How to photograph bathing birds Mark Hamblin’s

Practical guide to bird photography using a purpose-built pool

Getting close to wildlife can sometimes be a challenge, so you need to devise ways of attracting subjects nearer the camera. One way is to provide garden birds with a source of water for drinking and bathing. And now is the ideal time!

You may already have a garden pond, but the chances are it isn’t ideal for photography; so consider a purpose-built pool that enables you to create striking bird images complete with perfect reflections. This simply designed pond is easy to construct from cheap materials, and can easily be achieved by anyone with basic DIY skills. But before you reach for your tool kit, here are a few things to consider.

The pond needs to be accessible and bird-friendly with good cover nearby. Ideally, choose a position that’s front-lit by early morning sun, because this is a good time for bird activity. Also, think about how the background will look in your pictures. A plain background such as grass provides an effective backdrop that will help the birds to stand out in your images.

The basic design of the pond is very simple, and can be adapted to suit your own situation. A 2.4m x 1.2m sheet of 12mm marine plywood forms a base, to which four lengths of approximately 130mm x 45mm softwood are nailed to create a wooden tray. Line this with thick horticultural black polythene (it must be black to get good water reflections) held in place with wooden strips. Level the pool accurately with a spirit level, then simply add water.

You now have a pool, but you’ll need to add some finishing touches and a photo hide before you can crack on with picture-taking…