House Finch Struggle

I'm been struggling to get a decent pic of a House Finch... And I am STILL on that quest.. These guys NEVER sit put here.. I know the perch is not what it should be and it will be at a later time... Raining here every day except one and I had to at least try today when the rain stopped.. I missed a tussle between this guy and Robin for a worm, and the robin won... Anyways, I'm in search for the ultimate perch...

Cute little guy, nice capture.

In your search for the ultimate perch take a page from Mitch's book.

Should you prune a tree or shrub in your yard save some of the waste. Stick it in the ground near your feeder. The birds will want to land there before hopping over to the feeder. Place it strategically in your yard in relation to lighting and background. My perch is some pruning scrap from 1 1/2 years ago.

I have also setup some camp chairs and leave them out all the time so the birds get used to there being something nearby.

I don't have any pictures of my current setup, but I did manage a few finch shots a couple weeks back. I need to thin the perch a little. Kinda in the way.

Very minimal cropping, only for composition.

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marjnap wrote in post #8141722
Cute little guy, nice capture.

Thanks, they are cuties aren't they?

MetalTom wrote in post #8142015
In your search for the ultimate perch take a page from Mitch's book.

Should you prune a tree or shrub in your yard save some of the waste. Stick it in the ground near your feeder. The birds will want to land there before hopping over to the feeder. Place it strategically in your yard in relation to lighting and background. My perch is some pruning scrap from 1 1/2 years ago.

I have also setup some camp chairs and leave them out all the time so the birds get used to there being something nearby.

I don't have any pictures of my current setup, but I did manage a few finch shots a couple weeks back. I need to thin the perch a little. Kinda in the way.

Very minimal cropping, only for composition.

Hi Tom, yes I did exactly that with the branches but never could get one on them that was decent... So when I seen this little guy on the fence I fired away and managed a few decent one anyways.. Lighting was poor at best when I shot this one yesterday... Thanks and I appreciate your reply... And nice shooting btw...

The perch needs to be near the food, very near, like a couple feet. Just off the frame, or in the frame, but the bird far enough away that when you crop, the feeder is not in the frame.

Norman, I think you need to get them closer too. Looks like this shot was cropped far too much, causing the noise. I also like to change the sticks pretty often, although by late fall, I need to stick a sturdy one in and leave it over winter. Once the dirt freezes, that's it till spring. But the birds just love it when you change the sticks. They are like little kids with new jungle gyms at the park, they climb all over them and inspect them for days after changing them.

canonloader wrote in post #8142819
The perch needs to be near the food, very near, like a couple feet. Just off the frame, or in the frame, but the bird far enough away that when you crop, the feeder is not in the frame.

Norman, I think you need to get them closer too. Looks like this shot was cropped far too much, causing the noise. I also like to change the sticks pretty often, although by late fall, I need to stick a sturdy one in and leave it over winter. Once the dirt freezes, that's it till spring. But the birds just love it when you change the sticks. They are like little kids with new jungle gyms at the park, they climb all over them and inspect them for days after changing them.

Hi Mitch, yes the perches are near the food but the dang birds rather stay at the feeder or take off in the thick of the trees to eat...

I had it cropped out more but decided to try a bit closer, guess I should have stayed with my original thoughts... I still have the backup but the unsightly fence is something not pleasing to the eyes.. I have to get out there and give it a good wash..

Good tip on changing sticks around, thanks I'm learning... As always Mitch, I appreciate you C&C and learn something new all the time..

Thanks...

If you put feeders and sticks out in the open, away from fences or buildings in the background, and in the sun if you are able to do that in your yard, then all you need when shooting at f/5.6 or f/8, is 10 to 15 feet behind the sticks. It doesn't matter what is back there as long as you have at least ten feet or so, cause just cropping a little, then resizing the images to 900 or 1000px wide, the background goes so out of focus that it's just a smear of colors, nice smooth bokeh. If the sticks are say 4 feet off the ground and you are higher, your angle is shooting down into the yard and the background will probably be green grass or white snow. Also nice smooth bokeh when you process the images.

I am sure you will eventually get that "nemesis" shot...Good advice from Mitch... our house is located in the woods, so I am fortunate to have white cedar trees close to my feeders. I catch them in the morning and evening light... and on rainy days, I can shoot out a small open window.

db

canonloader wrote in post #8142819
Norman, I think you need to get them closer too. Looks like this shot was cropped far too much, causing the noise.

I'd guess it's more the light. The weather here has been appalling. Actually, appalling isn't a strong enough word. I'm not even trying to shoot birds until it improves. (If it improves...)