Photographing Backyard Songbirds from Photo Blind
Female dark-eyed junco, Washington
I have been having fun this winter shooting backyard songbirds from my new photo blind. The pop-up photo blind sets up in less than 2 minutes and allows me to get within 10 feet of the birds as they feed from a suet feeder or perch on nearby branches. Waterproof construction means I can leave it up and use it for a few days in rainy weather.
With their quick motions jumping around between branches, only about 2% of my photos come out with sharp eyes using the animal eye-tracking feature on the Sony a6600 camera. This is further challenged by dim lighting conditions on Washington state's rainy winter mornings.
Update: See my comprehensive how-to guide on backyard songbird photography.
Photo Blind: Tragopan Grouse Photo Blind V+
Camera: Sony a6600
Lens: Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3
Noise Removal: Topaz DeNoise AI
Song sparrow perched on gold rider leyland cypress, Washington
Chestnut-backed chickadee on suet feeder, Washington
Male dark-eyed junco, Washington