Ten fascinating aspects of bird photography

1. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
Shibu M. Job
Ten fascinating things about bird photography
Shibu M. Job

2. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
1
Beauty
Birds are creatures of beauty.
Those of them which are
residents in humid evergreen
forests generally possess
brilliantly-coloured plumage.
Even sober coloured birds are
subjects for beautiful
photographs.

3. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
2
Diversity
As wildlife photography
subjects, birds offer great
variety, ranging from the little
sunbird to the Sarus crane that
stands the height of a man.
India alone has more than 1260
species of birds reported within
its political limits. World over
this number is close to 9000.

4. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
3
Challenge
Shooting a small object from a
distance is challenging, most
birds being small and distant.
Birds are active in the morning
and evening, when light is poor
for outdoor photography.
The swift movement of birds
gives a little time for framing
them in a shot.
Evergreen forest, a bird habitat
is dark most of the time.

5. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
4
Flight
Success in shooting a bird on its
flight is a delightful experience,
but it requires both equipment
skills and subject knowledge.
Getting a Brahminy Kite on the
wings, as in the image here,
was easy, as the bird was flying
at a low speed, in a low height
and above the beach sands.
Doing the same thing with a
small bird in a wooded habitat is
extremely difficult.

6. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
5
Action
Shooting a bird in action makes
brilliant photographs. Flight, of
course, is such an action, but
we discussed it separately.
There are many bird actions
giving life to a photograph like a
bird making a call, feeding
nestlings, catching an insect,
pecking at a berry, and holding
a prey while on flight.

7. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
6
Vocalization
Photographers very often reach
a bird, pursuing a call or a song.
Calls are short vocalizations
from birds while establishing
contact with the flock, raising
alarm, roosting, mobbing etc.
Songs are complex and long
vocalisations usually associated
with courtship and mating.

8. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
7
Dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the
condition wherein male and
female of a species differ
conspicuously in look.
Many bird species are
dimorphic.
Getting a dimorphic pair in one
frame is a challenge for
photographers.

9. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
8
Nesting
Bird’s nest and bird commuting
to the nest to feed the young
offer great photo opportunities.
Birds which lay their eggs
directly on the ground or on
rocky ledges give a different
experience to the photographer.
Another category is brood
parasites like Asian koel, which
lay their eggs in the nests of
other birds.

10. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
9
Flocking
A flock is number of birds of one
kind feeding, resting, and
travelling together. The main
benefits of flocking are safety of
numbers and greater foraging
efficiency.
A flock of bird gives different
photo frames every split
second.
Photographing flight of a flock is
easier compared to that of a
single bird.

11. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
10
Migration
Bird migration is change of
habitat periodically recurring
and altering in direction.
Flocks of migratory birds are
frequent subjects of bird
photographers.
There are intercontinental
long-distance migrants and
short-distance local migrants.
The blue-headed rock-thrush
shown here is of the latter
category where it is shot.

12. Ten fascinating things about bird photography
Summary
Beauty
Diversity
Challenge
Flight
Action
Vocalization
Dimorphism
Nesting
Flocking
Migration