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So you’ve decided to give bird photography a try! You’ve rented, bought or borrowed a digital SLR and a lens. Now what?

Remember, what you’re looking for right now is to find out if this art form is for you. You want to find out if you enjoy the process of photography. And the way to find this out is certainly not to shoot terrible photos, which is terribly frustrating-but it isn’t necessary to shoot National Geographic quality photos either. We’re all somewhere on the learning curve. Let’s focus on getting some acceptable shots that inspire us to keep at it.

A quick reminder here: birds are relatively small and they move around quite a bit-sometimes at very high speeds. What this adds up to is quite a photographic challenge. In its initial stages I would hazard that bird/wildlife photography is more difficult than many other forms of photography. I want you to be patient with yourself-this is not easy!

We Want Sharpness and Light
Now what makes an acceptable shot? Simply, we’re looking for as much sharpness as we can manage and enough light to bring clarity to the image. That’s it; that’s where we begin.

Firstly, sharpness. This is primarily a function of two things: stability of the lens and shutter speed. Secondly, light or what we would call exposure in photographic terms. This is basically a function of ambient light in the environment and aperture. Of course as we advance in our knowledge we learn that these factors are all interrelated-as one changes the others change accordingly. But for now let’s not get overly concerned with the technical.

Some beginning settings
One of the easiest things you can do to obtain acceptable images of birds is to shoot during the day when there is enough ambient light. Avoid early mornings, late evenings, or very dark and dreary days. Also, to begin with it is easiest to keep the sun/light at your back-so the sun and your camera are both pointing at your subject. Shooting into the light, where your subject is heavily backlit, is an exposure challenge you just don’t need right now. Also, try to capture birds while they are stationary-perching or standing. Birds in flight pose quite a few difficulties.

Secondly, if your lens has something called Image Stabilization (Canon-a switch located on the lens body and labelled IS) or VR (Nikon-standing for vibration reduction) please turn this on. This feature helps the camera and lens compensate for small movements you make when you snap the shutter. It is very difficult to keep a camera (especially one with a 400 mm lens attached) perfectly still. Once you have this turned on, find a body position, usually elbows hugged close to your sides, that helps you keep the camera as steady as possible. Even trying to snap at the beginning or end of a breath can help.

Another simple step to take which can net us a greater number of sharp images is 1.) to shoot in AI SERVO (Canon Continuous Autofocus-in the main menu under Auto Focus modes) or AF-C (Nikon) with 2.) Continuous Shooting (in the main menu under Drive modes). Even though you are targeting stationary birds, they are rarely completely immobile. These settings tell the camera that we are shooting moving objects and that we’d like the camera to be able to take one shot after another at the highest speed the camera can manage-as long as we hold the shutter button down. Typically, a series of shots like this will contain at least one sharp image.

The next thing you can do is to put your dSLR in the Program Mode (noted as P and located on the main dial on the top of the camera-this is an Autoexposure mode). Fully automatic. Please do not feel that you are not doing “real” photography if you do this. When I first started driving I learned on an automatic ​transmission-not a stick shift-but I was still driving! Remember, we want acceptable images to get us inspired – not frustration. The fully automatic mode exempts us from having to deal with aperture, shutter speed or ISO at this stage. The camera will make its best guess-and these dSLR cameras are quite intelligent. We’ll talk more about advanced exposure modes in subsequent articles.

Finally let’s talk about viewing your images. You don’t need to invest in any particular software or editing programs at this point. Just follow the instructions of your camera to get your images onto your computer so that you can view them in a larger format. Take note of the shots that worked particularly well for you-and go out and take some more under the same conditions! Notice when the subject is backlit and therefore dark-remind yourself to shoot with the light behind you. Try to puzzle out what you did well and what was challenging. Make a few notes and try again. And if you enjoyed your new focus and the wonder it inspires for these creatures then don’t give up. You will improve.

See you out there!

by Demayne Murphy

Hi there and welcome to my first monthly IOS newsletter post. My name is Demayne Murphy and I started photographing birds a couple of years ago, primarily at Montrose Point’s Magic Hedge in Chicago.

I have been a birder, however, for over 25 years. I almost chose not to venture into the world of avian photography, as I was reluctant to change my birding experience — something I have always treasured — particularly for its meditative qualities. And indeed it has changed the way I view birds and other wildlife. But I can report that while the experience is somewhat different now, I do feel it is enriched by the focus that photography brings. So if you find yourself considering photography as a new adventure for yourself I hope that my posts will speak to you.

My goal is to bring you some quick and easy tips that will make your life as a burgeoning photographer a little simpler. The web abounds with tens of thousands of photography web sites, from individual photographers who usually offer their own tips and techniques, to learning sites geared to teaching you everything you need to know and more. And if you are at all like me, you may have explored some of these sites and found it all completely overwhelming.

No experience necessary
I myself have no prior experience in photography. And of course the stunning images available online may only intimidate you further — thinking nothing you can manage will ever compete. So while I cannot say that I have created any of these stunning images yet, I can say that the process has become so enjoyable that I find myself continually motivated to persevere and grow as an artist.

What I really want to say in this first missive is just get out there!! If you find yourself intrigued, just give it a try. The only thing you really need to do initially is find out if this art form is for you. If not, you’ve tried something new; check it off your bucket list. But if you do find yourself positively thrilled by the experience, as I did, then a whole new world awaits you.

And make no mistake, photography is an art, not just a technical skill. There is tremendous scope for individual expression and innovation. You may just open a door that changes your life.

What about gear?
So what about gear you ask? A dangerous question to ask a photographer, unless you have loads of time for the answer. Let’s keep it really short and simple right now. You don’t have to buy anything. Consider renting a camera and a lens for a week or two. Below are links to a reputable company that will rent you the camera and lens I use. This combination combines the speed and the reach you will need.

• Rent a camera from Borrow Lenses
• Rent a lens from Borrow Lenses

I have no affiliation with the company or with Canon, other than having used both myself. And yes, you can shoot with Nikon or Sony or Fuji etc… and everyone has an opinion about which are the best. But rather than get bogged down with that in this exploratory phase, I encourage you to just give this tried-and-true combination a test run. Next month I’ll talk about some basic camera/lens settings to get started with.

And I hope the experience surprises and delights you. See you out there!

by Demayne Murphy

A few years back, I was looking for a LeConte’s Sparrow that had been reported at Prairie Green in Kane County. I never did see the bird, but periodically would hear a long, downslurred, tinny call. Could I know this was a LeConte’s Sparrow, and not another species like Savannah Sparrow? As I researched this, I found almost zero information regarding the vocal behavior of our Ammodramus sparrows. So I decided to explore this behavior myself, and purchased a Sennheiser ME66 shotgun microphone and an adapter for my iPhone. Since then recording has become a passion and an obsession, and I strive to record every sound I hear in the field. Of course, you do not actually need to purchase an expensive recording set to do the same. You can still obtain surprisingly good recordings with your phone, especially with the right tools and technique.

When recording bird sounds, you want control over the gain and the quality. The built-in voice recorders on your phone encode audio as MP3 files, which results in a smaller file size but also lower quality. For the iPhone, Audio Memos Pro can be configured to record to WAV files, and gives control over both the sound quality and the gain level. For Android, Cornell has recommended an app like RecForge II, and Nathan Pieplow recommends SpectralPro Analyzer.

Once you have your phone configured to record properly, you may want to add an external microphone if you already have one. The team at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology tested several smaller external microphones, but found they do not make enough of a difference to make them useful. The exception to this is using a shotgun or parabolic microphone, which was quite effective as my initial setup. However, be aware that if you do so, you will likely need to disable voice activation on your phone, which can be difficult to do completely.

Beyond equipment, you can employ a number of techniques to improve the quality of your recordings. Sound quality is largely a function of distance. You can boost the recorded volume of the bird’s song or call by 6dB by halving the distance between the microphone and the bird (a significant improvement). So the first step to ensuring a good recording is getting as close to the bird as you can without disturbing it. Next, try to position your phone’s microphone so that unwanted noise from cars or other birds is minimized. Further, longer recordings are always more valuable than shorter ones, since birds often switch between different songs and calls. As a rule, I try to leave the recorder running until the bird stops vocalizing (unless, of course, the bird is agitated by my presence). Finally, to reduce fatigue, keep your arm down at your side. It may be tempting to extend your arm to get closer to the bird, but the added reach is too small to noticeably affect the recording.

After a recording session you have the option to leave your recording as is, or edit it lightly to reduce interference. Recordists vary in their opinions on editing. Some adamantly oppose all modifications, while others will lightly amplify or filter their recordings as needed. That said, there are not many places in Illinois where you can escape background noise, especially if you live in the northeast portion of the state. Between normal commuter traffic, airline traffic from two major airports, and the fact that more trains pass through Chicago than any other major US city, it is nearly impossible to obtain a recording free from heavy background noise. As such, I dampen the noise in the first kHz of most of my recordings, with the exception being recordings of low-pitched vocalizations like heron grunts. Such filtering is easy with free tools like Raven Lite or Audacity. There are several online guides available to help you use these filters.

With spring migration underway, there will be many opportunities for you to record both songs and calls. It is worth getting into the habit of regularly recording the sounds you hear now. So when that singing MacGillivray’s Warbler shows up at your local forest preserve, you won’t walk away realizing you could have recorded its song but in your excitement completely forgot to do so.

by Matt Wistrand

In 1996, W. Douglas Robinson published Southern Illinois Birds: An Annotated List and Site Guide, a resource that documented the birds of southern Illinois by surveying published literature and the field notes of active observers.

Challenged by his publisher to update his twenty year old book, Robinson took on the arduous task using the field notes of The Meadowlark: A Journal of Illinois Birds and data contributed to eBird. Once completed and faced with the prospect of having to pay $3000 of his own money to publish it, Robinson decided to forego printing and distribute the book as widely as possible via the Internet.

The result is Birds of Southern Illinois, an online resource summarizing knowledge of birds in the seventeen southernmost counties of Illinois and designed to be regularly updated. Site guides are missing from the updated version, but Robinson mentions that “all of that information is easily accessible on eBird via the Hotspot Explorer.” What remains are species accounts with comments on status and abundance, arrival and departure dates for migrants, preferred habitat, and records of note.

Check out this great resource and help the author keep this book current by adding your data to eBird. And, who knows? Maybe your records will make it into the next version.

Where have all the whip-poor-will’s gone? This is a common question I am confronted with. I think it is a good question and one that leads into a larger discussion question that asks “Are current bird monitoring programs capable of estimating population trends for nocturnal species”. While current standardized monitoring programs, such as Christmas Bird Count (CBC), Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), and Spring Bird Count (SBC), are exemplary monitoring programs, they take place primarily during daylight hours, so unfortunately they cannot reliably monitor population trends for cryptic, nocturnal birds. Anecdotally, we know some may be declining, and, because of this, many organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada have put together monitoring programs for nocturnal species that aim to generate statistically powerful data that can be used to generate population trends over a shorter period of time. If species are declining we can further investigate the causes and in turn try to make beneficial conservation management decisions.

In 2008 Illinois enlisted the guidance of ongoing nocturnal monitoring programs and piloted Monitoring of Owls and Nightjars in Illinois (MOON). MOON is a volunteer based program that occurs throughout the state of Illinois. MOON’s target species are breeding owls and nightjars. In Illinois we have four nocturnal owls that we monitor for; Barn Owl, Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, and Eastern Screech-Owl. The Barn Owl is listed as threatened on the Illinois Endangered Species List. The Eastern Screech-Owl is found in low numbers according to BBS data, but population trends are absent. Barred Owl, which was once rare in the state, is now found throughout the state as is the Great Horned Owl. MOON also targets nightjars; Illinois has have three species: Eastern Whip-poor-will, Chuck-will’s-widow, and Common Nighthawk. Nightjars are aerial insectivores and aerial insectivores of North America are in decline and the reasons why are poorly understood. The Chuck-will’s-widow has recently been listed as threatened on the Illinois Endangered Species List. The state of the birds report listed Common Nighthawk as a species in steep decline. Audubon’s climate model projects the Eastern Whip-poor-will to lose 78% of its breeding range by 2080 and 55% of its non-breeding range. By establishing MOON census routes that are consistently monitored we seek to be able to not only track trends in abundance and distribution for these species but to also develop suitability models and best management practices for them. Volunteers are critical for this program to succeed.

Because these routes are run anywhere from dusk until dawn, as opposed to during daylight hours, it can be a challenge to recruit and retain volunteers. Unlike other monitoring programs, where you have to learn to identify a large number of birds species often by sight and sound, MOON volunteers only need to learn a small handful of calls. The calls of these birds are relatively simple to learn and fun to hear. Volunteers monitor routes located along suitable habitat for owls and nightjars 2 times from April to June when the moon is at least 50% illuminated. Routes are 9 miles long with 10 stops per route. MOON volunteers are also encouraged to record “other” species they hear during the listening period if they can identify the sounds. These additional data can give us insight into the life histories of other species.

Interested in becoming a part of the MOON team? We are always looking to recruit more volunteers, so if you would like to volunteer, please e-mail me. You can also visit our website.

by Tara Beveroth

At the Gull Frolic, IOS President, Matthew Cvetas, took the opportunity to honor two long time members of the Illinois Ornithological Society (IOS) for their significant contributions to IOS and the Illinois birding community.

Not present, IOS recognized Joan Bruchman with the “Distinguished Service to IOS” award. Over many years, Joan held a position on the board of directors, planned Spring Birding Weekends, and helped to circulate its flagship publication, Meadowlark.

IOS also presented Donnie Dann with the “Distinguished Service to Illinois Birding” award. The birding community has long welcomed his leadership and guidance on conservation issues both local and abroad. His work as advocacy chair of the Bird Conservation Network (BCN) and volunteer naturalist for Ryerson Conservation Area are just two examples of his untiring efforts in this capacity.

Congratulations, Joan and Donnie, and thank you!

IOS is pleased to announce we are now accepting applications for the 2018 Illinois Ornithological Society Grant Program. Awards of up to $1,000 are available to applicants conducting projects relating to birds and/or birding in Illinois.

For details, visit the IOS Grants Program page.

What are these things we call seasons? Is it winter as I shelter in my car looking out over wind-scoured stubble, listening to the wind-chime soprano tinkling of a horned lark on a day that would kill me in a matter of hours? How can this feather-puff be in full song? Could fall begin with July 1st’s first lesser yellowlegs and solitary sandpipers back in Knox County from the tundra and tropics-bound? Is it spring when the first hopeful pools open on the great rivers and fill with common goldeneyes splashing, calling, mating, and flight-whistling through air too cold for me to breathe?

Ask robins. February’s first front says welcome back. Some say,”I never left.” Ask willow flycatchers. Late May, at the end of all the great passage, they deign to arrive. And in ten weeks will be gone again.

Peer closely at life’s equation. Its complexity is limited only by our lack of perception. Three hundred birds come now to my feeders. Each tells a different tale. I am a chickadee. I weigh one quarter of an ounce and I just spent the ten below zero night in your arbor vitae. Six feet away you slept under down with a net gain of eighty degrees. I am nuthatch, titmouse, woodpecker and I really don’t care what day it is. This is my home. I am starling, house sparrow, collared dove, pheasant, and I really don’t care what continent this is. It is now my home. I am mockingbird, Carolina wren, golden-crowned kinglet, yellow-rumped warbler and I can overwinter here. Until the winter comes that I can’t.

A chickadee forages frozen meat shards from the rib cage of a deer. A Carolina wren works sunflower seeds wishing for a finch bill. A brown creeper believes in bugs under the bark of a January tree trunk, then timidly creeps out onto the snow below woodpecker-hammered suet and gleans amber flakes of fuel with a most curious recipe.

Snow comes, warmth leaves, and the bird list grows. Thirty cowbirds materialize like fruit flies. Among them is a grackle whose other millions are two states south. Amid the juncos, who believe they are south, appear American tree sparrows who only come to me in time of need. My winter bluejays are here now. My summer bluejays are somewhere south of the grackle millions.

Minus ten. The lake is locked down and under four inches of snow. Even the spillway and outlet stream are frozen. But there huddled on a ground pipe staring motionless at an open trickle sits a kingfisher. A hungry optimist, table for one, at a very small sushi bar.

January fourth I spent a couple of hours revisiting my Christmas Bird Count route. On December fifteenth this area hosted thirty thousand geese of five kinds. Today there are six. Six geese. Total. Of one kind in an unkind world.

We have a real winter on our hands. It is coming for our fingers. I sit and write about my back yard birds and wonder about my hiatus from my hobby. Aside from four days in the field for the Knox CBC I have not been out since late May. I have the time right now. I need a spark. Snowy owls may do the trick. They are scattered in many places in the northern half of Illinois right now. Pine siskins and red-breasted nuthatches are out in force with a smattering of common redpolls. I need to stoke my inner fire. I need to go outside.

by Mike Baum

Twenty-three consecutive days of winter birding no matter how bitter the cold. Rising before dawn to listen for owls and staying up late to compile the day’s sightings. Thousands of miles of driving often traveling through the night without sleep to get to the next destination, sometimes navigating treacherous stretches of highway in blizzard like conditions.

Sound like heaven or hell?

To the National Audubon Society, it’s officially the 118th annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the nation’s longest-running citizen science project, designed to capture long-term data on the status and distribution of bird species. Every day during the count period (December 14, 2017 – January 5, 2018), all across the United States, birders and conservation enthusiasts alike gather to count birds within a well-defined 15 mile wide circle. Many “CBCers” participate in a single count and then not another until the following year.

To wildlife biologist and CBC iron man, Kelly McKay, the count is a chance to do what he loves most – identity as many bird species as possible in a day while also contributing to science. Unlike most who are “one and done,” Kelly attempts to contribute to a different CBC every day of the count period, a grueling 8+ hour/day logistically challenging feat known as the “CBC marathon.” On top of that, Kelly compiles the data for not one but seven count circles, a significant challenge in itself.

Inspired in the early 1980s as a teenager by his mentor and avian biologist, Pete Peterson, Kelly has participated in more than 475 CBCs all time, second only to birding legend, Paul Sykes. It wasn’t until the 2002-2003 season that Kelly began to plan his first marathon, but quickly ran into problems. He couldn’t find a count within reach on three count days! The following year, Kelly started planning much earlier and on January 5, 2004, after the Andalusia CBC, he successfully completed his first marathon. This January, Kelly finished his 9th marathon in the last 16 years, covering more than 25 counties in five states – Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

While Kelly takes his CBC participation very seriously, he doesn’t expect many to even think about let alone attempt a CBC marathon. He does hope his story inspires others to get more involved in community science projects to advocate for bird conservation and preserve our state’s biodiversity.

by Matthew Cvetas

As November rolls in, many Illinois birders shift their focus to a shorter list of target species. The majority of migrants have left the state for the winter, but some are still moving in. November brings to mind the first big push of waterfowl, and the search for vagrants. At Illinois hawkwatch sites, November can hold some late-fall specialties that get many people bundled up to stare down a Northwest wind!

My favorite of those specialties is the Golden Eagle. At sites along the Lake Michigan shoreline, such as the Illinois Beach State Park Hawkwatch, and Fort Sheridan Hawkwatch, Golden Eagles are an uncommon, but regular migrant with seasonal averages being under five. At a more inland site like DuPage County’s Greene Valley Hawkwatch, Golden Eagles are still uncommon, but the seasonal average increases to seven. Although the averages are different, there is a common thread between both inland and shoreline sites, and that is that many of the Golden Eagles do not come in for close views!  With Bald Eagles being a much more common migrant, it is important to learn how to differentiate the two species at a distance. Luckily, by using shape and flight style, the two can be separated even when plumage details are not useful for identification.

Shape

One difference between the two eagle species is the size of the head and length/shape of the tail. On a Bald Eagle, the head is large and bulbous, protruding far beyond the leading edge of the wings. At most angles, the bulky head of a Bald Eagle is obvious. Bald Eagles also have broad tails that are short relative to their size. At times, it can appear as if the head is only just shorter in length than the tail.

In comparison, Golden Eagles have much smaller heads. The head on a Golden Eagle is almost buteo-like and is not prominent, especially on distant birds. With Golden Eagles, the tail is longer and skinnier than that of a Bald Eagle. Be cautious with the tail, as both species can have a short-tailed impression when the tail is fully fanned during a soar.

Another difference is in wing shape. Bald Eagles have very broad wings. On the trailing edge, the wings look nearly the same in length from the body to the outer primaries. This gives the impression of an almost straight line from the body all the way to the outer primaries when they soar. Many hawkwatchers describe the shape as to two large planks sticking out from the body. At almost all angles, a Bald Eagle’s wings will look massive from body to wingtip.

On a Golden Eagle there’s more curve to the trailing edge. The secondaries on a Golden have a distinct bulge before reaching the shorter outer primaries (or hands), which is reminiscent of a buteo. Also, the shorter inner secondaries pinch in towards the body. This gives a Golden Eagle an “S” curve profile to the trailing edge of the wing. At certain angles, the wings can almost look paddle-like, something you will not see on a distant Bald Eagle. Overall, the impression of a Golden Eagle is slimmer than that of a Bald.

Flight

Bald Eagles tend to soar on flat wings. They make long, lazy circles, taking what seems like a decade to pass by once detected over the horizon! Bald Eagles tend to glide on drooped wings and overall look very bulky. In a glide, the large head and short tail are still obvious. Another thing to look for is how the eagle is flapping. With a Bald Eagle, the flaps are deep and strong. A key difference between the two species is how they set their wings after flapping. A Bald Eagle, when setting their wings to soar/glide, will go through a large upstroke and adjust back to their flat-winged position. 

Golden Eagles soar with an obvious dihedral and glide on bowed wings or with a modified dihedral. They are also strong fliers, and only the toughest winds will allow for occasional unsteadiness as they pass by. This is why distant Turkey Vultures (small head, long tail and dihedral) can sometimes be confused for Golden Eagles. With a Golden, the flap is shallower and smoother than that of a Bald. A Golden Eagle will set their wings at the top the upstroke, looking like they’ve snapped their wings into place above the body in a dihedral.

Summary

Although close eagles allow for study of plumage differences, we often aren’t given that luxury. With practice, some distant eagles can be identified. In fact, many of the field marks mentioned become more obvious at a distance! This is especially true with the trailing edge of the Golden Eagle’s wings, and the large head of a Bald Eagle. If you find a distant eagle this November, don’t put your binoculars down or take your eyes off of the scope! Spend some time with it, make some mental notes about the eagle’s shape, and flight style.

I would also highly encourage anyone interested in learning more about raptor ID to visit an Illinois hawkwatch site. Gaining field experience alongside veteran hawkwatchers is the best way to improve raptor identification, especially with distant birds. So throw on your layers, everyone, and get out there!