I'm going on a days photography workshop thing next week with Wild Arena, doing this:

http://www.wildarena.com/wild-kites-eagles-workshop.asp?q=&ctid=149&cid=2&vid=33

– photographing kites & eagles. I think some of it is going to be photos of the birds perching and then there will be a fair amount of time taking pics of the birds in flight, in a large meadow. From the sound of it, we can get quite close to the birds, so I think my 70-300 lens will be adequate, but I am a bit concerned that I don't have a proper flash for the static shots.

I was wondering if anyone has done a similar workshop day, and could give me any advice.
When I stayed at Center Parcs earlier this year, we did a 'birds of prey' experience thing and you could take pictures during that. Most of my pictures of the birds flying were to be honest, pretty poor.
I think I need to have a fiddle with the camera beforehand to work out the best settings. I think I should have set it wide area AF & continuous AF, but I don't think I did.

Isn't that the kind of thing they're going to lead you through on the workshop?

Not sure they will be happy with you using a flash, as it will disturb the birds. Normally you are are well hidden as possible to capture them in their natural habitat.

What was the problem with the shots you took?

Have a look over on the Nikonians forums for wildlife advice. There's loads of info on there and you don't need to be a Nikon user to benefit from it.

As for the perch shots, you don't necessarily need a flash. I'd be tempted not to use one without consulting the handlers in case it startles the birds. If the light is good and you think it's necessary, just use a reflector underneath the bird to brighten up its underside ( a bit of white card will do).

Birds in flight can be a real challenge and take a lot of practice. It's all abou getting a smooth pan to track the birds as they fly. Continuous AF will definitely help. Some older cameras do struggle with this though.

What body will you be using, out of interest?

I see certain well snapper is a tad busy right now.

Servo AF and use centre spot AF point only if possible. I also use centre spot metering to avoid metering for the sky instead of the bird. I'm a rank amateur but have managed the following with the above advice.

Would love to hear other's tips too.

I took a flash photo of a Red Grouse in Scotland that was defending its territory. The flash angered the bird which then proceeded to attack me very aggressively for a period of about 2 to 3 minutes whilst i was desperately trying to to get away from the bird.

Unfortunately i was riding a technical part of the black trail at Glentress at the time and me not being a riding god meant it was a slow attempted escape which involved further bird attacks.

If the same event happened with a bird of prey i guess there could be alot more blood!

Would love to hear other's tips too.

Buy one of these.

http://vimeo.com/5164377

Kit – yes, I think they will lead us through stuff but there's no harm getting a bit of a heads up.

Marionheck – the area I was trying to get some birs shots in at center parcs was fairly shaded so I was having to deal with fairly low shutter speeds. We were quite close to the birds too, so I was having to pan quickly which I think made the AF struggle a bit. To be honest, it wasn't the ideal situation to get pics, as that wasn't really what we were there for.

The birds are mostly from a sanctuary & I get the impression that they are quite used to humans & I would imagine being photographed but of course if there are any concerns about flash, I won't be using it.

guitarmanjon – I don't have a reflector. Might take some white card with me just in case it comes in handy.
I've got a D80.
I keep meaning to check out the nikon site.

Nice pics SurfR…..your 3rd pic down is the kind of thing I was thinking of – I was thinking along the same lines; continuous AF & probably continuous shooting, either centre-weighted or spot metering. Centre spot AF is a good tip as well.

cuckoo – I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time but that sounds highly amusing (for any onlookers!). Birds can seem very large & scary when they get up close!

I think that in the afternoon we will be shooting from a hide & there's some local red kites & grey herons that feed in front of it. I am sure that for that it will be no flash!!

Set aperture priority to as wide as possible, let the camera choose the shutter speed.
Set one autofocus point and try and get that on the bird eyes.
Continuous focus and shooting modes.
Spot metering so it gets the bird rather than the sky/background.
Try turning the VR off unless you've got one of those super fancy lenses that cancels out one plane of movement when you pan.

Don't forget if it gets a bit dull to adjust your ISO to keep the shutter speed up

As above – flash – unlikey you'll get to use it
adjust ISO to suit the conditions – better a 'grainy' shot that none at all…

70-300 lens? have not use one for a while so not sure how quick focus is or what your widest aperture is on the newer models….. however…my old sigma was perilously slow for this type of thing… may be worth begging / borrowing (or hiring) a 70-200 f2.8 optic for the day – not quite all the reach of the 300 end o'course but from what you say, birds may not be too far away?

i'd start on centre weighted metering, continuos AF and go from there..
If conditions are not too changeable then you should get a handle on things in the first few shots – chimp them, dial in compensation if needed, shoot and chimp a few more till happy then go for it…. oh – and try and keep a smooth panning action – some folk hit it right off, other folk take a little while to settle in then WAHEY – avoid the pun but – everything just clicks!

Post up some results when you get back!
Enjoy

If your shooting skyward like surfr's 3rd shot leave it in shutter priority. This will give you better control over motion blur and as the camera will sellect a smaller aperture you'll get a far larger depth of field increasing your chances of a focused shot. I would also set ISO to auto.

I would also recomend you doing some reading about the types of birds you will take photos of to learn about their natural behaviour so you can anticipate good shots.

Getting a lose crop by not zooming in to far is also a good idea so you have some leyway over composition post shoot and it makes them easier to sell later.

Excellent tips!

I was wondering about aperture/shutter priority. I can see both have advantages, but was thinking that shutter might give me a larger depth of field & subsequent 'sharper' images. I think I will have a play with both.

crazy-legs, I am pretty sure that my lens does have a 'panning VR' function to it doesn't try to compensate in the panning direction.

cheesyfeet – there is a function in the D80 to set the ISO and a shutter speed limit, below which it will ramp up the ISO to maintain the shutter speed. I might set it to that, as I will probably forget to ramp up the ISO.

marsdenman – agree with better to have a grainy shot, than none at all. Not sure i have time to hire a faster lens (should have looked into this earlier), but the 70-300 isn't too bad, if you keep it in the right region. Sometimes it hunts about, but is generally OK.

I have some experience of panning at motorsport events, but then you are generally further away with a larger 'radius of pan' (don't know what to call it) so it's a bit easier.

I am really looking forward to it now! Just hope the weather is kind!

Bigger birds are easier to shoot (probably both ways!) as they don't dart about like smaller birds. If it's a a centre, then they will probably fly predictably as they fly to the handler. This makes capturing the shot easier. Also, they will probably fly fairly low, so pay attention to where you stand and what will be in the background. You don't want a stunning photo of a bird in flight ruined by a rubbish bin or bobble hat wearing mong in the backround!