, probably foxes. And early mornings are getting later as summer disappears.
 
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