Photographing garden birds

Earlier this year, after putting out a bird feeder next to the kitchen window of our rural home, I noticed just how quickly and frequently the small birds came to feast. This inspired me to develop my bird-photography skills at home.

At first, the easiest place to get photos of these regular visitors was directly by the bird feeder. However, I wanted the images to feel more wild and less controlled (by controlling the composition better). That meant ensuring there was no bird feeder in sight. So I got to work on a portable and natural looking ‘station’ on which to place bird seed and, with a little creativity and attention to detail, I have been really pleased with the ever-growing range of styles and compositions I have achieved.

The only thing is, I feel like a bit of a cheat. All the photos in this article were taken from the comfort of my kitchen – either through the window or a gap in the ajar door. But until we