Bird Photography

Eastern Bluebird

When you enjoy bird photography, it's a challenge. Your subjects, the birds, tend to move around a lot. They can be skittish around people. It helps if you have camera equipment that can quickly take a shot from a distance.

Many of my photographs are taken from inside my home, through the window using a Sigma 600 mm telephoto lens on a Canon Rebel T3i DSLR camera. I use a monopod to stabilize the heavy lens. I'm listing the equipment links on Amazon below.

If you click on the link, I may receive affiliate credit. If I do, it will be exciting for me because I have been featuring affiliate links for years and have yet to receive any monetary credit. Oh well. There's my disclaimer, nonetheless.

Do your research and make sure your camera is compatible with any lenses you decide to purchase. Enjoy your bird photography!

The author with her "bird" camera at the NC coast

My telephoto bundle:

Growing Broccoli Sprouts

Growing Broccoli Sprouts

Broccoli sprouts are a good source of sulforaphane- which is believed to have anti-cancer health benefits.

These are the stack trays that I grow my sprouts in. I start the seeds in these trays in a kitchen cabinet. After 3 days growth, I move the stack to a countertop that receives indirect sunlight.

Below are the links for the growing containers and seeds. If you click on the links, I may realize a few cents for affiliate marketing promotions. Thanks!

My Favorite Things: Garden Tools

My Favorite Things: Garden Tools

The Ironic Birdwatching Trip

Hundreds of Tundra Swans Gather in a Field

We set out to visit one of the largest natural inland lakes in NC: Lake Phelps at Pettigrew State Park. For a few months in winter, tundra swans migrate to eastern lakes in NC. In previous years, we had seen the swans at Lake Mattamuskeet and wanted to explore a new place.


Very much like Lake Mattamuskeet, Lake Phelps is in sparsely populated farmland. It was such a disappointment that no swans were sighted.


We drove to Elizabeth City along the Pasquotank River in Albemarle Sound for evening plans. Here a few seagulls squawked along the waterfront.

Waterfront View at Elizabeth City NC

As the day’s light was fading I suggested we stretch our legs at a local Walmart Supercenter. It looked like this newly developed commercial area might provide interesting options for dinner.


As we approached the shopping center adjacent to a highway, we could see huge farm fields resting after recent cultivation. In the background were slowly rotating giant wind turbines. 

My husband spotted the white shapes first. As we sat at a traffic light our hopes soared. These birds were way too large from this distance to be seagulls. We had found the Tundra Swans - not at a lake, but at fields next to a Walmart.


Sadly my cameras were back at the hotel. Even so we enjoyed the sounds of hundreds of gathering birds as light faded. The next morning we returned to take photos. Our proximity to the swans was limited. They were in sodden fields without road access. Still it was a thrill to watch the landing flocks and hear the chattering between birds.

Author Videotaping Birds with Osmo Mobile 3 and iPhone 8

Nearby rainwater retention ponds provided sightings of Mallards, Red-winged Blackbirds, a Meadowlark, and Canada Geese.

Mallard Couple at Rainwater Retention Pond

Ironically a visit to a wildlife area was a bust but a last-minute side trip to a shopping area provided an exhilarating birding experience.

Disclaimer: If you click on the Amazon link for the gimbal kit, I may receive a few cents for driving traffic to the retailer. Thanks for your interest!
My review of the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 is here: http://bit.ly/GimbalForMobilePhone

My Favorite Things: Bird Feeders

Bird Watching 

The Droll Yankee Dipper (link above) is an excellent bird feeder that keeps squirrels from raiding your feeder. The bird perches collapse with the weight of the squirrel and they drop to the ground. This version of squirrel-proof feeders does not require a battery because it is entirely mechanical. I've had my Yankee Dipper feeder for 2 years.

I also own the Yankee Whipper (link below) with the circular bird perch. The weight of the squirrel causes the perch to spin and throw the squirrel off. I prefer the Dipper model that does not require recharging a battery. I have owned this model for 10 years.




A new purchase for me is the Droll Yankee brush for cleaning these long, tubular bird feeders. It really makes a difference to have the right tool for the job! This 24 inch brush is high quality and Made in the USA. It reaches all the way to the bottom of the feeder insides and leaves the plexiglass sparkling! (The link is below.)



If you would like to see my bird photography, I post on Twitter @gopamnc. My tweets are optimized for social media and include retweets of good Twitter bird photography. My portfolio-quality photography can be found on iStock/ Getty Images at: https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/pam-schodt .



Affiliate Disclaimer: The links to my favorite things are items that I have purchased and am recommending. If you use the links on this blog post, I may receive a few cents for directing traffic to Amazon webpages.