Birds in the Neighborhood

Sometimes I get away from my desk to take snaps of birds flying around the neighborhood. Ever since I owned a capable camera, I have learned to take snaps of these flying creatures. Whenever they settle on a cable or a twig, I get the opportunity to take snapshots of them. So far, I have taken photos of 6 types of birds.

Chestnut Munia

Red Turtle Dove

Birding has become more of an addiction than a hobby. I get a certain kind of satisfaction every time I get a good photo of a bird. It’s not easy to take shots of these birds. You have to be not too near but not too far. I’m using a superzoom point-and-shoot camera with a telephoto reach of 600mm. With this camera, I can get good shots of birds like the chestnut munias or tree sparrows 5-10 meters away. If they are too far, I can only manage to get small, unflattering images of them.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Olive-backed Sunbird

I used to take bird photos using the Auto or Program Mode, but I’ve been learning to use the Manual Mode recently to get more precise settings. It took me a few months to gain confidence to switch to the M mode on the dial. But with the right settings, I can get really nice shots.

Asian Glossy Starling

Young Asian Glossy Starling 

Because birds like to move a lot, it’s sensible to use fast shutter speed. I can get sharp bird shots at shutter speeds less than 1/100 s. This fast shutter speed demands a lot of light. Hence, the best times for me to take photos are during sunny days. My camera can manage to get decent photos only up to ISO 400, so it’s extremely challenging to get good snaps during cloudy days.

Yellow-vented Bulbul