I do a lot of bird composites ( Judgement Day, Summer Birds, Winter Birds, Bird House and Shadow Birds ). To make pictures using only one bird you can probably shoot them anywhere, but to make an ensemble using many birds, it’s best if you collect your shots with that use in mind. This means getting them all in the approximately the same light, at the same distance and same angle.
Here is how I do it. I put seed on a board that is about five inches wide and which is positioned parallel to the window behind which I have my “blind” (a painter’s drop cloth with a lens-size hole cut in it). The narrowness of the board (actually my deck railing) causes all birds to be at the same distance and its height determines the angle of view. By putting seed only on the part of the board that is in front of my camera, I get the birds into exactly the right place. (To get them used to such spot feeding, start with bird food on the entire length of the board and gradually shorten the span over which you spread it).
My birds must not be in full sun. I can’t composite an object with strong, harsh shadows on it. For this reason, the chosen railing/board is on the north side of my house. It is shaded by the house for about an hour every morning from November to mid-May. During the summer months, the sun is far enough to the east to get behind the house, so I can’t shoot birds from June to October.
To get the birds to show up during the desired hour of good lighting, I start by putting out feed all the time, and then gradually limit the time, putting it out for only the morning, then only for a few hours, then only for the time during which I want to shoot. The birds learn pretty quickly when chow time is.
In order to make a group picture with birds, the participants must all be reacting in perfect harmony. This requires an enormous pool of bird pictures from which to choose in order to get matching or suitably coordinated poses. I shoot birds all winter, then mask several thousand through the spring (as I am still shooting). During the summer, I make the composites.
