How to photograph Blackbirds

There can be no excuse for not taking up the challenge to photograph a Blackbird; they visit virtually every garden in the country and they are in every park, cemetery and woodland that you know!

I decided to write this guide for two reasons; firstly I think Blackbirds are wonderfully charismatic birds and secondly because they are often overlooked despite being right outside your kitchen window.

First a bit about Blackbirds:

Blackbirds are probably one of the first species we learn to identify when we are children, sitting on Granny’s knee watching one hope around the garden in search of a worm or a crust of bread.

The (Common) Blackbird can be found throughout the UK, Europe, parts of Asia and North Africa where it breeds.  What most people don’t realise is that it is a partially migratory species; that Blackbird you see on your bird table in February could well be from Germany, Holland or Scandinavia and “your” Blackbird could be off in a warmer place – although it is much more likely that your resident bird will stay and have “visitors”, especially in a harsh winter.

The name Blackbird is clearly given for the colour of the male of the species, which lives up to its name being all black save for its bill and a ring around the eye which is yellowy orange.  The female, however, is all brown, often speckled heavily on the chest.

Blackbirds are intensely territorial and a male will seek to establish his ‘patch’ during his first year.  He will try to hold on to this patch for his life span and it is common to see males fighting over territory in the spring.  This fighting can become so intense that one bird will die.

Blackbirds evolved as birds of the woodland floor, where they forage in the leaf cover for worms, insects and other invertebrates.  Consequently they have quite large eyes and are often one of the first birds to become active as daylight approaches and light levels start to rise.

As well as being a handsome bird, the male Blackbird also has one of the loveliest songs in nature.  Positioning itself on a high perch above its territory, the male will run through a melodious repertoire of rich songs that truly are the soundtrack to spring and summer in the UK.

What you need to get the images you want

Blackbirds have a long association with man and are one of the commonest visitors to our back gardens, so seeing them isn’t a problem.  Getting good photographs of them can be a little trickier depending on the nature of ‘your’ birds.  Some Blackbirds are extremely cautious and take flight to the undergrowth as soon as your step into the garden; others are virtually tame and allow very close contact.

If ‘your’ birds are very approachable then getting the images you want should be relatively easy, but some of the tricks for getting images of less confiding birds will also be a help.

The easiest way to get good images is to create a ‘stage’ for the birds and let them come to you.  With patience and care, even the most cautious of Blackbirds will come into your viewfinder.  Your stage could be a log, branch or something a little more unusual like an old boot or wheelbarrow.  Regularly put food at this location (Blackbirds love live meal worms) and you will soon have the pleasure of viewing the birds where you want them.  If you have a long lens you might even have the delight of sitting in your lounge or conservatory whilst taking images through an open door or window – top marks for wildlife photography comfort rating!

Even if you only have a relative short lens for you camera you can set the scene in such a way that allow you to be hidden from view and close to the action.  Blackbirds are so used to seeing washing on the line in our gardens that sitting in a chair with a sheet over you should allow close approaches, so long as you stay still.

I have also used a very short lens, wide-angle in fact, to get lovely images of Blackbirds.  I placed the stage where I wanted it, put the camera on my tripod and then used a remote shutter release to activate the camera when the birds where in the correct place!

One thing to be very careful of when photographing anything in your garden is background clutter – a lawn mower handle, kid’s paddling pool or barbeque are not the sort of thing you want to see behind the bird.  Make sure that your ‘stage’ has a clear and attractive background, such as a bush or tree.

The technical bit

Getting the Blackbird in front of camera is not too much of a challenge, however the bird’s colouring can be a bit problematic.

As the name suggests, the Blackbird (well the male at least) is almost completely black aside from the bill and eye ring.  This means that if you don’t get your exposure right you may well end up with a rather dull looking bird with all feather detail lost.  Sunny days can cause a particular challenge as the light tends to ‘shine’ of the bird’s feather causing even more exposure problems.  The best course of action is to under expose your images; you can always pull back under exposed images with photo software but over-exposed images with ‘blown out’ areas are only fit for the bin.

With the male Blackbird in particular you have to get a ‘catchlight’ in the eye – there is nothing worse than uploading your images to find that they all look like eyeless birds.  Without the catchlight the eye can be lost or seem like a hole in the head even!

When taking your photograph you are likely to be relatively close to the bird (if you have followed my tips anyway!)  but don’t think that is a reason for not worrying about your aperture!  Many people fall into the trap of thinking that because you are close the aperture can be left at f/4 or f/5.6 and everything will be fine.  In fact the opposite is true and you need to be even more aware of the depth of field; being close to the subject makes it more likely with a shallow depth of field that parts of the bird’s body will be out of focus.  Aim for f/11-f/16 if the conditions allow and use your depth of field preview button if you have one.  You can always check this against a blackbird-sized object when setting up in the first place.

Don’t trust your camera’s exposure with Blackbirds!  It will “see” the darkness and of the plumage and react accordingly, so you need to control that yourself.  The hardest scenario to deal with is a Blackbird against a bright background – something will have to give and it shouldn’t be the bird!  If you aren’t sure or confident you can always ‘bracket’ your exposure; most cameras will allow you to set them to take three shots at once, one under exposed, one correctly exposed and one over exposed.  I don’t recommend this though as it leads to lazy photographers and also fills up your memory card three times as fast as you normally would!

Conclusion

Blackbirds are everywhere so there is no excuse.  They are great birds to learn your technique on, you can often photograph them from the comfort of your own home, you don’t need any special hides, etc and they are, in themselves, stunning subjects.

The male and female are quite different colours so be careful to ‘manage’ your exposure differently for each. 

By setting up a Blackbird ‘stage’ in your garden you not only get wonderful images, but the added benefit of seeing them and listening to their wonderful song.  Oh and you just might be helping a family survive too.

 

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