Monday, April 20, 2009

The Largest and Rarest Bulbuls

My wild neighbors, the Straw-Heads have been extremely vocal and active. Despite, being noisy the pair still took me an entire day to track and photograph. Their dull olive-green color makes them drab but it also makes them blend in with the greenery.
The picture below was shot over the fence. This two birds live in a neighbor's house, which gives them security and yet they are close to the forest.This pair have been living with us for some time and of late have become bolder as they mature. They fill the air with wondrous song every morning for the Straw-headed Bulbuls are great song birds. Unfortunately, this quality also makes them highly sort after in the caged bird trade. Poachers target these birds and they are considered rare and vulnerable here in Singapore. Hence, we're a tad over protective when it comes to these wild neighbors and make it known that poachers are not welcome in the neighborhood.

2 comments:

Shawn said...

Grrr...
I'm growing so jealous...
Seeing your beautiful birds images when I can't even reach a good distance to shoot birds.

Shirls, how much does the camera you are using cost, including the extra-zooming equipment and all other parts like macro-lens etc...

I'm preparing to buy one of those, but before that I need to ask someone who is very experienced, and you seem to be one.

Thanks for your help.

Shirls said...

Shawn, I don't own the best but I'm happy with what I've got. I started out with a Canon 400D, two years back. Before upgrading to my current camera body, a Canon 40D. As for lenses there's a wide range. My favorite lenses are the Tamron 180mm macro, Canon 70-300 not the best but a great lens to hand shoot with. My latest is a Sigma 50-500 heavy and still a little slow but the price was right. Overall, my current kit amounts to over $8,000 bought over a period of time.
You can also explore 2nd hand if cost is an issue.
Hope this helps.