Great video! My #1 tip would be to make sure you have strategically placed perches for the birds to land on before they go to the feeder. They like to look around for danger before they commit to the feeder. Practicing on the birds in the backyard and feeders is a great way to learn your camera and hone your skills.
That's a great tip, thanks so much! I like to make sure I hang my feeders in or near a good looking tree with a nice background behind my preferred perches. Like you say, a nearby perch helps the birds feel more comfortable, and it really makes all the difference when taking pictures as well.
Once again my Sunday classic, watching your beautiful videos with your friendly narration together with great background music, ooooh, what a joy to spend such godd time. Thank you so much Jimmy.
Such a relaxing video. Thanks, Jimmy! The Americas have very different average small bird species so all of them were really fun to watch, but the images of quails against the sun were just spectacular. My approach to small birds is opportunistic - as i walk long routes, I just listen and freeze for a while to find them. Can't get too close like that, but a lot of different species are possible.
Thanks Ott, always appreciated! I was so thrilled with the Quail. They're so skittish in my area, but I think I caught them when they were just waking up for the morning and still seemed a bit sleepy 😆 That's a great technique for smaller birds. That's how I get most of my images of Towhees, Jays, etc. Thanks again for the input!
It is interesting seeing some of the western versions of the birds I photograph from either a window or the patio doors. A lot of my summertime birds are simply photographed while out hiking or wandering the yard.
one day in spring, i counted 22 different bird species in my yard (in far northern Utah) alone. it was like I was in an aviary! no tips for you that you probably don't know. just keep it up. enjoy your videos!
Great video and awesome pictures of the birds. I enjoyed seeing some of the same birds I see in my backyard in the Florida panhandle. Gotta get out my blind!
Thanks so much, always appreciated! I need to keep a better list of the birds I see in my backyard, it really is one of the best places for small bird photography!
Enjoyed this very much, Jimmy. I'm formulating a hide on my rear deck. I'll bet you could swap your 1DX II to update to mirrorless. I did. Mirrorless has so much more to offer us, i.e. auto animal eye focus. My kit now is a Canon 7D, RF 100-500 lens, and an RF 800 F11 lens. In your yard you could probably do well with an RF 70-200 F4 with the R7 cropped body. The R7 body was only $1499. The RF lenses on the other hand are not cheap. My RF 100-500 was $2799. But, the clarity is as good as it gets. Another advantage of the R7 is pixel size. It's 30 mp; but if you need to crop a lot, the pixel size allows such.
Thanks so much for looking and for your comment! I'm primarily using my R5 for everything these days. I occasionally still use the 1DX when it's convenient, but I'm really loving my R5 and 100-500mm, a truly wonderful combo. Sounds like you have a pretty fantastic setup, I hope your deck hide goes well!
Great video as usual. I put sunflower seed in the snow behind a slight ridge of snow so it doesn't show in my pics. I then setup inside my house and shoot through the window. This way I stay warm :)
Thanks! Sounds like a nice, comfortable setup 😁 I like to shoot from indoors as well when possible. I have a ground level office window that makes it really convenient to photograph out of.
Thanks a lot for this one. These common birds are totally underrepresented in photography even though they can be very photogenic and usually very good models - as you excellent footage and pictures show. I don't have a yard or even a balcony so the only feeders I have are hummingbird feeders inside my apartment. For those I just use my phone for movies. Sometimes I use a proper camera and a macro lens, but they really don't like the sound of the shutter, so I don't do it too often. For other common species of small birds, I usually don't use a hide. Instead, I go to places where the birds are approachable. In addition, I use 16mm extension tubes - on the Sony 200-600mm, at 600mm, these increase magnification from 0.20x to 0.32x.
Thanks so much for watching and your input, I always appreciate it! I'm still working on the Hummingbirds, haven't had too much luck this far. I like your tip about the extension tube, it's a tool that too few photographers use or even know about, and they're so handy when photographing small birds with a long lens. Thanks again, have a great week!
Another good one Jimmy, I have spent a lot of time in my backyard photographing the birds that frequent our yard. It is a great way to learn photography and just knowing what your camera can do. Our migrant birds are just starting to show up, it has been a long cold winter and it is also a cold start to spring. I was at our local marsh and in the last couple of days there has been hundreds of Swallows arriving. I spent a couple of hours of trying to get some flight shots of the swallows and it is like trying to photograph a flying bullet. Thanks again for all your hard work and I hope your backyard turns out to be a real sanctuary for lots of critters. Have a good week!!
Thanks a bunch, Keith! Your bird photography is absolutely phenomenal. I'm always blown away by many of the images you're able to capture, so I appreciate the input. Good luck with the Swallows in flight, that may just be one of the most challenging wildlife scenarios out there, can't wait to see what you're able to photograph this spring!
Great video Jimmy. This video popped up on my search page today! excited to watch more, cheers
Thank you my friend, I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you ever have any suggestions or recommendations 😊
Great video! My #1 tip would be to make sure you have strategically placed perches for the birds to land on before they go to the feeder. They like to look around for danger before they commit to the feeder. Practicing on the birds in the backyard and feeders is a great way to learn your camera and hone your skills.
That's a great tip, thanks so much! I like to make sure I hang my feeders in or near a good looking tree with a nice background behind my preferred perches. Like you say, a nearby perch helps the birds feel more comfortable, and it really makes all the difference when taking pictures as well.
Once again my Sunday classic, watching your beautiful videos with your friendly narration together with great background music, ooooh, what a joy to spend such godd time. Thank you so much Jimmy.
Thank you so much, you're always so kind, I really appreciate it! I wish you a wonderful week!
Hi Jimmy this morning arrived to my house your 2023 calendar , it's excellent. muchas gracias from New York
Thank you so much, Walter! I'm glad it arrived safely, I hope you enjoy and sincerely thank you for your support!
Hey Jimmy. Congrats for the New species. Well done. Very nice video. Greets Stefan
Thanks so much, Stefan, it was such a fun few days of bird photography!
Merci Jimmy pour ces belles photos.
Thank you very much 🙏
My favorite method is hanging out my bedroom window or off my balcony and hoping they don’t fly away 🤣
I can't even tell you how many times I do that. I'll often remove my window screens so I have a clear shot 😂 It really is a wonderful method though!
Such a relaxing video. Thanks, Jimmy! The Americas have very different average small bird species so all of them were really fun to watch, but the images of quails against the sun were just spectacular.
My approach to small birds is opportunistic - as i walk long routes, I just listen and freeze for a while to find them. Can't get too close like that, but a lot of different species are possible.
Thanks Ott, always appreciated! I was so thrilled with the Quail. They're so skittish in my area, but I think I caught them when they were just waking up for the morning and still seemed a bit sleepy 😆 That's a great technique for smaller birds. That's how I get most of my images of Towhees, Jays, etc. Thanks again for the input!
It is interesting seeing some of the western versions of the birds I photograph from either a window or the patio doors. A lot of my summertime birds are simply photographed while out hiking or wandering the yard.
I love the birds out here, but I've got such a long list of birds I'd like to photograph in the east. One of these days we'll get them all!
Great video. Really appreciate what you are doing to provide a safe and comfortable environment in you yard. Looking forward to seeing your pond.
Thank you 🙏 I'm so excited for the pond, just waiting for the ground to thaw out a bit 😆
Very enjoyable
Thanks so much!
one day in spring, i counted 22 different bird species in my yard (in far northern Utah) alone. it was like I was in an aviary! no tips for you that you probably don't know. just keep it up. enjoy your videos!
Wow 😳 that's incredible! That's pretty much the goal for my yard!
Very cool! I enjoyed seeing the quail, not a bird I see where I currently reside. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Brandt! They're such a fun bird, I'm lucky to have a family that occasionally hangs around every now and again.
@@JimmyBreitenstein you’re welcome!
Great video and awesome pictures of the birds. I enjoyed seeing some of the same birds I see in my backyard in the Florida panhandle. Gotta get out my blind!
Thanks so much, always appreciated! I need to keep a better list of the birds I see in my backyard, it really is one of the best places for small bird photography!
Enjoyed this very much, Jimmy. I'm formulating a hide on my rear deck. I'll bet you could swap your 1DX II to update to mirrorless. I did. Mirrorless has so much more to offer us, i.e. auto animal eye focus. My kit now is a Canon 7D, RF 100-500 lens, and an RF 800 F11 lens. In your yard you could probably do well with an RF 70-200 F4 with the R7 cropped body. The R7 body was only $1499. The RF lenses on the other hand are not cheap. My RF 100-500 was $2799. But, the clarity is as good as it gets. Another advantage of the R7 is pixel size. It's 30 mp; but if you need to crop a lot, the pixel size allows such.
Thanks so much for looking and for your comment! I'm primarily using my R5 for everything these days. I occasionally still use the 1DX when it's convenient, but I'm really loving my R5 and 100-500mm, a truly wonderful combo. Sounds like you have a pretty fantastic setup, I hope your deck hide goes well!
Great video as usual. I put sunflower seed in the snow behind a slight ridge of snow so it doesn't show in my pics. I then setup inside my house and shoot through the window. This way I stay warm :)
Thanks! Sounds like a nice, comfortable setup 😁 I like to shoot from indoors as well when possible. I have a ground level office window that makes it really convenient to photograph out of.
Thanks a lot for this one. These common birds are totally underrepresented in photography even though they can be very photogenic and usually very good models - as you excellent footage and pictures show.
I don't have a yard or even a balcony so the only feeders I have are hummingbird feeders inside my apartment. For those I just use my phone for movies. Sometimes I use a proper camera and a macro lens, but they really don't like the sound of the shutter, so I don't do it too often.
For other common species of small birds, I usually don't use a hide. Instead, I go to places where the birds are approachable. In addition, I use 16mm extension tubes - on the Sony 200-600mm, at 600mm, these increase magnification from 0.20x to 0.32x.
Thanks so much for watching and your input, I always appreciate it! I'm still working on the Hummingbirds, haven't had too much luck this far. I like your tip about the extension tube, it's a tool that too few photographers use or even know about, and they're so handy when photographing small birds with a long lens. Thanks again, have a great week!
Another good one Jimmy, I have spent a lot of time in my backyard photographing the birds that frequent our yard. It is a great way to learn photography and just knowing what your camera can do. Our migrant birds are just starting to show up, it has been a long cold winter and it is also a cold start to spring. I was at our local marsh and in the last couple of days there has been hundreds of Swallows arriving. I spent a couple of hours of trying to get some flight shots of the swallows and it is like trying to photograph a flying bullet. Thanks again for all your hard work and I hope your backyard turns out to be a real sanctuary for lots of critters. Have a good week!!
Thanks a bunch, Keith! Your bird photography is absolutely phenomenal. I'm always blown away by many of the images you're able to capture, so I appreciate the input. Good luck with the Swallows in flight, that may just be one of the most challenging wildlife scenarios out there, can't wait to see what you're able to photograph this spring!
💚💚💚
Gilly suit or blind.
They both have pros and cons, I prefer the blind for birds whenever possible myself.