[Tweeters] Birds in Flight (BIF) photography

[Peggy Mundy]

BIF photography is fun, but yes, swifts and swallows are tough.  Here are my tips that I have shared with others,    
   - Start practicing BIF with larger, slower birds.  Gulls are great to start with due to their availability and flight style.  Work up to the smaller, more agile birds.
   - I prefer to shoot BIF in manual mode with a shutter speed of 1/1250 sec or higher (unless I am intentionally looking for wing-blur).
   - Practice panning with any moving object (e.g., cars, bicycles, sports like soccer).
   - I set my camera to Continuous High (I shoot Nikon, other manufacturers may call it differently).  Allows you to take multiple frames quickly.
   - Practice, practice, practice!  
   - Observing birds' behavior also helps.  For example, if an individual bird uses a specific perch, you can more easily get photos of the bird approaching or leaving the perch.
Keep it up, it is worth it!
Peggy MundyBothell, WA

 

    On Thursday, April 6, 2023 at 11:04:04 a.m. PDT, Kevin Lucas <vikingcove at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 At Poppoff on March 19 I saw several Vaux's Swifts flying with a mixed flock of Tree and Violet-green Swallows. Picking out the swifts from the swallows was easiest by their flight style and speed, rather than by field marks. Then I'd get my binocs on them to get a nicer view of the bird. Once I got into that, I tried adding in my camera as the last step, eventually skipping the binocs step. I wasn't my quickest or most coordinated that day, and even at my best, swifts are tough. They're swift. To my eye, there's no faster bird in "level" flight. I got just a few Loch Ness photos of swifts, and didn't even get any good ones of the swallows. I submitted a couple of photos with my checklist for the Vaux's Swifts. Vaux's Swift maven Larry Switters shared that some early Vaux's Swifts are expected with swallows. My sighting has not been bestowed eBird's seal of "Confirmed".

https://ebird.org/checklist/S131477820
Since this morning is drizzling and I've not yet ventured out, I decided to search for some tips on swift photography. The most fun advice I found was:

"... Then when you have finished, delete all the pictures on your card without wasting any more time by reviewing them. It really is a thankless task and you should be able to find something far more constructive to do with a warm, well-lit day. Remember to reset all the functions on your camera before getting on with your life."

https://www.10000birds.com/dont-take-pictures-of-swifts.htm#:~:text=The%20speed%20and%20light%20reflecting,focussing%20range%20of%20your%20lens.

I found some more advice, quite usable, at another site for anyone with a desire to go against the grain, whether my grail of trying to find and document rarities accurately and get them "confirmed" on eBird, or improving your skill at photographing birds in flight (BIF). I love seeing all the positions of birds and details of plumage that don't appear in any field guide, even in cruddy photos. They're fun, and also help me learn how many ways birds can be misidentified, even in individual photos.

https://timcollierphotography.com/articles/photographing-swifts/

March 19th was by far the earliest I've found Vaux's Swifts here in Yakima County. Previously I've seen and photographed them here as early as April 10th. That was at the Johnson Auto Glass chimney roost. Even when I pre-focused on the chimney top there, most of my photos in low light and hand held have been merely acceptable. Capturing individuals as they flew over me there in the parking lot was more challenging. Capturing the swifts at Poppoff, when I'd not been psyched-up for the effort, and with the distractions of all the other little birdies there, was even more of a challenge, one I enjoyed.

If anyone has tips that specifically help them with photographing birds in flight, I'd love to read them. Even a reminder of something I've learned before might be priceless.

Poppoff Trail is the southernmost section of Yakima Greenway Path along the western side of the Yakima River.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Poppoff+Nature+Trail,+Union+Gap,+WA+98903/@46.5649757,-120.470624,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x5499d61600e45437:0xe001040245b92f08!8m2!3d46.5649757!4d-120.4684353!16s%2Fg%2F1pzqhtr25


Good Birding,

https://www.aba.org/aba-code-of-birding-ethics/

https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography

Kevin Lucas
Yakima County, Washington

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