I recently got my 2nd camera, a used Canon EOS 80D DSLR, and I’m loving it! While it’s definitely more advanced than my REBEL T3i, that camera still gave me amazing shots. All of my bird pictures from 2024-2025 were taken on my T3i, often with a “budget” lens (a Canon 55-250mm lens).

Truth be told, a telephoto lens with a longer focal length, such as 400mm, would make it easier for me to zoom in on birds. But there’s a non-technical factor that’s helped produce my best bird photos: familiarity.

And in our neighborhood, my habit of waving to the birds during my walks has fueled that familiarity. One afternoon in January ’25, this white-throated sparrow recognized me by my wave and hopped onto this nearby branch, creating a fantastic photo opportunity.

A white-throated sparrow perched on a branch.
Taken on my Canon EOS REBEL T3i with the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens

Sparrow Buddies

The New World sparrows in our neighborhood (excluding house sparrows, who count as Old World sparrows) are quite gregarious. Song sparrows, cousins to white-throated sparrows, are especially unbothered by humans and love having an audience when they sing.

White-throated sparrows tend to stay in the trees away from our backyard, and as such, I don’t get to interact with them as much as I do with the song and house sparrows. However, the white-throats socialize with the other birds and have observed me from their branch perches.

One way or another, they know who I am and what my intentions are.

In a way, I’ve encouraged what can be called “reverse birding” from our birds. Many times now, the birds will come up close to me instead of the other way around! This is especially true of the sparrows and bluebirds.

Technical Stuff

This photo came out looking quite sharp! I’m lucky that he was close enough for my lens at 250mm.

I did have to crop this shot quite a bit. My T3i pictures have an original (before cropping) resolution of 5184×3456. I cropped this one down to 2852×1902 to make him look bigger in the frame.

A picture of a white-throated sparrow on a branch.
1/1000, f/9, ISO 640

In hindsight, f/9 may have been too narrow an aperture for this shot. I can’t tell whether the branches, which are more prominent in the background, complement or detract from the sparrow.

That gleam of light in his eye (also called a “catchlight“) makes him look so personable!

Birds and Curious People

The birds here in our neighborhood are generous with me and my curiosity. They frequently let me be closer to them than most other people are allowed to be. Without that trust, most of my bird shots would’ve been impossible.

I believe birds can sense our intentions/feelings. It’s a good thing they know that I’m friendly and not a threat. Otherwise, the red-winged blackbirds would have no qualms about dive-bombing me daily!

All Images by Connor Brennan

Thank you for reading this blog post and supporting my photography! If you’d like to look at more of my photos, feel free to click on these links below: