Getting Close to Nature - A How-To Guide

When it comes to things in our lives that we are passionate about, finding things to say is seldom difficult. The challenge here for me is to provide meaningful content that people can find interesting.

The topic that occurred to me is getting close to nature. This is somewhat of a play on words because I mean how to get close to birds and wild animals in order to get a high detail image. Whether you have a camera or not, the process is the same.

In photography, if you want to capture an image of a small object at some distance, you have two choices. Option A – move closer or Option B – use a more powerful lens. If the subject is an inanimate object like a building, moving closer is a good option. However, wild animals don’t like proximity to humans. They desire to be left alone. In fact, humans getting too close can cause stress and potentially cause an animal to abandon a nest or its young. These are dire consequences that I would like to think no person would want to happen.

So, before I give you the tips, I need to bring up some considerations and consequences.

Ethics should be a mandatory consideration when a person thinks about getting close to wildlife for photography or otherwise. There are rules. Not everybody follows the rules or the same rules. I consider this to be a code of conduct that I adhere to, and a code that won’t be violated in order to get a picture.

Some examples…

I avoid areas where birds are nesting. My shots of Bald Eagle nests in particular are not that great – because I won’t go closer than 100 yards to the nest. Often, I am even farther away. Nesting areas are off limits. Sometimes you can get too close to small birds’ nests and not know it.

The good news here is that most birds have mechanisms to let us know when we invade their space. Birds have several forms of speech – “songs” that might be used to attract a mate or socialize, and “calls” that usually are a form of alarm to signal presence of a predator or danger. Learning to respect the warnings is a good way to avoid causing stress or harm.

On a related point, there are audio recordings that have bird song and calls that can be used to attract birds. Generally, if you don’t know the difference, you shouldn’t use either. Birdsong can be used to attract birds in some cases but it is subject to misuse as well. A good use that comes to mind is the use of Purple Martin birdsong to encourage nesting in special birdhouses. Disney does this on their properties and it helps the species by providing for homes for nesting. Misuse comes into play when birdsong is used (excessively) and it distracts the bird or birds from their feeding or caring for their young. Bird calls are never a good idea if you want to avoid causing stress or harm.

Feeders are another point of caution. Never place a bird feeder where an outdoor cat is nearby. Cats are exceptional predators of birds and you will end up luring the birds to their death. If you put out a feeder for the winter, make the effort to keep it stocked into spring or year-round. Also keep in mind that hawks tend to notice the popularity of your feeders as well. Hawks will prey upon the small birds as a food source. You can provide some measure of protection by placing your feeders near bushes or thorny plants. This gives small birds very good protection and they will appreciate the thorns as a strong deterrent to a hawk or falcon. Other than small perching birds or hummingbirds, you should never bait or feed wild birds or animals. It can have the effect of reducing their natural tendency to avoid humans or lower their guard in an environment with predators – situations that don’t end well for the bird.

I won’t purposely spook a bird in order to get it to move or fly away. One well-established bird photographer bought my lunch during a workshop because of the amount of patience and respect I showed in approaching a bird for a photograph.

So, now that I have appealed to your sense of avoiding causing harm, I can give you some tips for how to get closer to birds.

These are my tactics and things that I found to work. They are in the order that works best for me

1.    Find a good area that birds frequent and wait for the birds to come to you. Some of my closest shots occurred when the subjects didn’t even know I was there. The highest level of success with this involves not only camouflage, but also minimizing movement as much as possible.

2.    Approach birds slowly, in an indirect pattern. In other words, don’t walk directly towards the bird. They see better than you and will make you out to be a threat on this behavior alone.

3.    Avoid eye contact. Sounds funny but making direct eye contact will put you in the potential predator category. They will almost certainly fly away if you do this before you can get close. Learn to use your peripheral vision.

4.    Use your car or vehicle to your advantage. Birds generally will tolerate people in a car much closer than on foot. Know this - when you’re close and try to open the door, they will usually fly away.

5.    Birds most often associate predators as coming from land or air as opposed to water. This is why boaters can seem to get closer to ducks and other species. A kayak is worth several hundred millimeters of lens in terms of allowing a person to get closer to birds.

6.    Watch your shadow. Many birds will notice your shadow and be spooked by it no matter how quiet you are in your approach. They live in a world with predators and use all of their senses to avoid danger.

7.    Wear drab clothing and avoid shiny objects that reflect light.

8.    Reduce your noise signature – loose items, things that clatter when walking.

9.    Birds often have routines – including raptors. If you observe their routines like where they like to perch from a distance, you can choose a good vantage spot close by another time.

10. Avoid taking pets e.g. dogs with you. This is pretty obvious, but something I struggle with from time to time. My dog tends to follow me. She still does but seems to lose interest pretty quickly. Dogs are not particularly stealthy. She follows the kayak too which can become more problematic. Rather than prohibit her from coming along, I have learned to live with it.

Those are my tips - Good luck!