Streaked Spiderhunter-How to Photograph thsi tiny Bird!

 

This tiny bird with its sharp and loud call yet considered large in its family often hangs upside down sucking the nectars with it long curved black bill. This active bird with black streaks mostly and greenish-yellow underparts love more nectars than its main diets of invertebrates like spiders which must have been probably named after. Thus, this bird’s name must have been derived from its diet rather than after discovering ornithologist or scientists which often happens in new species naming in animalia and plantae kingdom.

But this bird may definitely love nectars more than spiders for its sweet taste. Sweet is always preferred over bitter by all and so is the irony of our lives.  The local name for this species named Streaked Spiderhunter (arachnothera magna) in various regions must have been undoubtedly after the banana flower. So, its local Lhotsam/Nepali name is Kayra Bunggay meaning Kayra-banana,Bungga- banana flower. Similarly, in Khengpa it is called Chib Bja. Thus, many of us must have seen this bird only in banana flower except by the birders or experts. I have too rarely seen them feeding in on spiders.  

a. Hanging upside down scanning the danger around.

So, if you are hunting this species for a good photograph and its related research studies, you can wait by the banana flower. If you don’t have one, don’t wait to plant and grow the banana tree in your kitchen garden. It will keep your garden moist and healthy. It will give delicious banana and invite your subject for super shot.

However, you need to be innovative for the hunting ground for close up shots if you have short gun. I mean the short telephoto lens like 250 mm which I own.  One can always ambush from the bushes nearby if its available. But this will not give you a technical photography position and angle in bird photography because the banana flowers will be always hanging on higher level in its tree unless you are taking a photograph from the equal ground height. This is because the subject of the photograph must always be the same eye level height for perfect photo in photography world. It might differ in category of photography but generally it applies to all.

But, it’s not an easy task to get this rule implemented on the ground of bird photography because your subjects keep moving within a second to minutes from branch to trees to sky all of sudden. This is why bird photography is one of the most challenging in the wild life photography category. So, how to hunt down this fast and active hunter bird. To get an eye to eye level view and good shot, one must climb the tree or make a hiding post. I didn’t try any of these techniques but I climbed on the post I made for my spiny vegetables like beans and pumpkins. It gave me good subject position level though not perfect. One can try to make a hideout post for perfect level. The other good option is to shoot from the windows or doors of your house if the banana trees is nearby which I tried at my seven days’ quarantine facility (QF) center in Manas Hotel, Panbang, Zhemgang.

b. Near eye level shot from my vegetables support post.

c. Shot from the window of my QF center which was at upper level to the subject.

While after fixing all the above setups and settling for your shoot, you are not yet done. You must have stable footholds or space either to wait standing, sitting or lying flat on whatever support you have made it for the purpose. In my vegetable post I both sitting position and lie down snipper shot position with my camouflage suit.  There you can’t jump any time of the day or whenever the bird comes. You need to choose the best lightning period of the day. Photography is all about playing with lights some say and yes it’s about light with skills. In general, we need good lighting of the day from sun rise to sun set. For, beginners like me this general concept of day light is enough unless the subject is directly from the source of light or sunrays. Birders and expert recommends early morning sunrise hour and evening hour is the best rather than bright sunny day.

It makes a lot of sense in avoiding the subjects’ shadow in the photograph and the reflection of lights from the birds’ feathers. So, prepare yourself to climb the post when the morning sunrays hit the banana flower. Your subject will not look for your sunlight time as it starts as early as rays dawn to dusk. Adjust your self-fine and be ready for minutes to hours’ stillness position. We need to make the environment coping for the bird to its natural surrounding than right away clicking the bird as soon as it lands. This is an undisputable strategy of losing your bird for the perfect shot. Bird photography is about patience and not only about passion. Thus, with these things in mind, let the bird settle down for its nectars and in between, you can start your final goal. You are good to go once they found, the flower surrounding is safe enough for them to hang on.

You can take rest once it goes to another flower or next location but be sure that it will come again in another 30 minutes’ times earlier or later. This, routine will go on from morning till dusk and you can certainly expect minimum five times a day. In this intermittent feeding visit, you can easily hear its sharp call on its way in the adjacent areas. It will first scan its surrounding areas for any danger before it lands on the feeding ground. You can see its long neck swaying while scanning the area. While, in the feeding ground also it continuously keeps on high alert hearing your camera shutter and other intruders.

d. Sucking the nectar after making it sure no sing of any danger around.

Who else could bother them while feeding? The enemy could be other bird species who also feed on the flower. The attack may be of territorial defense by other species or the fight over the food itself. But to my surprise, their own partner does chase them away while feeding as I have not seen them feeding together in this seven years birding journey. They might be territorial or just they don’t want to share it. They will feed merely a minute or little more sometimes and leave for the next visit of the day. The bigger enemy who steals it nectar is the squirrel. I simply chase them away because they damage all the flower bunch to fall off at a time with its non-suitable teeth trying to suck the nectar unlike the long bill of the Spider-hunter. Once the flower bunch is fallen, you got to wait for another day or two to get the next layers of banana flower. Red-vented bulbul also tries to steal the nectar sometimes. 

e. Squirrel stealing away the nectar. 

f. Red-vented Bulbul trying the nectar bullying the Spiderhunter.

This is how I hunt this hunter called Streaked Spiderhunter (Arachnothera Magna) for decent photograph I have taken so far. Taking care of all the above rules and techniques I have shared should help the beginners some skills. It’s not about how expensive camera you hold for the good or perfect photograph of your subjects but how skillfully you use it, be it less budget camera or semi-pro to pro. One can understand the old cliché that "It’s not about the camera it’s about the man behind the Camera". This could be one strong reason that photography is an Art undoubtedly though many still perceive it isn’t to what we call the paintings or sculpture the traditional form of an Art.