nests very soon after being flushed and 
resume incubation even while the cam¬ 
el a is in plain view three feet away, 
while others will not return for some 
time and not at all unless the camera 
is perfectly camouflaged. In this meth¬ 
od the camera is focused upon the near 
rim of the nest, a small enough stop 
is used to insure the bird’s head and 
tail being in focus no matter what 
position she takes up on the nest, and 
the shutter is released by a thread 
when the bird has been settled on her 
nest for some minutes. In this work 
longer exposures can be given than in 
most phases of bird photography, be¬ 
cause a sitting bird usually remains 
motionless for considerable periods. 
In all work about a nest it should 
be a rule to do nothing which will en¬ 
danger either the eggs of the young, 
and for this reason the female should 
not be repeatedly flushed by changing 
plates in quick succession, as this may 
result in the chilling of the eggs. It 
is best to leave at least twenty minutes 
between exposures, and not to make 
more than three in a day unless the 
bird is so tame as to be but little dis¬ 
turbed by the operations. 
beside the nest. The main points which 
make for success in this phase of bird 
photography are: 
Set up the camera so that the bird 
will be in the field of view and in focus 
in any position it assumes at the nest. 
Have a clear view of the nest from 
the place from which you operate the 
shutter. 
Use the fastest shutter speed which 
the lighting conditions will allow. Any¬ 
thing slower than 1/15 seconds is likely 
to show movement. 
Study the light conditions at differ¬ 
ent times of the day between 9 and 4 
o’clock and choose the most favorable 
time for operations. The worst time 
of all is when part of the field of view 
is in bright sunlight and part in dense 
shade, as under these conditions the 
contrasts are so great that one part 
of the negative is bound to be either 
over or under exposed. 
Secure as good a series of poses of 
both parents (if both feed the young) 
as possible. 
In this method twigs or small 
branches may be held back out of the 
way by means of a black thread, but 
should be released as soon as opera- 
proach the nest, and focusing on such 
a point. 
Biids which nest in holes, such as 
the House Wren, Chicadee, Bluebird 
and Tree Swallow, may frequently be 
induced to nest in places where they 
may be readily photographed by pro¬ 
viding suitable nesting places in the 
garden or orchard. 
Young birds in their nests are not 
very satisfactory subjects, as when 
resting they are usually huddled close- 
lj together, and when their necks are 
stretched up their heads shake so much 
that the movement can only be stopped 
by quick shutter speeds, frequently re¬ 
sulting in under-exposure. Except as 
part of a life-history series they are 
rarely worth photographing. 
Young birds immediately after they 
leave the nest are fairly easy subjects 
to handle as they can usually be placed 
where one wishes and will remain in 
position for some length of time. To 
induce the entire brood to remain to¬ 
gether long enough to make an expo¬ 
sure is quite a different matter, but is 
woi th a trial as it makes a far more 
effective picture. By following up one 
of the young a picture of the parent 
Photographs of birds at their nests 
building, or feeding the young—are 
among the most satisfactory of bird 
pictures. Here again the temperament 
of the species, and of the individual, 
j c °mes into play, some birds being so 
shy that successful pictures are to be 
obtained only at the price of much 
patience and perseverance, while others 
are $o confiding that they will return 
and feed the young while one stands 
Page 367 
tions for the day are over. No 
branches or leaves should be removed 
as this not only impairs the conceal¬ 
ment of the nest but may expose the 
young to the heat of the sun. 
Frequently when photographing 
birds about their nest good pictures 
may be obtained by noticing the usual 
route which the parents take to the 
nest and the particular twig, stick or 
stub on which they perch as they ap- 
feeding* it can often be obtained with 
the reflex. 
The baiting of birds with seeds, suet, 
etc., is a method which yields excellent 
pictures. Here the photographer has 
a large measure of control over the 
location, the background, the time of 
appearance of the bird and the pose 
which it shall assume. The chief point 
to be observed in this method is to 
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