My Biggest Bird Photography Field Secret

Find more birds and take better photographs through the gentle art of 'slow birding'.

One of the questions I'm often asked is how I manage to find so many birds when I'm out in the field.

Is it knowing all the best locations? Having a particularly good eye for spotting birds? Or perhaps some mysterious sixth sense has developed after years of bird photography? 😆

No unfortunately not!

While experience certainly helps, and I do have an uncanny knack for memorising calls, one of my most useful field techniques is something anyone can do.

It requires no special equipment, no expert bird identification skills, no apps, no speakers and absolutely no technical wizardry.

In fact, it's ludicrously simple.

I call it the walk and pause.

The trouble with constantly moving

When we're out birding, there's a natural temptation to keep moving. We walk along a track, scanning the trees and bushes, hoping to spot something interesting. If we don't see anything, we keep walking. Surely there'll be more birds or something better around the next bend?

But here's the problem.

Birds are very tuned in to the environment and far more aware of our presence than we recognise. Long before we've noticed them, they've already spotted us coming from a mile away. It's a matter of survival to keep their 'finger on the pulse', or maybe that should be feather! But you get the gist ...

Some will quietly slip away into the undergrowth. Others will freeze, relying on their camouflage to avoid detection. And plenty will simply stop whatever interesting behaviour they were doing and keep a close eye on us until we've moved on.

We can walk straight past a surprising number of birds without ever knowing they were there.

The faster we move, the less time we have to notice those tiny movements, subtle calls and little clues that reveal a bird's presence.

Why I don't just sit and wait?

Of course, the obvious solution is to find a nice spot, sit down and let the birds come to us.

And sometimes that's exactly the right approach, particularly when photographing a specific species or working towards a planned photograph.

But I'll confess, I'm not always the most patient person when it comes to sitting in one place.

In fact, I have an extraordinary ability for choosing a spot where every bird in the vicinity promptly disappears the moment I plonk down into my little fold-out birding stool. Five minutes earlier the place was alive with activity, but now? Not a feather in sight!

And while on some days I love the idea of sitting quietly, I also enjoy exploring, following interesting sounds and seeing what's happening around the next corner.

So, over time, I've developed a happy medium that combines the benefits of both approaches.

My solution: The walk and pause

Rather than walking continuously or sitting in one place for long periods, I alternate between the two.

I'll wander along a track at a leisurely pace, listening and looking for signs of bird activity. When I reach an area where I can hear or see a few birds, I'll stop.

And then I wait.

Not necessarily for a long time. Sometimes just a few minutes is enough.

I stand quietly, watch the surrounding vegetation, listen to the calls and give myself time to properly observe what's happening.

And something quite magical often occurs!

Birds I hadn't previously noticed begin to reveal themselves.

A tiny movement catches my eye in the understorey. A bird hops out from behind a branch. Another begins calling from somewhere above me, giving away its position. Sometimes a bird that was completely hidden moments earlier emerges into the open and carries on with its business.

It's not that the birds have suddenly arrived. Often, they were there all along.

I've simply given myself the opportunity to notice them.

And by remaining still and unobtrusive, I also give the birds a chance to suss me out too - and become more comfortable with my presence and resume their natural behaviour.

Once the activity settles down, or I feel I've explored the photographic opportunities in that little patch, I'll move on and repeat the process.

Walk. Pause. Observe. Repeat.

It really is that simple.

The photographic advantage of slowing down

Of course, finding birds is only part of the challenge. We're not just out looking for them.

We want to take beautiful photographs.

And this is where the walk and pause has another significant advantage.

When we're constantly moving and suddenly spot a bird, it's tempting to immediately raise the camera and start shooting. But in our excitement, we can overlook some important things.

Perhaps our shutter speed is still set for the bright, open area we were photographing ten minutes earlier. Maybe the background is cluttered, or the light is falling on the wrong side of our subject.

By taking a moment to pause, we have time to think about the photograph before we take it.

I use these quiet moments to check my camera settings, particularly my shutter speed, ISO and exposure, and make sure they're appropriate for the current conditions.

I'll also take a good look at the light and the surrounding environment.

Where is the sun? Is there a more attractive background available? Would moving a little to one side give me a cleaner composition? Are there branches or other distractions likely to spoil the photograph?

And perhaps most importantly, what are the birds actually doing?

A few minutes of observation can reveal feeding patterns, favourite perches or regular movements between branches. All useful information that can help me anticipate an opportunity rather than simply react to one.

My mantra these days: Slow Down to See More

Happy - and slow - birding! Cheers S