Streaked-throated fulvetta, Mt. Wawu, China

[Craig Brelsford]

A streak-throated fulvetta dances on a branch on the Wawu Plateau in Sichuan, China last month. Elev. 2750 m (9,000 ft.).

Device: Nikon D300
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal length: 600mm
VR: ON
Aperture: F/4
Shutter Speed: 1/160s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: 0EV
Metering: Center-Weighted
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 500

[Scott Frye]

Very colorful and cute little bird -- the trunk on the left is a bit overpowering for this small bird -- bird is a bit centered -- If it were mine I would try a tighter crop to get rid of as much of the trunk as I could (making it easier to stamp out the trunk) and take the bird off center

[Daniel Cadieux]

Craig, I've really enjoyed viewing these incredible bird species you've sharing with us!! This is another beautiful one, love the HUGE head...although I suppose it is more raised feathers than anything:D.

As pointed out, the dark tree in ULC is distracting (should be easy to fix), and a better HA would have made this image much stronger (not as easy;)). Perhaps warming up the image a bit would work well, too. Good sharpness, and I like the thin simple perch.

Keep them coming!!

[Arthur Morris]

This one reminds me of a certain dog species. Incredibly cute. Needs a crop from the bottom. Love the open bill and the look!

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Craig, thx for sharing. I have seen these fulvettas only in field guides in India and have dreamt about seeing them since I was a child. Some photographers do try to attempt shooting them( and do a good job too) but they all say its quite hard. A terrific job here.

If you are interested, you can try googling 'Ramki Sreenivasan'. He has quite a collection of these real unique north eastern Indian specialities. Lot of them must be found in China as well. He is an extremely knowledgable birder along with being a very good photographer.

[Craig Brelsford]

Thank you everyone for the tips and encouragement. Kaustubh, seeing and shooting these fulvettas is doable. The species is common on Mt. Wawu. The bird is a typical small, restless species of the understory, easy to find and hard to photograph amid the extremely thick bamboo. After days of near-misses, I finally lucked out with the shot above. Yes, her shaggy appearance is not typical. This fulvetta usually has a more streamlined look.