One of the best wildife photography tips is to get to eye level with the animals, even if it means lying down in the mud or on gravel. It creates distance between the subject and the background/foreground, thus creating a really nice bokeh. This helps isolate the subject, which altogether creates a better sense of intimacy with the animal.
On this example, I was spending some time observing some Spotted Sandpipers. I was laying down in a spot I knew they were visiting often. After 30 minutes of waiting, one showed up. I could never have had this amazing opportunity without laying down and wait as they are extremely skittish birds.
Did you know the Sandpiper always teeter when walking? However, the teetering gets faster when the bird is nervous, and stops when the bird is alarmed or aggressive. An extra tip is to educate ourselves with wildlife’s behaviour as it is really important to respectfully observe and appreciate them.
Cheers,
Marco