Grey-crowned Babler

Image Critiques
,
1

Original - 144A9872.jpg
Original - 144A9872.jpg1858×1316 1.07 MB

Critique Style: Standard

The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.

Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical

About This Image

The bird photographed is a Grey-crowned Babbler; a gorgeous, gregarious, medium-sized bird that is always a joy to watch. Latei-ish afternoon light.

Australia has been fortunate to remain isolated from many diseases and pests over the years, but lately it feels like our luck has been running out. Our beehives now require treatment for varroa mite, and the arrival of H5N1 bird flu has raised serious concerns.

Watching what’s happening overseas has me wondering what the future holds for our own wildlife.

Many of you in the USA have now been living with H5N1 avian influenza for some time. I’d love to hear your first hand experiences.

Have you noticed fewer birds visiting your yards or favourite birding spots? Have you seen changes in behaviour or declines in particular species? Have other wildlife or mammals been affected where you live?

Have you changed anything you do with bird feeders or bird baths? Are there precautions you now take as photographers or backyard birders?

With H5N1 becoming an increasing concern, I’d really appreciate hearing your observations, advice, and what you’ve learned over the past few years.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences. I think many of us in Australia have a lot to learn from those who are already living with it.

Feedback Requested

Comments or welcomed and appreciated.

Technical Details

Camera: 5D4
Lens: 150-600mm
Focal length: 600mm
Shutter speed: 1/1000
Aperture: f6.3
ISO: 1600

Processed in ACR. Highlights and Shadows and a touch of contrast. A couple of masks to lighten bird and top of perch and one to darken bottom of post.

In PS. Removal of a bolt on top of the post and NR.

2

A very nice image of this beauty, Glennie. It looks like our thrasher family, though I don’t know of any of them being gregarious. Our thrashers are wonderful singers, which makes me wonder about this bird.

We keep our eye on the news for bird flu outbreaks and take extra precautions when there is one. I’ve been starting to wonder this year as we’ve encountered a higher incidence than usual of dead birds, though mostly of a single species-so it might be something peculiar to them. The only real precaution I take is wearing gloves when I fill bird feeders and definitely whenever I handle a dead bird. I thoroughly rinse our bird baths twice a day, but that’s more for debris than diseases. When there’s been a really heavy outbreak, we have ceased feeding for awhile, but once the birds are here and breeding, that can be an iffy proposition since they’re somewhat dependent on our feed source.

3

Thank you @Dennis_Plank ! This bird is certainly no singer. I believe your thrashers are more solitary? Babblers like little groups.

Thank you for your comments on the bird flu. I hope out “powers that be” give us plenty of notice when the outbreak gets closer.

Would you say (in your area) you have lost 10s, 100s, or 1000s of birds? I am a bit paranoid at this stage. I love the birds who visit so much. Birdsong all around is my happy place.

4

A very nice composition and like the muted colors of the BG too. The fence post with barbed wire is rustic and goes well with the rest of the comp. The pose is excellent and I like the lighting on the subject. This is a keeper for sure. Avian flu hits raptors and waterfowl more severely than songbirds. I do have a few wild turkeys that visit our feeder and am worried about them. The virus is vulnerable to the sun’s UV radiation, so the chance of infection at feeders is certainly reduced. Bald eagles tend to feed on sick and dying waterfowl and they suffer extreme mortality during waterfowl migration which brings in many birds with virus infection…Jim

5

Hi Glennie: It’s really hard to say how many birds we’ve lost locally. When it was at it’s peak we probably found a dozen or two birds over the summer that may have dies of it, but not huge numbers. As @Jim noted, it seems to hit raptors and waterfowl more and we don’t have any waterfowl except geese overhead. We do have a good variety of raptors, but their density, like most predators, is quite low compared to other species, so it’s difficult to figure out numbers on a single five acre parcel. We’re still getting the same species as regulars in about the same numbers, so I don’t see it as something that will decimate your bird population. The real effect is more on the poultry industry and that’s why it gets so much publicity.

6

I have seen babblers in India, but they are usually quite drab where I am from, so this is an interesting species, Glenys. Techs look excellent and I like your composition, with the man-made perch and fence adding some character.

Re your point on the avian flu, I think it has affected some species more than others. We have seen a drop in some song birds that breed in our area and also some species like the black-billed magpie that used to be common in our region has become quite sparse (and may be just starting to recover). Not sure if this is from the flu or climate change - I think it is probably a combination of the two.

7

What a lovely image!! And the setting is perfect – very interesting, with just the right colors.

I’m not an experienced birder by any means, and I think we are in a niche environment, but I do notice fluctuations in species year-to-year. Most of what I notice may just be normal, though.

8

Hi Glenys

The Grey-crowned Babler looks great.

As for the bird count in Connecticut. It is the lowest number of Great White Egrets, Snowys, Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, and the are for the first 4 empty Osprey stands. These nesting stands have always been a successful breeding site for the Osprey.

Peter

9

I agree with Dennis on this one. Does look like a thrasher, but you’re right or thrashers are more solitary. I currently have a scrub Jay hanging out at my feeders and they seem to be pretty solitary also about the same size as your Babler.

Regarding H1N1, I don’t have much to add that Dennis hasn’t authority discussed. It does seem to affect the poultry industry more than it affects us, but we didn’t have to refrain from putting out the feeders for a while when it was an issue. I should say more of an issue.