More bird photos Yet more bird photos Treecreepers Insect photos Plants & the garden

Several people have been asking me about how I got these shots. Well first of all I know very little about photography - I don't even own a camera! I borrowed the one used here. I'm told it's a Canon 35mm AV-1 with a 70-150mm zoom. My technique is basically to entice the bird as close as possible, focus on a spot where I expect it to land, wait lots, snap, get the film back, be disappointed, take some more and eventually get something reasonable.

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I tamed this robin to feed from my hand. The camera was set up on a tripod and focused on my hand. I operated an auto-take-pictures-thingy (genuine technical term) with my other hand, I also used a flash. Out of two films this was the only one with any robin on at all.

This immature redstart was a very welcome visitor during most of August 1995. It's favourite spot was a twig I'd placed on the bird table - it didn't use the table for feeding just as a perch. I moved the table gradually nearer to the window. When it was in range I focused on the twig and waited.. and waited, then stopped waiting..then waited some more.

A female blackcap which made daily visits to a spot just outside the living room window, for suet, in February 1995 Again I enticed it nearer and nearer to the window with the heap of suet. In the end it was coming right up to the window where I'd focused the camera

Siskin Siskins are pretty tame so getting them to come close to window and within range of the camera is easy.

Goldfinches Goldfinches seem to start of the winter in super jumpy mode - every thing spooks them. As they get accustomed to the garden they're prepared to come very close to the window.

More bird photos

Yet more bird photos

Treecreepers

Insect photos

Plants & the garden

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"Birds in a Cheshire Garden"

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