I don’t know about you, but I LOVE backyard birding, which means I also love backyard bird photography! The two go hand in hand. In my most recent YouTube video, I discuss how to identify the birds that visit your backyard, how to attract the birds to your own backyard, and of course some tips on how to photograph the birds.

Identifying Birds

There are two things that you will need to make your backyard bird photography adventure enjoyable:

1. A Great Bird Field Guide

   I highly recommend the bird field guides by Stan Tekiela. They are organized by the main body color of the bird and provide useful information about the birds, such as nesting habits, how they feed, and other behavioral traits that will help you learn about your birds, which will, in turn, help you capture the birds. Below is the bird field guidebook that I am using.

   “Birds of the Carolinas Field Guide” by Stan Tekiela: https://amzn.to/3twczaP

2. A Good Pair of Binoculars.

Having a good pair of binoculars is a must! While it won’t help you take better photos, it will help you identify the birds you are seeing. There is a wide variety of binoculars. Do some research and find the ones that work best for your backyard situation.

Bushnell Binoculars (not the exact same as mine): https://amzn.to/3xGLILE

Attracting Birds

All birds need three things:

1. Shelter: If you have mature trees, excellent! You are well on your way to providing shelter for a variety of birds. Some birds will benefit from a birdhouse, such as the Eastern Bluebird. If you have bluebirds visiting your yard, you can buy a dedicated bluebird box.

   Bluebird Box House: https://amzn.to/3mE4Y6l

2. Water: All birds need to drink water and have a place to clean themselves. If you don’t have a pond or a creek running through your yard, this is as simple as installing a bird bath.

   Outdoor Garden Bird Bath: https://amzn.to/3xLxPfy

   Deck Railing Mounted Bird Bath: https://amzn.to/3QkbyMK

3. Food: Hands down the most important thing you will need to attract birds to your backyard is food. I recommend doing some research on the types of birds common in your area (hint….your bird field guide is a great place to start). You will want to provide a variety of both bird feeders and bird food. This will help attract a variety of birds.

   Platform Feeder: https://amzn.to/3mX0doN

   Suet Cake Feeder: https://amzn.to/3MHcOqy

   Round Bird Feeder: https://amzn.to/3MKmZdP

   Cole’s Blue Ribbon Blend Bird Seed: https://amzn.to/3xDsgQ1

   Suet Cakes: https://amzn.to/3NZNBcp

   Another way to attract birds to your backyard is to plant a variety of native plants that will attract pollinators and insects. These insects are a great food source for your birds. And let’s be honest, flowers are pretty!

Camera Settings

Now that you have attracted birds to your backyard, the next phase is to start photographing them! I typically shoot in manual mode, but you could also use shutter priority. In Manual Mode, I start by setting my shutter speed. I typically start with 1/1000 second and then adjust from there as needed. I then select a wide aperture to help isolate the subject (the bird) from the background. I typically float between f/2.8 to f/4. I find this does a great job of blurring the background so that the focus is on the bird and not the tree or other items that are behind the bird. My ISO varies on depending on the lighting situation. It could be anywhere from an ISO 100 to ISO 1000 depending on the light. You can also set your camera to Auto ISO to save yourself one less thing to think about.

Disclaimer: I earn a small commission on the Amazon links above if you decide to purchase the item. This tiny commission adds up and greatly helps me to continue creating content for this channel. I very much appreciate your support!