Wildlife Photography --Small Birds in Nature - Blue-winged Warbler

Bird photographers advance conservation by making people aware of birds. To love birds is to take the step toward saving birds. Bird photographers have the potential to be wildlife educators! Take a trip to an early successional opening in a deciduous forest to photograph the Blue-winged Warbler in its natural habitat. This video shares techniques for learning about which birds in your area are potential photo subjects, finding birds in their natural habitat, and successfully capturing photographs of small birds. Make a distinction between times when the bird's effort is primarily on singing or primarily on foraging, and you can find the right moments and perches to make the images without intruding on the bird's well-being.

For more information on Neotropical Migrant birds and on bird biology, check out the amazing, crowd-sourced data analysis of eBird! This is an incredible educational and conservation tool developed and maintained by the Cornell Labs of Ornithology. The animation maps, made from tens of thousands of data points (species, date, geographic location) have become animated migration maps...my favorite!

www.ebird.org

www.ebird.org/science

If you are curious to learn more about the birds around you, check out the Cornell Labs' educational site:

www.allaboutbirds.org

When in the field, be careful of nests and nesting behavior, and photograph birds in a way that is respectful and sustainable! All migratory birds in the United States are protected under both Federal and State Law. The birds will let you know if you are too close, but be careful of wildlife harassment! Enjoy the beauty out there!