Varied Tit, off the Coast of Shanghai

[Craig Brelsford]

Varied tits are not supposed to occur off the coast of Shanghai, but there currently are at least four on Lesser Yangshan Island. The prevailing theory is that recent typhoons blew some of them across the East China Sea from the Korean Peninsula or Japan. When I found out about the discovery, I rushed to the island. The distinctive tits, perhaps the most beautiful in East Asia, were not hard to find. Photographing the fast-moving little buggers was a chore. I took this photo handheld, and, as is my current habit, with VR off.

Device: Nikon D3S
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal Length: 600 mm
Aperture: F/5
Shutter Speed: 1/800
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +0.33
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 3200
Metering Mode: Center-Weight
Subject Distance: 6 m
Vibration Reduction: Not Used
Photoshoppery: I created two layers, one with only the bird and the perch, the other containing the BG. I desaturated the BG layer so as to tone down the loud yellows and greens from light reflecting through the leafy copse.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Craig, good DOF on the Varied Tit, and with a lovely angled pose of his head. You have managed to expose him well enough, looking at your settings, it couldnt have been easy. I realise shooting in your parts, you dont have many opportunities for clear shots, due to the undergrowth, so in this, I would try a vertical. Good call on toning down the BG too.

[Shawn Zierman]

Beautiful bird in a really nice setting. Excellent sharpness, particularly considering your techs...
I enjoy all the background complexeties and I think you handled the post processing with style.
Wish the one branch did not merge with the bird's head...
Fairly approachable bird then? Was their a food source involved?

[Munish Kaushik]

What a beauty here. Nice exposure on the bird in difficult lighting situations. A creative attempt to tone down the BKGR plays well here. Had I been at your place, I would have tried going vertical.

Regards,
Munish Kaushik

[Karl Egressy]

Nice looking bird sharp and well exposed. I like the bluish legs show. The background looks a bit busy but that's the spot he/she liked.

[Craig Brelsford]

. . . I realise shooting in your parts, you dont have many opportunities for clear shots, due to the undergrowth, . . .

Hey Stu, thanks for appreciating the difficulties of shooting in China.

[Alan Murphy]

A stunning bird, pose and I like the BG.

[Craig Brelsford]

Beautiful bird in a really nice setting. Excellent sharpness, particularly considering your techs...
I enjoy all the background complexeties and I think you handled the post processing with style.
Wish the one branch did not merge with the bird's head...
Fairly approachable bird then? Was their a food source involved?

Shawn, thanks. The varied tits were approachable, but probably only because the forest on the island is very small and they didn't have many alternatives. We used no lures. My strategy for keeping up with these fast-moving little guys was to get rid of the tripod and follow them around with the camera in hand. During the shoot, I realized just how much more appropriate Nikon's 400 mm F/2.8 lens would have been in this situation.

[Satish Ranadive]

Craig:
Magnificent image of tit.
Love the pose,colors and beautiful details.Agree with Stuart about vertical crop.
How far is the Lesser Yangshan Island from the coast of Shanghai ?. Curious to know about the distance traveled by such tiny birds along with typhoon.

Regards,
Satish.

[Robert Holguin]

Wonderful shot. I really like the pose, excellent comp, terrific details, and even though the background is busy it is not distracting.
Very well done.

[Craig Brelsford]

. . . How far is the Lesser Yangshan Island from the coast of Shanghai ?. Curious to know about the distance traveled by such tiny birds along with typhoon. . . .

Satish: Lesser Yangshan Island is about 30 km off the coast of mainland China (Shanghai). It's reachable by the Donghai Bridge. Besides mainland China, the nearest land is probably Cheju Island (South Korea), about 550 km away. Varied tits are known to occur there, as well as on the Korean Peninsula and the main Japanese islands. Varied tits occur in northern China (Liaoning). The theory is that varied tits migrating near the sea, probably around Korea and Japan, got blown across the sea, with the survivors reaching Lesser Yangshan Island; there have also been recent reports of varied tits in Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and even as far south as Hong Kong.

[Satish Ranadive]

Craig:
Thanks a lot for the nice information.

Regards,
Satish.

[Craig Brelsford]

Craig:
Thanks a lot for the nice information.

Regards,
Satish.

You bet, Satish. I have a deep and abiding interest in Indian birds. I've heard good things about Pune.