Tips for Responsible Photography of Bird and Wildlife Nesting Seasons

May 30 Written By Lori A Cash

Spring is here, and so is bird and wildlife nesting season. The spring nesting cycle begins when birds or wildlife start finding mates, building nests or dens, laying eggs or having offspring, and raising their young. Generally, birds’ nesting cycle is March through August. For wildlife such as black bear, red foxes, white-tailed deer breeding is done during the winter, but their young are often born in the spring and will begin to be seen away from the den or burrows. Thus, spring is a busy time for photographing bird nesting season and wildlife baby season.  As a photographer, we should utilize best bird photography practices around the nesting birds as well as with the wildlife dens or babies that we photograph.

Newly fledged barred owl sitting in tree hissing. When I came upon this barred owl fledgling on a wildlife refuge drive, other photographers were standing almost underneath this fledgling and carrying on a loud conversation. Clearly, the owlet was bothered by the loud conversation and proximity of the other photographers. However, when I rode by the situation, I stopped further away to snap a couple images of the fledgling before driving off.

Here are 9 tips to help photographers safely and responsibly photograph during the bird and wildlife nesting season:

  1. Do No Harm - This is the most important thing to remember about photographing birds and wildlife during nesting season. You should never touch a bird’s nest and should never approach a wildlife den. A responsible photographer should not bring any distress to the nesting parents or young for the sake of great photo.

  2. Do not Disturb Birds or Wildlife - It is extremely important to be quiet while photographing birds at nest, baby chicks, wildlife at dens, or baby wildlife subjects. By being quiet, a photographer will not disturb their subjects nor cause them harm.

  3. Do Not Remove or Move Vegetation - Sometimes, as photographers, we want the perfect shot, but vegetation around bird nests or animal dens prevents a clear view. That vegetation should never be moved or removed. Birds and wildlife depend on this vegetation. It is why they built their nest there. The vegetation hides the nest or den opening, provides cover, and may be a food source. Remember, as responsible wildlife photographers, we must protect and keep our wildlife safe.

  4. Keep Your Distance - As a responsible photographer, it is imperative to keep your distance from nesting birds and wildlife as well as the chicks or young wildlife subjects. It is best to use a long lens of at least 400mm or longer.

  5. Use Blinds - When using portable blinds, it is best if you can set up the blind days in advance so the bird or wildlife subjects become accustomed to the blind. By doing so, your subjects will be used to the blind, and you will be able to take advantage of your subject’s comfort level and be able to photograph a lot of different behaviors. When possible, use your car as a photo blind. Doing so provides an excellent opportunity to conceal yourself from your bird or wildlife subject especially if you stay a distance away and use a long lens. This is also a perfect time to roll down your car door window and use a photo bean bag to steady your long lens.

  6. Keep Visits Short - It is essential when photographing birds at nests, fledglings, wildlife at dens, or baby animals to keep your visits short. Even if you are using a blind or feel your presence is not affecting your subjects, you should still keep visits short as we are not aware of what our impact is on the birds and wildlife. Spending all day photographing these nests or fledglings can contribute to parents not feeding their young or other detrimental outcomes.

  7. Be Aware of Bird or Wildlife Behavior - As a photographer, when we do research on our subjects, it gives us an advantage by knowing what their behavior means. When out in the field photographing wildlife, we, as photographers, should constantly be aware of the behaviors of the wildlife.  By being educated about our bird or wildlife subjects, we would be able to recognize the danger signs such as vocalizing or posturing. As a responsible wildlife photographer, if such behavior is witnessed, you should retreat a good distance away and give the animals space. Some wildlife such as bear and moose can be dangerous to you, personally, if you get too close to photograph them especially when they have young with them. 

  8. Do Not Cross in to Marked Nesting Sites- When photographing nesting birds or sea turtles on the beach and the area is marked off, do not cross into the protected area. Stay well back from the marked or roped off area, and use a long lens of at least 400mm to 600mm to photograph these nesting birds or sea turtles. Also, stay off your feet and get low to the ground so that you will be less intimidating to these birds and turtles as they will be caring for their eggs or hatchlings. In addition, give these special shorebirds space when you find them out on the beach feeding. Getting too close to nesting sea turtles or birds may cause them to leave the beach area before their nesting has been completed.

  9. Do Not Share Information - Once you have discovered a bird nest site or a wildlife den site, it is paramount that you do not disclose the site information to the public or other photographers. Part of being a responsible photographer is protecting the bird or wildlife that you are photographing. This includes waiting until after the chicks have fledge from nest or after the wildlife such as foxes, rabbits, etc. have left their dens before posting your images on social media, blogs or the internet. Then when you do post the images, especially if the species is a threatened or endangered, it is important to remove all GPS embedded data from your images.

American robin sitting on nest and panting on a hot day. This nest was located in my neighbor’s yard, and I photographed the nest activity from the inside of my house through an open window. This is great way to photograph backyard birds by using your house or garage as a blind or even using a portable blind in your yard.

Keep these above tips in mind if you find yourself photographing a nesting bird or wildlife babies this spring or early summer. As responsible photographers, we should adapt to the best photography practices to keep these birds and wildlife from harm during their nesting season. By showing consideration and care for these special creatures, we can keep them protected and safe so that they can give birth and raise their young for years to come and be there for us to photograph again in the future.

Red fox vixen nursing kits at their burrow den entrance. While I was photographing this fox den, I would arrive pre-sunrise and photograph for about two hours then leave. Often the kits were still out and playing around with each other when I left. I purposely made my visits short so not to disturb this fox family.

Previous
Previous

The “Don’t Be a Jerk” Rule In Street Photography

Next
Next

The Silence Of The Photographers