How To Shoot Birds – Final Project – Green-Wood Cemetery

Overview

For my final project for How to Count Birds, I wanted to combine a few interests I feel like I haven’t had time (or the ability) to learn more about and enjoy for what feels like forever—specifically, birding, my first DSLR, and exploring places where I can be surrounded by nature. For this, I decided I wanted to look into birding photography for beginners and find a good place around here to do it.

Notice how green Green-Wood is compared to the surrounding area in Brooklyn. A great place for birding photography since distracting activities are not permitted in the cemetery.
Notice how green Green-Wood is compared to the surrounding area in Brooklyn. A great place for birding photography since distracting activities are not permitted in the cemetery. SOURCE: earthobservatory.nasa.gov

My idea was to write about not only what I’d learned from a couple nights’ worth of research into birding, photography, and Green-Wood Cemetery, but, also, what my experience was in the field. I had a lot of fun with this project and have appreciated the opportunity to learn about and engage with these things that feed the soul (well, at least mine); I hope you enjoy reading about it, especially the pictures!

Study Time

Green-Wood

I want to begin by saying, while I don’t always have the best mind for detail retention of it, I LOVE learning about local history—from the people involved and the architecture (and landscape) changes to the historical significance and evolving practices. And, of course, the feeling is so much stronger visiting the actual place (rather than just be in the same city as it.) So, in preparation of my visit to Brooklyn’s famous Green-Wood Cemetery, I spent a couple hours looking through interesting blog posts, wikipedia articles, and YouTube videos. (I will say that you’re much less likely to hear spooky music or find references to Halloween if you go the wikipedia route, in case you have preferences on such things.)

For me, the coolest facts about Green-Wood include:

Statue of Minerva waiving to Lady Liberty Across the Upper Bay
Minerva waiving to Lady Liberty Across the Upper Bay. I took this one with my iPhone.

Birding and Photography

Before heading to the cemetery for the practical portion of this project, I thought should also read into How To take pictures of Birds. A lot of what I found when I searched was more like ‘tips for taking good pictures of birds’, which I appreciated, though I’d started off by looking for more technical guidance. In reading these tips, I particularly liked the suggestions of taking an original photo (my mother always said, “Never take a picture without a person in it; if it’s that pretty, there’s probably a picture or postcard of it already.”…that was before digital film, but there’s still something to it….) and studying the birds’ behavior to predict what it might do as you try to take a photo.

As I read more, I realized there were probably quite a few more factors than which lens to use. For example, the Audubon society says on its suggest that, to avoid blurry wings or heads, you learn which shutter speed you need to capture different behaviors in crisp detail. Another idea I felt worth keeping in mind for my photo outing was that focusing in too much can work against getting shots of desired birds as they may fly out of scope at any moment, and less scope means less likelihood the bird will be in-frame.

I decided to delve into the Audubon’s website’s resources a bit more to get a sense of which topics I might want to read more into before my birding trip. These areas/articles include photo composition, lighting considerations, and best equipment for what I might expect.

From my web search, these are the sites I feel are worth a read on the following topics:

Photo Composition

Light and Lighting

Best Types of Equipment to Use

Taking the Best Images as a Beginner

For VERY IN-DEPTH Info on Birding Photography

Secrets of Digital Bird Photography – Tools and Techniques

How a DSLR captures images of birds (or pretty much anything else)
How a DSLR captures images of birds (or pretty much anything else) SOURCE: http://digitalbirdphotography.com

Equipment

Here’s the equipment I’m using, an entry level (Canon Rebel) DSLR camera with both an 18-55mm lens and a 55-250mm lens. In learning about the equipment, I found out that there’s something called a ‘crop factor’ that I had yet to learn about on my camera. Because a crop factor magnifies the power of the lenses used, the lenses I brought with me had an effective magnification of 1.6x, meaning the 18-55mm lens zooms more like a 29-88mm lens would and the 55-250mm lens zooms more like a 88-408mm sense would. I also brought with me a 2x telephoto lens attachment, but decided against bringing my 60” tripod (good decision.)

Notes to Self / Tips

So, here’s a summary of the things I most planned to keep in mind as tips for best bird photography results (as a beginner):

  • 400mm is generally an idea lens length to use for birding; a lens around 200mm with a 2x lens converter is good. (Though with crop factor, my 250mm lens acts as a 408mm lens length.)
  • more bird in the frame, the better, generally… but don’t the scope too much. Also, having more blurred backgrounds helps keep focus on birds’ details.
  • “Aperture Priority” exposure mode is what I should start (and probably stick) with as a beginner.
  • Lower Aperture numbers (f/4.0 to f/5.6) will help to allow more light to enter—higher numbers => smaller openings; try starting around f/5.6.
  • ISO no greater than 800 will help make sure the images aren’t too grainy, the “lower the better”; try starting at 600 ISO.
  • Study the behavior of the birds you want to photograph to predict where they may go / how they may act when you try to take a photo.
  • Photo editing is also an important part of the process, so don’t forget further potential exists for the pictures you take. Be creative!

The Field Trip to Green-Wood

I arrived to Green-Wood Cemetery around 3PM on Thursday, May 6th, 2021. The weather was beautiful; it was 65ºF and sunny. There were very few visitors for the size of the cemetery—side note: that’s the third time I’ve typed ‘park’ instead of ‘cemetery’… there’s good reason for that, Green-Wood has been sited as the inspiration behind the design of one of the world’s most famous parks—Central Park. I felt as if I were immersed in a postcard the whole time I was there and, often, as if I had been transported back in time. Many views of the cemetery were of just green fields filled with century-old tombstones, paths, and wrought-iron signage. If you haven’t been, I can’t recommend enough going for a leisurely stroll; for the record, it’s encouraged… and free!

While I was there, I took over 400 photos; admittedly, many of them were blurry and a lot of the images were of the breath-taking landscape. The cemetery is notable not just for its memorials and landscapes, but also its architecture and nature, the last of which is why I chose to visit Green-Wood. The number of birds on the grounds is stunning. Green parakeets, more American Robins than I’d ever seen in my life, and Canadian Geese were just a few of the birds I observed while there. I can’t wait for you to check out some of my photos.

How to Shoot Birds

Alright, maybe this section should be more about how *I* shot birds, as I was a complete novice when I began this project. I’d had my DSLR a couple of weeks, but had been hesitant to use it as the vendor had pulled some tricky stuff. Yesterday, I took my first pictures with it on the way to cemetery. For the record, I’d taken a half-semester course, Video and Sound, my first semester and learned some DSLR basics and had read through the Canon Rebel manual. I combined what I’d learned about the camera and lenses, birding, and the basics of (birding) photography to take these pictures. To identify the birds, I used the Merlin app—usually searching by size and color to successfully identify—and to track my sightings, I used eBird. 

I tried to stay true to my tips for taking pictures. Though I’d changed the settings so the aperture would be f/5.6 and played with the ISO, after a while, I realized that my fairly sophisticated camera does a fairly great job at capturing unobstructed birds and I let it do most of the work. I had issues with focus when there was significant foreground–like with nearby tombstones, protruding branches, or lots of leaves. I found watching the birds and their behavior led to better results. I also discovered that my fancy iPhone 12 Pro Max didn’t take the greatest pictures of tiny birds among foliage.

From this project, I now have a better idea of which types of things I need to look up and work on in the future–namely, focusing on and getting the best images of subjects that are surrounded by other items that can pull focus. I look forward to improving my practice and even working on my binocular skills–as you don’t always need a photo to remember a special day of sightings!

Check out the captions for information comparing the photos and information about what I found interesting/significant in the images.

Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery - American Robin taken with 18MM lens length. It's hard to spot so far away.
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery – American Robin taken with 18MM lens length
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery - American Robin taken with 55MM lens length
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery – American Robin taken with 55MM lens length
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery - American Robin taken with iPhone 12 Pro Max. Here the difference is noticeable. It almost looks like there's a watercolor filter applied. This was taken from the same distance as the other two images, but with a different camera (the iPhone's) and different settings. Not that they translate one-to-one, but the lens length was 7.5MM, the aperture was f/2.2, and the ISO was 20.
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery – American Robin taken with iPhone 12 Pro Max. Here the difference is noticeable. It almost looks like there’s a watercolor filter applied. This was taken from the same distance as the other two images, but with a different camera (the iPhone’s) and different settings. Not that they translate one-to-one, but the lens length was 7.5MM, the aperture was f/2.2, and the ISO was 20.
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery - American Robin atop a tree - 100 ISO
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery – American Robin atop a tree – 100 ISO. Lower ISOs are supposed to give darker, more detailed images… with all the automation going on, compensating for other adjustments, it’s hard to compare settings. Here, I don’t notice a significant difference between the photos with different ISOs.
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery - American Robin atop a tree - 200 ISO
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery – American Robin atop a tree – 200 ISO. Lower ISOs are supposed to give darker, more detailed images… with all the automation going on, compensating for other adjustments, it’s hard to compare settings. Here, I don’t notice a significant difference between the photos with different ISOs.
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery - American Robin atop a tree - 400 ISO
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery – American Robin atop a tree – 400 ISO. Lower ISOs are supposed to give darker, more detailed images… with all the automation going on, compensating for other adjustments, it’s hard to compare settings. Here, I don’t notice a significant difference between the photos with different ISOs.
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery - American Robin atop a tree - 800 ISO
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery – American Robin atop a tree – 800 ISO. Lower ISOs are supposed to give darker, more detailed images… with all the automation going on, compensating for other adjustments, it’s hard to compare settings. Here, I don’t notice a significant difference between the photos with different ISOs.
Robin at Green-Wood Cemetery - The American Robin made way for this Monk Parakeet atop the same tree.
Monk Parakeet at Green-Wood Cemetery – The American Robin made way for this Monk Parakeet atop the same tree.
View of Manhattan from Green-Wood Cemetery using a 55MM lens length with a 2x telephoto adapter. You can see how the sides are blurry. I didn't feel the magnification was worth it.
View of Manhattan from Green-Wood Cemetery using a 55MM lens length with a 2x telephoto adapter. You can see how the sides are blurry. I didn’t feel the magnification was worth it.
View of Manhattan from Green-Wood Cemetery using a 70MM (thought it was at 55MM) lens length. (no 2x telephoto adapter) You can see how the sides are blurry. I didn't feel the magnification was worth it.
View of Manhattan from Green-Wood Cemetery using a 70MM (thought it was at 55MM) lens length. (no 2x telephoto adapter) You can see how the sides are blurry. I didn’t feel the magnification was worth it.
View of Manhattan from Green-Wood Cemetery using a 250MM lens length with a 2x telephoto adapter. The results were too blurred and foggy for my taste so I didn't use it for taking pictures of birds.
Ouch. View of Manhattan from Green-Wood Cemetery using a 250MM lens length with a 2x telephoto adapter. The results were too blurred and foggy for my taste, so I didn’t use it for taking pictures of birds.
View of Manhattan from Green-Wood Cemetery using a 250MM lens length. (no 2x telephoto adapter) You can see how the sides are blurry. I didn't feel the magnification was worth it.
View of Manhattan from Green-Wood Cemetery using a 250MM lens length. (no 2x telephoto adapter) You can see how the sides are blurry. I didn’t feel the magnification was worth it.
An American Robin in the grass at Green-Wood Cemetery; I used a 55MM lens length for this photo.
An American Robin in the grass at Green-Wood Cemetery; I used a 55MM lens length for this photo.
A picture of the SAME American Robin in the grass at Green-Wood Cemetery; I used a 250MM lens length for this photo. What a difference in perspective and focus!
A picture of the SAME American Robin in the grass at Green-Wood Cemetery; I used a 250MM lens length for this photo. What a difference in perspective and focus!
Where's Birdie? Autofocus played a big role in my birding photo shoot--especially when it came to trees. Can you spot the bird in this image? Perfect camouflage.
Where’s Birdie? Autofocus played a big role in my birding photo shoot–especially when it came to trees. Can you spot the bird in this image? Perfect camouflage.
Here's the picture zoomed in and focused on the bird--still, great camouflage, huh?
Here’s the picture zoomed in and focused on the bird–still, great camouflage, huh?
Lots of Birds flew overhead--here are three large black ones, but Merlin couldn't help me identify, but I still thought they worth taking a picture of. SO. MANY. BIRDS. EVERYWHERE.
Lots of Birds flew overhead, but Merlin couldn’t help me identify, but I still thought they worth taking a picture of. SO. MANY. BIRDS. EVERYWHERE.
Caught in the act! I noticed quite a few times that if I watched a bird for a while and took lots of pictures eventually they'd stare right at me. This isn't the only photo I have like this.
Caught in the act! I noticed quite a few times that if I watched a bird for a while and took lots of pictures eventually they’d stare right at me. This isn’t the only photo I have like this.
Another example of autofocus ruining the shot. Here the bird is blurry and the tombstone is in focus.
Another example of autofocus ruining the shot. Here the bird is blurry and the tombstone is in focus.
It's not always autofocus ruining the shot. Here the tombstone is in blurry and the bird is in focus.
It’s not always autofocus ruining the shot. Here the tombstone is in blurry and the bird is in focus.
Caught again! After several shots, this American Robin atop a tombstone gave me a good once over.
Caught in the act, again! After several shots, this American Robin atop a tombstone gave me a good once over.
Hungry birds everywhere at Green-Wood! This photo shows a bird I was unable to identify popping its head around by just the head paint. Lots of birds feeding that day--including this one.
Hungry birds everywhere at Green-Wood! This photo shows a bird I was unable to identify by just the head paint popping its head around the top of a tombstone. Lots of birds feeding that day–including this one.
Here's an American Robin eating from the ground, just before flying away. By watching his behavior I was able to get a lot of good images. From watching other Robins, I knew he would likely fly away soon. He did. See next picture!
Here’s an American Robin eating from the ground, just before flying away. By watching his behavior I was able to get a lot of good images. From watching other Robins, I knew he would likely fly away soon. He did. See next picture!
American Robin in flight! This picture was taken after a couple of minutes of watching this American Robin eat.
American Robin in flight! This picture was taken after a couple of minutes of watching this American Robin eat.
While the birds were mostly American Robins, I did spot a number of European Starlings at Green-Wood on my visit.
While the birds were mostly American Robins, I did spot a number of European Starlings at Green-Wood on my visit.
It took a bit to get down how to take photos of birds in trees. Good thing film is cheap. Here is an American Robin on a branch in a tree.
It took a bit to get better at taking photos of birds in trees. Good thing film is cheap. Here is an American Robin on a branch in a tree.
A set of Canadian Geese. I spotted these down by Sylvan Water. I felt like I saw more pairs of birds as I got closer to the water.
A set of Canadian Geese. I spotted these down by Sylvan Water. I felt like I saw more pairs of birds as I got closer to the water.
A pair of American Robins. I spotted these down by Sylvan Water. I felt like I saw more pairs of birds as I got closer to the water.
A pair of American Robins. I spotted these down by Sylvan Water, as well.
I call this one "Bird Beak & Grub Guts". If you look closely in the American Robin's beak, you'll see it has captured--and squashed--a grub. Cool!
I call this one “Bird Beak & Grub Guts”. If you look closely in the American Robin’s beak, you’ll see it has captured–and squashed–a grub. Cool!
these down by Sylvan Water. I felt like I saw more pairs of birds as I got closer to the water.
Another pair of birds down by Sylvan Water. This time, Mallards.
According to the Merlin app, this is a red-winged blackbird. This identification was particularly tricky at first. The red and yellow appeared orange at first and with the bird moving it was hard to see details. Taking a picture I could clearly see the distinct colors.
According to the Merlin app, this is a red-winged blackbird. This identification was particularly tricky at first and highlights an advantage to using photography to learn about birds. The red and yellow appeared orange at first and, with the bird moving, it was hard to see details. Taking a picture and zooming in, I could, finally, clearly see the distinct colors.
Another American Robin in flight. It had been sitting on the railing and then took off while I was taking pictures.
Another American Robin in flight. It had been sitting on the railing and then took off while I was taking pictures.
The Merlin app identified this as a Chirping Sparrow. This is another case where it was handy to have a camera to capture detail. This bird flew off shortly after I started checking it out and liking it more for something other than a House Sparrow.
The Merlin app identified this as a Chirping Sparrow. This is another case where it was handy to have a camera to capture detail. This bird flew off shortly after I started checking it out and, liking it more for something other than a House Sparrow, I thought I should get some help with identification.

The Tally

In case you were curious, here’s the tally of the birds I was able to identify and count while at Green-Wood Cemetery. There were so, SO many more birds left to count and identify, no doubt I’ll be going back. If you go and apps aren’t your thing while enjoying nature, as you enter, you can pick up a paper checklist of the birds you’re most likely to see in the cemetery!

Screen shot of my eBird tally from my afternoon at Green-Wood. 2 hours, 9 identified Taxa, and 81 birds counted. By far my coolest birding experience. The sounds were incredible.
Screen shot of my eBird tally from my afternoon at Green-Wood. 2 hours, 9 identified Taxa, and 81 birds counted. By far my coolest birding experience. The sounds were incredible!

If you’re at all even a little interested, I hope my sharing my experience inspires you to dip your toe into birding locally, try your hand at birding photography, or visit a local place in nature of historical significance–or all three!

HAPPY BIRDING!