Fun with Backyard Photography

Northern Mockingbird by Marian Mendez

Marian Mendez, who photographs her backyard birds near Miami, Florida, is winner of the Celebrate Urban Birds “Beautiful Birds in Urban Places” contest. She was awarded a digital camera donated by Leica. Marian provides hundreds of photos to Celebrate Urban Birds, two shown here and many more on the contest results web page.

Marian’s yard attracts many birds, which she attributes to “benign neglect.” She never uses pesticides, instead washing destructive bugs off plants with dishwashing soap and water. She keeps bushes and trees trimmed to reduce the number of hiding places for cats and to make it easier to see birds. She goes out several times a day with her camera, even when doing yardwork.

Marian uses a Canon PowerShot S5-IS. She says, “I have poor vision, so I depend on autofocus. I use the large viewer. In bright sunlight this works well. If branches are close to the bird, the autofocus can be ‘tricked’ by shifting the camera until the focusing box is on the most clearly visible part of the bird and holding the release halfway down while shifting back to the view I want. Sometimes I focus on something about the same distance as the bird. If possible, I maneuver to get the sun behind me. When it’s behind the bird, I sometimes get silhouettes or other interesting effects. I keep the camera strap at the back of my head, just above my neck, and hold the camera taut to reduce ‘jitter’. It’s not as good as a tripod, but it’s a whole lot faster.

Loggerhead Shrike by Marian Mendez

“Early in the morning and late in the day, I sometimes get dramatic ‘golden birds’ and silhouettes. At midday the details are crisp but lack depth, making the birds appear ‘cut out’. I generally use full zoom and approach slowly, taking a few pictures every few steps. If the bird startles, at least I’ve got something” .

Backyard bird photography is fun and rewarding. As Marian says, “I’m out in the fresh air, getting sunshine and a new perspective on life. Staying cooped up is only good for chickens!”

— Laura Erickson

For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Laura Erickson, editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Phone: (607) 254-1114. email: lle24@cornell.edu