My method of bird photography is very simple, walk slowly on a trail and watch for any bird that perch on the branches, but frequently the birds fly away when I stumble upon it.
I never used bird song to lure the bird into view, except this one. The bird was photographed with the help of MP3 song that I downloaded from Xeno-canto Asia.
Download the mp3 file into my iPod nano and attached it to a small portable speaker (Altec Lansing iM207 Orbit).
I heard the song of this Niltava at Maybank Lodge's front gate and played the iPod. The bird called back and suddenly landed on the electric cable. Perched there for a few second, just enough for me to shoot a few frames.
Than I saw the male perched on a dead ginger plant a few feet away.
The use of of bird sound is frowned upon and discourage. I don't think I distress this bird for about three minute playback and nine minutes of photography. This Niltava is not in endangered or rare, and December is not a breeding season.
There is a lot of discussion in the bird forum about the ethics of using bird sound playback in birding and photographic. In my opinion, limited use that do not repeatedly loop back the song for a long duration with non endangered bird is okay.
In Malaysia, I don't think this will threaten the common bird, but logging, forest clearing and bird poachers are the main culprit.
Large Niltava (Niltava grandis) -female
male species
Click for the Song (taken from Xeno-canto Asia; recorded by Nick Athanas)
Have a look for more bird pictures at the Bird Photography Weekly @ Birdfreak.