by Krishna Mohan
Juvenile Yellow-billed Babbler Cropped
That day I was returning after some macro shooting, I saw these group of babblers hopping around in the shrubs. I have covered these Yellow-billed Babblers (Turdoides affinis) earlier in three blogs here, here & here. Each time I had opportunity to use different lens and cameras.
Juvenile Yellow-billed Babbler
These are very familiar birds in Mangalore and Manipal area. But are absent in my native place which is very close to Mangalore. These birds jump and hop so much that it is rarely possible for me to get a clean closeup of them sitting. So when I saw this juvenile Yellow-billed Babbler which was sitting very close to me acting as a sentinel on duty, I started photographing without thinking about the rest of the group. When I reached home and checked photo on larger monitor I realized that it looked very close to the Jungle babbler(Turdoides striata). If it was not for the other adult Yellow-billed Babblers which have paler head and nape as compared to the body color, I would have mistook this for Jungle babbler(Turdoides striata). Thanks to my good friend Shiva Shankar whom I depend for most of my bird identification for clarifying the same.
Juvenile Yellow-billed Babbler
That day I was carrying my usual macro & tele rig consisting of Canon EOS 5D mark II fitted with Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM & Canon EF 2X II Extender. For the 600mm range I was getting, the bird was quite close. Due to that proximity you can see even at f/8 aperture I was getting the tail of the bird out of focus. Just to highlight the feather detail which is captured by the camera and the lens combination, I have cropped the first picture to almost 50% of the original.
Juvenile Yellow-billed Babbler
The Yellow-billed Babbler lives in flocks of seven to ten or more. It is a noisy bird, and the presence of a flock may generally be known at some distance by the continual chattering, squeaking and chirping produced by its members. One member often perches high and acts as a sentinel while the remaining members of the flock forage on or close to the ground. They feeds mainly on insects, but also eat fruit, nectar and human food scrap. They do not fly long distances, they usually gain height by moving up a tree or tall shrub.
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Auto exposure
Exposure Time:
1/350 sec.
Exposure Bias:
+1.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/8.0
ISO Used:
400
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
As Shot
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2011:09:18 16:00:19
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 55' 20" N, 74° 51' 55.2" E, 697 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Auto exposure
Exposure Time:
1/350 sec.
Exposure Bias:
+1.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/8.0
ISO Used:
400
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
As Shot
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2011:09:18 16:00:19
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 55' 20" N, 74° 51' 55.2" E, 697 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Auto exposure
Exposure Time:
1/350 sec.
Exposure Bias:
+1.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/8.0
ISO Used:
400
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
As Shot
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2011:09:18 16:00:20
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 55' 20" N, 74° 51' 55.2" E, 697 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +2.0x
Exposure Mode:
Auto exposure
Exposure Time:
1/350 sec.
Exposure Bias:
+1.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/8.0
ISO Used:
400
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
As Shot
Focal Length:
600.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2011:09:18 16:00:20
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 55' 20" N, 74° 51' 55.2" E, 697 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
Tags: Asia, Aves, birds, Bondel, branch, Canon EF 2X II Extender, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM, Canon EOS 5D mark II, Chordata, Dakshina Kannada, India, Juvenile, Karnataka, Mangalore, Passeriformes, Timaliidae, Turdoides, Turdoides affinis, White sky, White-headed Babbler, Yellow-billed Babbler
Posted in Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Comments (1)
by Krishna Mohan
Yellow Billed Babbler
Golden rays of setting sun shining on this Yellow-billed Babbler or White-headed Babbler (Turdoides affinis) turned it to a golden hue. Hungry for insects and lizards it was searching on this tree in a group. Like most babblers they are not migratory, and have a weak flight and is usually seen calling and foraging in groups. They are often mistaken for the Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striata).
Curious
That day I was shooting with X Canon EOS 7D fitted with Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM + Canon EF 1.4x II Extender. As the light was fading I had to resort to ISO 1600 to get some acceptable shutter speed. These birds hop around a lot and constantly on the move foraging food. ISO 1600 provided me 250th of sec speed and f/4.0. The shutter speed was not good enough to freeze the fine feather details as the plumes of the feather were moving due to the breeze. This also gave the dreamy feel to that magic light.
Yellow Billed Babbler
The Yellow-billed Babbler lives in flocks of seven to ten or more. It is a noisy bird, and the presence of a flock may generally be known at some distance by the continual chattering, squeaking and chirping produced by its members. One member often perches high and acts as a sentinel while the remaining members of the flock forage on or close to the ground. They feeds mainly on insects, but also eat fruit, nectar and human food scrap. They do not fly long distances, they usually gain height by moving up a tree or tall shrub. Black Drongos, Rufous Treepies and Indian Palm Squirrels are often seen foraging near these babblers.
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 7D
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x
Exposure Mode:
Auto exposure
Exposure Time:
1/250 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/4.0
ISO Used:
1600
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Cloudy
Focal Length:
420.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Spot
Date Time:
2010:09:19 18:11:03
GPS Location in Google Map:
unknown (no GPS data)
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 7D
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x
Exposure Mode:
Auto exposure
Exposure Time:
1/350 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/4.0
ISO Used:
1600
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Cloudy
Focal Length:
420.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Spot
Date Time:
2010:09:19 18:11:04
GPS Location in Google Map:
unknown (no GPS data)
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 7D
Lens:
EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x
Exposure Mode:
Auto exposure
Exposure Time:
1/250 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/4.0
ISO Used:
1600
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
As Shot
Focal Length:
420.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Spot
Date Time:
2010:09:19 18:12:43
GPS Location in Google Map:
unknown (no GPS data)
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
Tags: Asia, Aves, birds, Bondel, Canon EF 1.4x II Extender, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM, Canon EOS 7D, Chordata, Dakshina Kannada, India, Karnataka, Mangalore, Passeriformes, Timaliidae, Turdoides, Turdoides affinis, White-headed Babbler, Yellow-billed Babbler
Posted in Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Comments (2)
by Krishna Mohan
Yellow Billed Babbler
I found this Yellow-billed Babbler (Turdoides affinis) searching for insects in the dried undergrowth. Shot using Canon EOS 5D mark II with Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM at around 3 meters from camera. That was the closest I can focus with 400mm lens 
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF400mm f/5.6L USM
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/320 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/5.6
ISO Used:
800
Flash Used:
Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Daylight
Focal Length:
400.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2009:06:14 15:55:00
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 55' 18.9" N, 74° 51' 57.6" E, 71 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
Tags: Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM, Canon EOS 5D mark II, Turdoides affinis, Yellow-billed Babbler
Posted in Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Comments (3)
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