Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

That is the magic formula. Study your subjects, and wait. . .

Just as if you were hunting with a firearm or bow.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Awesome shot.
In our yard we have many regular birds that habits are also predictable.
When traveling it is just chance. I have not gone looking for birds or wildlife just catch them by chance.

outdoorcat

Just after sundown, I get some Cat Chow and some marshmallows and go sit under the car port.

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joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Nice shot.

I simply load up the feeder(s) that I want the birds to populated, sit in my chair on the deck, tripod legs across the chair arms and one on the floor, wait...usually not long, fire away when the birds come in, perch or leave. Pick the ones I want and process them, discarding the rest.

As one gets older, you learn to use you head instead of feet. Walking around, looking for them is for the birds....and as you say, unproductive.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Birds are more active in the morning (like us). Find a place where the bird is nesting, they will fly back and forth to build, then they will fly back and forth to feed their young. During this time they are less likely to concern themselves with you, unless you are too close. A bird feeder will bring birds in, get them while they are flying in. Look for rookeries in your part of the state and find out when the birds are nesting.
Eagles love to hunt along rivers, Ospreys in lakes.
Find a local Audubon site and see where to look in your area. There are always birding groups in every area of the country, seek them out and become a member, these folks know where and when to look, and most of them are also photographers with knowledge to share.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Go out early (7am) to a wildlife preserve & you won't be disappointed.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Beautiful photo - I would love to see it if you had uploaded the original so that we could enlarge it to see more feather detail in this great shot.

bajadreamer Loc: Baja California Sur

I thought I had, but now I see that I screwed up. Here it is.

PS Interesting; even though I tick "store original" it does not show it as "download".

rwww80a Loc: Hampton, NH

Go to your state Audubon website. They usually have a listing of locations that are "Birding Hot Spots" and or recent sightings locations.

John Maher Loc: Northern Virginia

Talk to hunters -- many are active conservationists concerned with wildlife habitat -- especially bowhunters as that is a close-range sport. Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Federation, all are prime movers in restoring wild populations.

You may be interested in is still-hunting or camouflage and pop-up blinds. In a treestand, I have had black-capped chickadees on my boots but I run the squirrels off before they get that close (nasty bite). Most state game and fish commissions have lots of info on observing wildlife.

Most of all, know your subject, e.g., seasonal food, cover, mating. That includes when you are stressing the animal. We now know that photography is more intrusive than we believed and will cause animals to abandon otherwise good habitat. Also, once animals are habituated (used to humans), their natural fear as prey is gone. Any wild animal, once habituated, is potentially dangerous, i.e., squirrels.

And know your game laws. One example is feeding/baiting to limit the spread of disease; i.e., chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer.

philo Loc: philo, ca

I have few birds in my area. my wife doesn't want to have a bird feeder, but i think i will set one up anyhow.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Learning animal behavior is the first step in taking wildlife photos.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

A download link will not be generated if your image upload is no larger than the thumbnail that UHH displays.

For most of UHH's existence, a thumbnail was only 600 pixels wide. Admin changed that within the past year.

I doubled the pixel count and reposted below, as an experiment

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ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

I, perhaps like you, am a better photographer than birder. I have been lucky to live in areas with active Audubon and similar groups that offer regular bird walks. The leaders of these walks are generally very experienced, and as a group we also benefit from multiple sets of eyes. And, not only do the leaders pass on local knowledge and birding information that is slowly penetrating my brain, but these trips also point out spots that I can return to later on my own.

Apart from that, ebird has already been mentioned as a resource to help find hotspots and to help identify what species you can expect to find in any specific location.

bajadreamer Loc: Baja California Sur

Thank you for that explanation. I resized this shot for posting to several websites. Original was MUCH larger. Will remember that in future.