Wild bird photography in summer in Shinshu

Summer 2022

Photographer / Koji Nakano

I have many favorite places to photograph wild birds, but one place I visit several times each year is Shinshu. With a wide variety of environments, from satoyama to alpine zones, Shinshu is the perfect place to photograph mountain birds. I always visit between May and June when the new leaves emerge, and look forward to meeting the summer birds that have just migrated there.

Until now, I have mainly used SLR cameras for photographing wild birds, but this season I have switched completely to mirrorless cameras with the introduction of the Nikon Z 9 and the NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S. There are many advantages to switching from SLR to mirrorless cameras when photographing wild birds, but the biggest advantage is the elimination of camera shake caused by mechanical operating shocks from mirrors, shutter curtains, etc. This means that the tripod and head supporting the heavy camera and lens can be made lighter than before, making it easier to photograph wild birds, especially while walking along mountain trails.

My favorite legs for this style of photography are the Gitzo GT2542 tripod and the Markins BV24SET (Q20iQ-BK and BV-24 set). It's lighter than a larger tripod, but sturdy enough to hold the Z 9 and 800mm without any problems. I also replaced the tripod hub with the Markins TH-230, which is even lighter and more sturdy than the original.

When you're walking around looking for wild birds, there's a high chance you'll miss the shot if you wait until you find a bird before setting up your equipment. For that reason, you can carry your camera and lens on a tripod on your shoulder while walking around looking for birds, but if the head's fixing strength is weak, the heavy lens can bow and pinch the skin of your neck. In that respect, the Markins BV24SET has a strong fixing strength, so there's no need to worry about it coming loose accidentally.

When shooting, hold the camera in your right hand and place your left index finger on the ball fixed knob (main knob) and your thumb on the panning fixed knob, allowing you to quickly operate the two fixed knobs.

As the season of new greenery in the low mountains comes to an end, the snow melts in the alpine zone and the rock ptarmigans become more active. Males keep watch on the surroundings from the top of the rocks, and when they spot other males, they fly off and compete for territory.

At the end of summer, when the pines bear fruit, the Nutcrackers pluck the cones, take out the seeds inside, and diligently carry them to a storage area. When shooting in the alpine zone, you must carry rain gear and emergency food in case the weather suddenly worsens. For this reason, you want to keep your photography equipment to a minimum, so you want to choose a tripod and head system that is both lightweight and sturdy.
No matter how much camera equipment evolves and image stabilization mechanisms improve, the need for a tripod and head remains the same. In fact, you will need a stability that goes beyond the camera's image stabilization capabilities, so you should choose a tripod and head that are more reliable than ever before.

Koji Nakano

Specializes in photographing wild birds and airplanes, with published work mainly in magazines and advertisements. Travels around Japan and overseas with two major themes: "Birdscape - Spectacular Wild Birds" and "Jetscape - Spectacular Airplanes." Recent publications include "Textbook of Wild Bird Photography" (Genkosha) and "Puffin!" (Kawade Shobo Shinsha).

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