Page 4 - Words of WiNZdom

Research and field craft
Page 4

For this jay shot I
discovered that their
favourite winter food was
peanuts and freeze-dried
mealworms. Once the
b i r d s b e c a m e
accustomed to taking the
bait in front of a wide-
angled lens (disguised as
a pile of leaves), it was
just a matter of
triggering the shutter at
the right time via remote
control.

Once all your research is done and you know where your subject is, or
likely to be, you're halfway home to a decent amount of shooting. To
ensure the right animal shows up you need to be specific with the bait,
the time and location.

A daytime set-up for something nocturnal else nowhere nearby will
have little to no success. If you
know the nature of the animal to
be one of shyness then a
crowded, noisy open space isn't

going to work as well as a quiet,
covered secluded one.
Also the food needs to be
strategically placed so that it’s

likely to be found by the foraging
habits of whatever it is you’re
after. For example, a seed dispenser high up in a tree isn't going to
work on ground feeding birds like thrushes and pigeons!