Birding with Juan van den Heever

Juan van den Heever started birding as early as 8 years old, now 15 years later, and he’s still just as passionate and loves being in nature and exploring new places with new birds! “The fact that you have no clue what you’ll find next is extremely exhilarating!”

He recently had the opportunity to visit The Pantanal in Brazil for just over two weeks. They started in the south of the Pantanal, around the cities of Bonito and Aquidauana. Here they focused mainly on Macaws, Toucans, jumping fish and Giant Anteaters, as well as a plethora of birds and mammals along the way! The second week of the trip was spent on the river systems on the Cuiaba and Tres Irmaos rivers, as well as their tributaries (called Corixo’s). Here, the main focus was photographing Jaguars in an area known for being densest population of these magnificent cats.

What are the differences in shooting birds vs wildlife?

Photographing birds come with a host of challenges for a photographer. Firstly, photographing a flying bird is often more challenging than photographing an animal on the ground. Birds are smaller and faster, making the challenge of tracking them much harder! Reading the behaviour of a bird is generally tougher than with a mammal such as a Leopard, Impala or Elephant for instance.

What are the most important technical elements of shooting birds?

Shutter speed plays a very important role and you need to ensure your shutter speed is fast enough to freeze the motion of the flying bird. Having an adequate depth of field is also worth keeping in mind, as lowering your f-stop also decreases your depth of field, minimising any room for error.

Top birding destination in South Africa?

For me, the top birding destination in South Africa, from a diversity point of view, is the Kruger National Park. With hundreds of species recorded in the park and is easy accessibility, it’s definitely one of my favourite places to bird. From an endemics point of view, West Coast National Park and Karoo National Park delivers a vast array of South Africa’s endemic species.

Do you use spotting scopes or binoculars?

I use Leica Ultravid 8×42 HD+ Binoculars. Although I am very keen to upgrade to a pair of Swarovski 10×32 NL Pure Binoculars.

What kind of post production do you apply to your photographs?

I tend to shy away from over-editing my images. I might add a bit of texture, vibrance, brighten the shadows and adjust sharpening if needed.

Please share with us your top 5 tips to shoot birds.

Know your subject. Certain birds exhibit certain behavioural patterns that indicate what they’ll do next. For example, Bee-Eaters tend to fly back to the exact same perch whilst hunting for insects. Knowing this can get you an opportunity for some wonderful in flight and landing shots. The best way to get acquainted with bird behaviour is by studying a field guide such as Roberts or Beat About the Bush: Birds.
Exposure. Fast flying birds, such as Kingfishers or Swifts require a faster shutter speed to have the entire bird sharp. Increasing your ISO or lowering your f-Stop are two ways to achieve a faster shutter speed. Remember, increasing your ISO could cause noise, and lowering your f-Stop decreases your depth of field, leaving you with less room for error.
Know your camera, its limitations, and how to work around them. For example, a lower megapixel camera can be cropped less before it loses significant detail, so it might be worth considering a longer lens to get you closer to the subject. This is where the versatility of a zoom lens proves to be extremely helpful.
Be stealthy! Bird hides are a fantastic way to observe and photograph skittish, shy species such as Flufftails and Rails. South Africa is fortunate to have an abundance of game reserves, bird sanctuaries and national parks that have brilliant hides! Be sure to explore them. Even for a garden setup, a compact mobile hide placed close to a feeder or bird bath can create some amazing opportunities to photograph birds up close.
Lastly, and possibly the most important tip. No amount of reading books, watching tutorials, or talking to experts can teach you as much as actually being in the field. Nature is the best classroom. So, get out there, start practicing and enjoy!

Do you have plans for another photography trip soon?

As a Bird Specialist by trade, I spend a lot of time in the field looking for birds. My work takes me all over the country to survey and photograph a wide variety of birds. As it currently stands, I’ll be in the Amersfoort area of Mpumalanga, Indwe in the Eastern Cape, Lime Acres in the Northern Cape, and Amsterdam in Mpumalanga in the following weeks. Follow my Instagram to see more about my upcoming trips.

What is your absolute dream trip/shoot?

For years my dream destination has been The Pantanal. Having finally ticked that box, my next big ambition is Svalbard, to photograph polar bears and the wide variety of oceanic birds and mammals to be found there!

If you’re looking to learn a bit more about birding, browse through our range of birding books and become inspired to explore our beautiful countries’ birds.