by Yvette Depaepe
Published the 9^th of February 2026

For David Manusevich, bird photography became an enlightening hobby. It makes him feel free and distracts him from the outside world. Take a look at his impressive body of work.

‘Little Owls’

My name is David Manusevich.
I live in Israel and work for a company that sells aquarium fish, other pets, and all kinds of related equipment.
I have been interested in animals, their behavior and habits since childhood.
I started taking pictures of birds and other creatures in nature when I was young. I became particularly fascinated by prey animals and birds.

‘Fox family’

‘The fox and the Falcon’

‘White-tailed eagles’

‘The Predator’s Gaze’

The development of photo technology gave me more possibilities. I can now easily capture birds in flight.

‘Cormorants’

‘Lesser Kestrel’

‘Night heron’

I learned about prey birds by reading about them and by photographing them.
I have thoroughly studied cameras, lenses and other necessary gear to improve the quality of my pictures.
Over time, bird photography has gradually become a hobby that has enriched my life.

I am attracted to the diversity of nature. Seeing birds makes me feel free and helps me to forget about the outside world.
These days, I mostly photograph prey birds, but my favorites are little owls.
I am fascinated by little owls because of their expressive eyes.
They can interact with people if they feel safe around them.

There is an old quarry not far from where I live, which some owls have made their home. They recognize me and show no fear. Once, I saw an owlet that had fallen out of its nest and hurt itself. I took it in, looked after it until it could walk, and then returned it to the same place. I have now seen two generations of these owls, recognizing them by their limp.

‘Flight Lesson’

‘A glance Through Petals’

‘Acrobat’

Bird photography is quite different from other types of photography.

Nature is never static, so it's difficult to predict what you'll see when you return to a familiar location.
Capturing birds in motion requires knowledge of their behavior, the ability to predict their next actions, and a great deal of patience.

A bird photographer must be able to sense the moment and know when to capture it. 

‘Northern Goshawks’

‘Subalpine Warbler’

‘Eurasian Roller’

‘Dinner is served’

‘Junior Red Footed Falcons’

‘Emotions in the frame’

Having the right cameras, lenses and gear for your photos is one of the most important things for taking good pictures and achieving perfection.
I usually edit my photos afterwards, but minimally, to keep them as close to the original as possible.

Cameras:
CANON R1 and CANON R5 m2
Lenses: 
RF 600mm F4 / RF 400mm F2.8 / RF 100-300mm F2.8 / RF 100mm F2.8