Photographing Birds In The City

As surprising as it may be, cities can be an attractive habitat for many different species of birds. They actually may find everything they need for nesting and food. So bring your Eschenbach binoculars and your camera for a photo tour in between the buildings!

Between the buildings

Modern city centres often offer the same opportunities: large buildings, urban canyons, lots of metal, glass and very little green space. Pigeons and sparrows are the most frequently encountered birds as they benefit from food scraps and waste. But jackdaws, swifts, blackbirds or black redstart also can find their way there. For example, 60 pairs of Kestrels live in Munich. These former cliff breeders use niches in high buildings as nesting sites and hunt for smaller birds and pigeons between the skyscrapers. Sparrows are very inventive when it comes to their nesting sites: they nest under eaves, in wall holes, behind light commercials and so on. Swifts slip into the smallest holes under eaves when Jackdaws prefer openings on old buildings such as castles, churches and bridges. Black redstarts, which normally breed in rocky mountainous areas, can be found on balconies, roofs and wall holes.

From rocks to grass

The crested lark was named “debris bird” after the Second World War because it was staying in the buildings’ rubble. It usually lives in semi-deserts and steppes and found in the postwar landscapes similar conditions. Today, it is found mainly on industrial premises and large parking areas. Some birds also see a viable replacement for their original habitat in the bare plains of parking and taxiways. Wagtails, wheatears and ringed plover like clear, rocky landscapes with columns and hollows. The Little ringed plover in particular often uses the flat, graveled roofs of supermarkets for breeding. And if you don’t feel like staying in a parking lot to get the perfect shot, why not have a walk in the parks and green areas of your city? Fresh air and cheerful birdsongs will accompany you while looking for the woodpeckers, heron, thrushes, waterbirds and even hawks.

No need to travel to get beautiful pictures of birds. Just take your Eschenbach binoculars to get another (bright and wide) view of the city you live in!