Image
details
1/30 sec, f/4; ISO
800
Canon 30D, Canon 500mm f4 IS
Location: Muthorai, Ooty, Tamil Nadu
Date: 10 April 2007
Shoot details
It’s a bird of
the bushes and darker places in the rain forest system. They are silent
during most part of the year and start calling by April which is a good
sign for a birder. Their calls will what take them to their place of
roost. Their darker colors help them to get camouflaged very well with
their surroundings. This particular bird in Ooty was also photographed
after going behind its calls. They breed during the peak monsoon months
(End May to July at Ooty). I have been studying their habits for almost
a decade. Photography is not possible during their breeding season due
to the harsh rainy conditions. These are crepuscular, hence very active
in the dark as well. This is one of my better images of this shy bird.
Species details
This is a small
15cm bird endemic to the montane evergreen forests of South-west
India. Recent re-evaluation by Rasmussen & Anderton (2005) has
placed the bird in Myiomela as a full species - Nilgiri Blue Robin
Myiomela major. The species is considered vulnerable due to habitat
loss.
A
Birds of India presentation
