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BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY FROM BLIND – my routines



How to photograph birds from a photo blind. My routines step by step. How to, baiting, camera traps and behind the scenes. Open full description for more information.
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Location: Denmark

Date: November 2020 (2 days)

Day: 11°C (52°F)
Night: 2°C (36°F)

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My 2021 calendar – preorder now.
https://shop.mortenhilmer.com/2021-calendar/

The book (In Danish only): Nordens Kloge Kragefugle:
https://www.naturbutikken.dk/nordens-kloge-kragefugle.html

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A few questions:

1. What kind of blind are you using?
Home made – I got it from a friend four years ago. I have modified it a bit with a foam floor. It is really heavy so I had to move it to the field with a tractor and put it on some logs to avoid the moisture destroying the wood. I would like to modify it so that I have windows 360.

2. What meat do you use for baiting?
I most often use road kills that I find when I drive around. Sometimes one of the farmers has some bones after slaughtering – I also use that. I prefer road kills though because they are natural and because I move them from the road and avoid further kills of scavengers like craws, ravens and foxes. I have an extra freezer to store these road kills. I am very aware not to bait too often. Usually 5-10 times during one season. I do not want to disturb the natural behaviour of the wildlife by making them used to a feeding spot.

3. What kind of tripod are you using in the blind?
I use a home made ground pod to avoid the legs of a normal tripod. The ground pod is made of steel pipes welded together and painted. I originally made it for photographing shorebirds where pushing the normal tripod through the sand was quite cumbersome. In the snow I use it with a pair of small skis that I can click on. Commercial ground pods are available though.

4. How do you record through your viewfinder?
I use an Atomos Ninja V that I have connected to the camera. I find it rather difficult to use for general wildlife photography because it add both weight and volume. I think it is worth it though since it allows me to sometimes share my view through the camera.

5. What camera and lens are you using and why?
In this video I am using the Nikon 600mm f/4 FL lens on the Nikon Z6 with the FTZ adapter. I like to use this setup in the blind because the low aperture lets me blur both the foreground and the background. Furthermore the combination of the fast lens and the full-frame sensor with relatively few megapixels on the Z6 is a brilliant combination in low light.

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Gear list on my website.
These are Amazon affiliate links:
https://mortenhilmer.com/my-gear-list/

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See you out there.
All the best
Morten

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48 responses to “BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY FROM BLIND – my routines”

  3. Just seen this and I notice your setting son screen were AF-C,H but in M, Manual. I am fairly new to photography and always thought you need to run in or S mode if using AF-C. I can use M as an overall control of the exposure?

  39. Awesome! I held my breath the whole time as if I was there and trying not to scare away the birds ^^ Speaking of scary: what was the thing climbing on your little bird house? Horror 😱😱😉

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