JOGI PHOTOGRAPHY: TIGER SHIRKE

LANIUS TIGRINUS

(Tirjup Harimau)
18cm

DESCRIPTION

Back, wings and tail rich brown; back and lesser wings coverts always finely barred black. Strong contrast between brown black and grey cap; black mask and relatively thick bill. Females may show some barring on flanks.

DISTRIBUTION

Resident in far E Russia, Japan and Korea through central China; non breeding migrant to S China and Southeast Asia as far as Java and Bali.

HABITS AND HABITAT

In forest edges, bamboo groves, dense roadside vegetation and abandoned cultivation, extending into heavily logged forest. Noted singly throughout Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak to c. 85m, but most Borneo records are the chief prey.

ABOUT PHOTOS PLACE AND DATE TAKEN

This Tiger Shirke was taken from about 20 - 25 meter away from me. Even this photo was shot at a day time with sun is very bright - after Dzuhur around 2:00 pm but what makes this photo is much better is because the light is not straightly to the bird. The Tiger Shrike that perched on the branch of the shady pine and the yellowish breast make this photo better in contrast, in addition that make the advantage that background of this photos a dark forest. I realized the closer to the bird shoot, the better quality photo that I can produce, however this is very difficult because the birds that exposed in widely open, it tend to fly away from me. I move step by step closer to the bird while I shot in every step for 5 pictures each. The advantage of monopod that I use everywhere and every time to shoot the bird are :

In fact I can select a Single Point Spot AF ( Manual Selection) in which I can pinpoint and extra focusing to the subject as compare if I used AF Point Expansion. Without monopod I have to select AF point Expansion, this in addition if camera shake even my lens 70 - 200 mm is IS lens
It is very flexible as compare to tripod, especially if we only have limited Telephoto Lens. If say, I have 500 mm lens of course I prefer to use a tripod
Light weight in term of handling and it is more flexible in term of maneuver

The birds as below photo are located at Awana Genting Resort however it may located other mountain at Peninsular of Malaysia. The photo were taken at Saturday 27 October 2012.