How important is Camouflage?

is it that important that your lens be camouflaged?

just digging birding... discovered a new pond in my local nature center and wow...

but was wondering if it is at all important?

in both lenses and in apparel.

thanks in advance.

It really depends -- there will be some birds that will be spooked very easily, and camo will help a lot there. Others are more used to having people around and won't be spooked unless you move too quickly.

thanks for the reply...

it's tough and requires a ton of patience but damn, this is fun...

i see you're from Joisy also... wherebouts?

know of any good spots in Upper Bergen County?

thanks!

Albert

Movement is the biggest reason birds will get spooked, so keeping still, which includes not waving a lens about. Birds eyesight is a darn sight (pardon the pun) better than ours so whether camo works I'm not sure but being less conspicuous must be better I reckon.

As mentioned by artyman motion is the big culprit here. Next in line would be the human shape. I keep lens coats on all of my big white lenses except for the zooms for protection. I don't think the camo helps much if at all.

kinghong1970 wrote in post #10653863
i see you're from Joisy also... wherebouts?
know of any good spots in Upper Bergen County?

I'm in Middlesex County and recommend the Celery Farm in Allendale. A bit further south, DeKorte Park and the Mill Creek Marsh are good choices.

The lens camo holds some value but in the larger scope of things it's a minor factor. There's a pretty solid chance that by the time your lens becomes visible to a bird YOU will already be on the radar. There's a decent checklist of techniques that will get you closer. With each one checked you stand a better chance, the trick is to define that list for your locations and species targeted and refine the list over time if needed. The cool thing is that the training is ongoing, for me that's challenging and fun.

I have a camo cover for my white lens hood and I noticed the difference when I first installed it, fewer spooked birds. I often wear a camo, bug repellant over shirt. It can't hurt, right? A fellow bird photographer wears light weight camo gloves. Think about it, your big, white hands are in constant motion, right? Many big time bird photographers do not use camo (Arthur Morris for one), however, I figure I need all the help I can get. YMMV

thank you all for your replies...

@jgr, thanks even more for those recommendations... they're very near my house... will definitely take a trip out there...

mikeivan wrote in post #10660118
I have a camo cover for my white lens hood and I noticed the difference when I first installed it, fewer spooked birds. I often wear a camo, bug repellant over shirt. It can't hurt, right? A fellow bird photographer wears light weight camo gloves. Think about it, your big, white hands are in constant motion, right? Many big time bird photographers do not use camo (Arthur Morris for one), however, I figure I need all the help I can get. YMMV

If your hands are in constant motion then yes you might need something to cover them, but then all you have is something moving around that "might" look like a piece of a shrub. And if the rest of the shrub isn't moving then it is the same issue as pre-gloved.

I have camo on the tripod legs, and the big lenses 400DO or 500 f/4. However it isn't for the color, pattern or any visiblity issue is because the neoprene offer impact protection to the lenses and the local shops only carried those patterns.

For a grand majority of species they know you are there when you arrive regardless of what you wear or do. In 15 to 20 minutes of quiet sitting and watching those that know you are there usually don't care.

In just sitting, watching and shooting subjects can and will come in and not even seem to know you are there. Exceptionally shy species of birds like Flickers or raptors will be aware because they know their area like you know your living room or kitchen. But if you are reasonably still and quiet you will get the shot.

Some species like waterfowl in the winter are much more apt to disappear with any movement from an apparent human, it is reasonable people are shooting at them and some camo maybe appropriate.

But like previously mentioned it is the human shape for most birds that they key on, disguise the shape and confuse the subject. But a human shaped standing camoflagued figure is still shaped like a human. You don't see turkey or bowhunters standing where their outline is not broken and blended with the surrounding cover.

As a side note, recent research with Corvid's (Crows) shows they can recognize a human's facial features. They know one person from another, a person cannot do the same between crows, even those that own one for a pet cannot determine between their bird and another. One aspect of the research included the bird(s) (wild crows) flying upside down in attempts to identify the subject. A bird can recognize a person but the person not a bird. Interesting what possible reasons why this might be. It is recent work from the UW, a quick google should point you to the paper or look at NPR they even have a little bird facial quiz to try)

Break up your shape, rule # 1 wear a hat. #2 Don't wear white, the reason isn't the color but the brightners in the fabric from washing and treatment of the clothing. Many birds can see into UV and white will reflect into this part of the spectrum, making you stand out like a spotlight.

Rule # 3 sit still, be reasonably quiet and very patient. Patience which equals time and time will get you the shot. Too many people amble, ramble or stroll about "looking" for subjects only to see the same birds every time. The shyer have already moved off or haven't had time to move into the area.

Where to wait is another page long post. Good luck!

Brad pulled it all together pretty well. The one other factor that I will add is glare. Lenses, eye glasses, some nylons, plastics etc can all produce glare. I try to stay in the shade and avoid angles of sunlight that will reflect from my eyeglasses. The same thing is true about my lenses. I am a diehard lens hood user. I know it is intended to help keep the sun from causing flare in your pictures but it also helps keep the lens shaded and reduces visible glare.

Brad's rules are sound, although personally I don't wear a hat. I do wear greens and browns when going out, avoiding bright colours. But I have found that the most important rule for the kind of birds I photograph (city birds of all kind) is Brad's rule #3: sit still, be patient and wait.

Also, when I see a bird whilst walking the park, I make sure not to look at it. The moment you look at certain birds, they're off. But don't look at them and bring your gear in position in a sort of stealth manner, and they will go on about their business as if you weren't there. It works great with magpies e.g. You can walk past them at arm's length, but the moment you stop and look at them, they immediately notice it and take off. It works with a variety of birds though, so it's something you might want to try.

I was reading an article in Photo Plus on camo for birding and the photo showed him with a nicely camo covered L lens and the photographer was wearing a bright red shirt. If you want to blend in talk to a turkey hunter or a white tail deer archery hunter about camo gear.

In Costa Rica, I am positive that a Quetzal was very interested in my bright red rain jacket. Our guide was beside himself, he said this was the best birding he'd had. Some trips they don't see any Quetzals at all. Too bad I only had a little point and shoot at the time. You guys would have gone crazy!

I think it matters in the woods. After a lot of consideration I ended up just cutting the
ends off old socks to cover my white lenses. It's easy to adapt to the seasons too!