Last updated on April 17th, 2022 at 11:57 pm
A GoPro is a versatile instrument that works well for capturing movement and detail. It stands to reason that birders would wonder whether this kind of camera could work for recording birds.
A GoPro is a great choice for bird photography. It can capture detailed photos and videos at a close distance, and you can mount it directly by a feeding area to capture maximum activity. Just remember to face the GoPro away from direct sunlight and keep a power source plugged in for added life.
Things To Know About Using a GoPro for Bird Photography
A GoPro such as the GoPro HERO10 Action Camera (available on Amazon.com) makes for a great bird camera, as long as you know how to use it.
This camera takes excellent, detailed videos that capture motion well.
1. You’ll Need To Mount the Camera Close to a Feeding Area
Mounting your GoPro near a feeding area is a good way to make sure that you’ll get plenty of traffic.
Depending on what kind of feeder you have, you may need different camera mounts to record the activity.
A magic arm mount allows you to clip your camera to something with a set of jaws. This could be a tree branch or the feeder itself, and it’s a very versatile tool.
This kind of attachment works well for most feeders.
A tripod mount works when your feeder is close to the ground or when you want to capture birds doing other activities on the ground.
For example, setting up a tripod camera that faces a platform feeder on or close to the ground is a good way to film bird activity.
In any case, you should set up your camera about 12-18 inches away from the birds to ensure the best possible picture and detail capture.
The exact distance that’s best for you depends on the version of the camera that you own, however, so keep this in mind while you’re setting up.
2. Set Up Your GoPro for Good Lighting
The camera should neither face the direct sun nor be in too shaded of an area.
The best-case scenario is to find a clear place that tends to be sunny, but face the camera north or south rather than east or west.
This will ensure that the sun is never shining directly into the camera. Direct sunlight can mess with the exposure in the photos.
3. Consider What Power Source You’ll Use
The GoPro has significant power needs due to the large SD card that comes with the camera.
If you want to record continuously for several hours as the equipment allows, you’ll need to be prepared with a power bank that has enough juice to keep the camera going.
Ideally, the power bank should have about 10,000 mAh.
The Anker Wireless Power Bank (available on Amazon.com) is a good example.
You can connect this power bank to the GoPro to add hours of film time to the battery life of your GoPro.
4. Make the Most Out of Your Camera With the GoPro App
This application allows you to control your camera remotely, taking bursts of photos when you want to from a distance.
Generally, the camera controls work up to a distance of 40 feet. This allows you to watch your feeder from a reasonable distance and take photos without disrupting the birds.
The GoPro app comes with unlimited cloud storage space, ensuring that you won’t lose your data even if something happens to your phone.
It also gives you access to numerous photo editing tools right on your phone, including trimming, cropping, and syncing music.
You can also transfer photos and videos directly from the cloud to local phone storage for easy sharing.
5. Consider Using Anti-Fog Inserts
Anti-fog inserts can make a huge difference when you’re filming in the morning especially but prevent you from getting distorted images all day.
Check out the GoPro Anti-Fog Inserts (available on Amazon.com). These inserts prevent fogging even in harsh humidity.
Each lasts for about four uses, and the package itself comes with 12 pieces.
6. You Can Trust Your GoPro To Withstand Weather Conditions
One bonus about using a GoPro for birdwatching is that the device is highly durable and weather resistant.
These cameras are very difficult to break, so you don’t need to worry about the camera falling from up high or being left outside in the rain or snow.
You should never forgo basic care for your equipment, but you can have peace of mind remembering that the GoPro is made for outdoor exploration and photography in rough conditions.
7. GoPro Makes It Easy To Stream Your Footage on YouTube
Although GoPro doesn’t have a direct sharing option from the GoPro app, you can use the app to download your content and then upload it to Youtube or another video streaming service.
Alternatively, you can use the EaseFab Video Converter to download your footage without losing video quality. The converter also allows you to edit your footage in-app.
If you use the EaseFab Video Converter, you’ll have the option of uploading a 4K video directly to Youtube.
Otherwise, you might not have this option if you download to the local files on your phone from the cloud.
The benefits of streaming your footage on Youtube are great.
This way, you’ll be able to share your finds with other birders and help to build a collection of information about what kinds of birds are visiting feeders in your area.
See this stream of a feeder cam on Youtube as an example:
8. It’ll Take Time To Master the GoPro Settings
One benefit of a GoPro is that you have plenty of settings to work with, whether you want more exposure, a flatter picture, or something else.
It just takes time to develop an understanding of how all the different settings work.
The GoPro app can help you learn more about these different settings so that you can operate your camera with ease.
You’ll also have less trouble understanding these concepts if you go into the purchase already having a basic understanding of photography concepts.
A GoPro isn’t significantly more difficult than any other camera; you just need to know how to work it.