Create a Happy and Vibrant Bird Garden Photo Studio

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What does a bird garden, gardener and a photographer have in common? A love and passion for seeing our beautiful birds in our own back yard! The really cool news is that a bird garden doesn’t require a massive amount of land space.

We also don’t have to be relegated to photographing birds at feeders. Birds at feeders are ok, but seeing them in flowers, trees and branches. Well, you get the idea! Grow and maintain a birding haven and you’ll have a nature photography studio in your own back yard, courtyard or patio.

All throughout our cities, parks and urban areas, birds thrive when key ingredients are available.

In the Chickadee image above, you’ll see that she’s holding a mouthful of bugs. She spent ten minutes gathering this much needed protein to feed her babies waiting in her birdhouse. She wasn’t feeding them suet or birdseed – but bugs. Lot’s and lots of little bugs!

What is the special sauce for a bird garden?

1. Water from bird baths. Even better if it’s moving water. If not, it’s ok as they’ll be happy with a drink. If you’re really lucky you’ll get to watch a splashing dip too. Water year round will keep the locals happy, the travelers healthy.
2. Bird feeders & bird houses. Many birds, such a chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, finches will dart in and out all day long. These birds love their seeds and berries along with their local plants, insects and caterpillar diet. Add in a suet feeder and little woodpeckers make their presence known consistently.
3. Seasonal treats. Spring Migration brings many beautiful and colorful birds. These birds are tired and hungry! Both coming up to nest and breed. Then after the young ones have fledged the nest, they need nourishment on the way home. Think hummingbird feeders, oranges for Orioles, sunflower, peanut butter treats.
4. This one is very, very important! Native plants. I’ll mention it again….native plants. These plants are not just the plants that grow in your zone and attract butterflies or birds. The native plants provide the complete set of nutrition that birds need to travel, nest, and feed their young. That nutrition includes proteins from insects, caterpillars, bugs and other little creepy-crawly guests. Native plants harbor nutrition and the food chain. See the Chickadee image above.

Need a list of native plants for your area? Check out the Native Wildlife Federations’ Native Plant Finder.

Resources to grow your bird garden & studio?

More and more nurseries are jumping on the native plant band wagon. And that’s just plain awesome!

Cautionary tale though, just because someone says it’s a native plant, it may or may not be. As nurseries have many workers, some are more aware of true natives versus what grows in your area. Researching in advance helps you and the nurseries ensure you’re growing the right garden for your birds.

Also, I’m not suggesting that you tear out your current garden. You love your roses, your hydrangeas. Let’s just add in more real, native plants to what you already have! A few plantings start the process rolling.

Here’s a book series by Doug Tallamy that shares both gardening and bird knowledge that’ll keep our yards thriving, one house hold at a time. 1). Bringing Nature Home 2). Nature’s Best Hope and 3) The Living Landscape.

“You don’t have save biodiversity for a living, but please consider saving biodiversity where you live.” Doug Tallamy

Another resource that’s been instrumental in the native plant movement is Saving Birds Thru Habitat. Dedicated to education on habitat, Kay Charter and the organization’s work educates and serves birding habitat so our migrating songbirds thrive.

“Helping to improve habitat for migrating birds one backyard at a time.” Kay Charter

Photography “Gardening” Tips

Photographing and watching birds in our garden go hand in hand. When planning your new gardening photography studio, here’s a few tips to consider to maximize your photo moments.

• Birds perch before diving in to the feeders. Offer natural perches with branches, interesting garden stakes and decor. If using man-made decor, just remember that signs of hand-of-man will disqualify in the nature category for most contests. But many man made garden decor items look lovely in images.
• Backgrounds, what do they look like? We have our garden, our feeders and bird baths. Now, our little birds fly in and we immediately get amazing shots, right? Well, if you do that’s fantastic! This is your friendly reminder to watch and manage what’s in the background. If you put a perch in front of the watering hose or faucet, it’ll show like a sort thumb. Place perches with separation between the perch and the background to capture soft, melting colors that illuminate your birds.
• “Ugly dead cr*p”. When blooming season is over, the leftovers dry and continue offering seeds to our birds. What’s a discard for one bird, is another bird’s (and bird photographer’s) treasure. Off season textures, drab colors serve up interesting imagery for our resident birds and wildlife. Plus, fun and creative macro moments await.
• Avoid the monoculture! Diversity breeds diversity in our images and for our birds. Just because you love sunflowers and a variety of species do too, don’t bank on just a large quantity of a few types of flowers. To harbor a haven for birds and their food chain, the feeding season covers multiple months with different types of flowers, trees and plants that bloom and provide food sources throughout. Your images will change throughout the season and the birds will keep coming back!

Your Gardening & Bird Photography Tips?

If you’re a gardener, birder, photographer or any combination, what tips would you offer?

For more information on bird photography tips and finding birds, we have recently published: Birding and Bird Photography: A Perfect Pair and also Bird Migration: Strutting Their Stuff.