Average Distance from subject?

Pretty self explanatory. How close do you guys get in order to get a good somewhat full frame shot of a bird?

Change my vote to 15-20 FEET.

I voted but It really depends on the size of the bird and the lens used.

A eagle in a 500mm will be different than a wren in a 200mm

Usually 15-30 feet for full frame shots with 840mm or so on small birds

I shoot primarily with a 200 fixed lens so I like to get as close as they let me ,,, Ive been to minimum focusing distance countless times

I agree it depends on your lens and subject size but I usually set out to get as close as i can...

Any idea's on how we can make this more specific? Maybe a new poll. one for duck size birds, one for passeriforms and other small birds, and one for large hawk, eagle, swan, goose size birds?

I was just curious because some of you guys are getting full frame shots of some birds I find very hard to get that close to. I had some hoodies today that I couldn't get within 100 yards and they would take off. I took a lot of bay duck and sea duck pictures a few weeks ago and most of my shots were at about 30 or so yards. I have to find a park or something where the birds will let me get really close.

I find regardless of the bird size, to get good detail I have to be fairly close. Of course the bigger the bird the better the crop looks, but the detail (for my lens) seems to be limited by distance. Patience, using a hide/blind even the portable ones, anything to break up your outline helps to either get you closer, or lets the birds come closer to you. People have a distinct shape to our upper torso and head that stands out from any other creature (in North America at least ). This outline and movement seem to be the first thing birds see from a distance. Take that away and only after they get closer can they be spooked by smell, small noises and movements etc. Playing paintball years ago in the woods taught me the outline point, peoples heads, paintball guns and ball hoppers on top of the gun that are backlit just a bit, or do not have anything behind them to blend into just dont look natural in the woods, however, when my buddy put on a primitive ghillie suit which broke up his outline with protruding leaves and branches, he could sit in the open and ambush me.
Sorry for the rambling, just sharing my wandering thoughts...

Ornithologist wrote in post #2929546
Any idea's on how we can make this more specific? Maybe a new poll. one for duck size birds, one for passeriforms and other small birds, and one for large hawk, eagle, swan, goose size birds?

I was just curious because some of you guys are getting full frame shots of some birds I find very hard to get that close to. I had some hoodies today that I couldn't get within 100 yards and they would take off. I took a lot of bay duck and sea duck pictures a few weeks ago and most of my shots were at about 30 or so yards. I have to find a park or something where the birds will let me get really close.

Key - human acclimation. I was just at Disney world and hooded mergansers were swimming 20 feet away, great egrets were snatching food right out of people's hands trying to eat lunch and ducks flew in and landed in the swimming pool 5 feet from me. I couldn't even scare the ducks out of the pool (Splashing doesn't phase them too much ) Ibis would walk 5 feet from you. Mind you I don't shoot my shots in this extreme of condition but I try to go to National/local parks, etc where birds and humans frequent contact.

If I'm out on a slow walk or a long sit in camo, I can sometimes get close enough to render a small bird large within the frame, but some are just too wary.

When using the pop-up blind, I set it six feet from the closest staging perch, just outside the minimum focus distance of the 100-400L. That fills about half the frame with the smaller birds, which is generally as much bird as I want in the frame, anyway, and when bigger birds land I just zoom out, a celebration of the flexibility of the zoom.

I photograph birds in flight, I would be tickled silly if they flew within 100 yards of me Most times it seems they are a thousand feet up

calicokat wrote in post #2932046
I photograph birds in flight, I would be tickled silly if they flew within 100 yards of me Most times it seems they are a thousand feet up

That's about right. My bird shots bar one (which was a robin that was well used to being fed by people) are indistinguishable from plane shots at 35,000 feet.
I'd love to know how you guys get "closer".. just walk slowly, crawl, or what?

As close as the bird will let you. Depends on the type of shot your after and how many teleconvertors you can comfortably stack on!

Right on Trevor. I saw this at work yesterday when I just sat on a lawn by the wetlands. After 5 minutes, the birds ignored me, the tripod and camera. It's like squirrel hunting. If you walk around, you'll never see one. Sit at the base of a tree and they will soon come out to play again.

Bird size does matter.
Most of my sparrow photos are average 5 ~ 8 feet away from the subject. Duck photos average 10 ~ 15 feet away. Hummingbirds <5 feet. Kestrel = 5 miles.
I shoot at 500mm mostly.