Right now as I write this blog Cree has been in our backyard bird blind for hours. She is all set in the blind; she reads her Icelandic novel while she waits for birds to land on our feeders. With limited travel this year, backyard bird photography has become a favorite activity for us.
Here is the good news. Anyone can capture full frame beautiful bird images in their own backyard. First step, set up some feeders to get the birds coming to your yard. Make sure your feeders are near cover, but also far enough away so the background won’t clutter your bird images. I calculate the distance using my 600mm at F4. Do the same with your wildlife lens. Determine what focal length and aperture you will use, and make sure when focused on your feeders and perches the background looks nice and clean. Or maybe decide to have the feeder right beside a nice perch like a spruce or pine tree.
Next comes the blind, and believe it or not, this is the easiest part. Check out the Rhino 75 portable blind. This blind is perfect for one person and their gear inside the blind. The blind pops up like a large reflector. Once you know how to set it up, plan on about 3 minutes to get it set up and ready to go…it is that easy. Once set up, you can easily move it from one position to another. The blind comes in a variety of camo patterns.
The blind has a number of doors and shooting windows. Plan on setting up the blind and leaving it outside for a few days so the birds can get used to it. Make sure to stake it out so it doesn’t blow away. You will want a small chair to sit in, or just bring in a soft mat to sit on while you wait for the birds to arrive. We found within minutes of setting up the blind we had birds coming to our feeders. This blind is so portable you could bring it with you on your next trip and set it up in the field (as long as that is allowed). The blind is waterproof, so it would be great to use in a light rain…you stay dry while you can capture some great atmospheric images. Cost is $80.