A wild and common bulbul appeared above our heads. It is not as loud and noisy as the starlings with their striking yellow eyes. It is a small but beautiful bird, all puffed up perched on a branch, almost looking directly at me. What an uncanny feeling, does it see me? Did it recognise me?
Recently, we had the opportunity to do a wild game drive, and when we stopped to take a little breather, this little bulbul suddenly appeared, making its presence known to us.
I love the bulbuls, but they are incredibly shy. If I had a 600mm lens it would have been "easier" in some sense, but they always manage to dodge the camera. When they sit still for long enough, I am able to capture them.
Back home in the cape, we have another species, the cape bulbul. They are even more timid, rarely if every joining the party in my garden. But when I walk in the nearby park, they are always there to greet us. Again, almost in a mocking manner, in a way that they know I do not have my camera with me... They always know...
While it rested for a while (see the photographs below), I managed to sneak close enough to it to snap some photographs. It puffed itself up, a little body on a small twig in the tree above us. It tilted its head, almost like it was listening to the noises around us. The various starlings overpowering every other noise around us.
But it also blended in with the background a bit, if you did not know where to look, you might not see it. I know it is not that visible from here, with the stark difference with the background color, but I sometimes lost the little bird in the viewfinder.
Here is an example, as it tried to hide behind some leaves. It almost disappears as you search for it through the various twigs and leaves in the thicket.
In the end, we found many of them close to where humans are, having access to us humans is akin to fast food or drive-throughs. They do not have to work hard for their food, as humans are more than willing to feed them. While this presents a unique opportunity for us photographers to get nice and close (especially when we do not have 600mm lenses), it is a moral grey area for me as a photographer and birder. I want them in the wild, but we humans are taking so much of the wild... Alas, we can just hope that they will survive partially along with us.
I hope that you enjoyed this series of photographs of this little bird, they are really beautiful, even though they are so shy.
For now, happy birding, and keep well.
All of the writings and musings are my own, albeit inspired by this little bird. The photographs are my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and Tamron 300mm zoom lens.
