What is 'Bird on a Stick'?

I first came across this expression in a photography forum where two guys were arguing about lenses and posting their bird photos to prove their points. The discussion went back and forth, and finally, one fellow posted a good shot and said: "I dare you to show me something better than this, made with your lens!"

The reply, dripping with sarcasm, went something like this: "I study birds, I learn their feeding and mating habits, and I spend hours in the wild taking natural and authentic photos. You, on the other hand, all you're doing is bird on a stick! "

I was immediately fascinated. I have bird feeders in the yard, and I take lots of shots, but...

...many people prefer to see the bird in a natural rather than man-made setting. The term 'bird on a stick' seemed to imply a method of getting more natural looking shots in the backyard. A little cheat if you will. I eagerly set out to learn how to do this!

First attempts

My initial setup was very simple... literally, just a stick propped up in the yard, and a little bird feed. It is important to select a background some distance behind the stick in order to get some blur, and separate the subject from the background. In the examples shown here, the background (a cedar hedge) is about four or five yards distant.

I was pretty happy with these results, but I realized the setup was too simple to look truly natural. I started thinking about building a more complex setting for the birds which would look more convincing.

Second attempt

Starting with a small juniper tree we have in a pot, I added various sticks, rocks, and bits of moss. It didn't look like much at first.

My theory was that wherever a bird perched, I could zoom in tight and take a shot, and the random elements in the scene would look natural. This might have worked, but I soon realized a better idea was to pick a very precise spot for the bird to land. Somewhere in the setting which would be nicely framed creating a pleasing composition.

So why did the bird perch in the exact spot I selected? Simple... that's where I put the bird food!

Conclusion

I'm very happy with the final results, and I'd like to do more of this. I will need some new 'sticks' so you guys won't see the same setup each time. Let me know what you think of this. Is it a cheat? Do you care? Let me know if you have questions or suggestions, thank you!

All photos were taken by me with a Nikon D750 and Tamron 150-600mm zoom.