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A catcher of flies


A catcher of flies
Photo Information
Copyright: Japie Venter (japie) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-11-21
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Sigma 170-500mm APO, Digital ISO 1600, Skylight
Exposure: f/16, 1/200 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Birds of Southern Africa [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2004-11-23 14:26
Viewed: 1334
Points: 32
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I consider myself lucky to have caught this flycatcher. These birds are very busy and hardly sit still and I forgot that my ISO was set to 1600 (after some shots the previous night), so I expected a lot more noise in this shot. This was taken in my garden while taking a break from work

This is the African Paradise Flycatcher (Roberts 710)

This is a stunning bird with a long chestnut red tail and blue-grey head. Size: 17-20 cm (35 cm in breeding males, of which 18 cm is the tail) - about the same size as a sparrow, but with a long or very long tail. Afrikaans: Paradysvlieëvanger

The most obvious thing about this species is the flowing orange-rust tail, very long in the male. Both sexes have dark blue-grey heads and the back and wings are the same colour as the tail - a rusty orange-red colour. The eyes are brown, and the bill and skin around the eye is bright blue to greenish-blue. The throat and breast are also dark blue-grey, fading to pale blue grey and whitish.

The tail of the male is more than twice the length of the body.

This is a common species of well-wooded areas, well treed suburbs, riverine and coastal forests and thickets in more open savannah.

It is usually seen singly, or in pairs, or in small groups. It hawks insects in quick sallies from a shaded perch, usually underneath a large tree. Often quite unobtrusive despite colourful dress.

The most often heard call is a raspy zweet-zwayi and the call a quick rippling series of piping notes: tzee switty-sweety-tsweety-sweepy-tsaweep - reminiscent of rapid high-pitched laughter.

The Paradise Flycatcher subsists mostly on insects.

The breeding season is from September to March. The nest is a neat shallow cup of bark roots and grass, bound together with spider web and lined with rootlets. It often has pieces of lichen attached to the outside as decoration. The nest is often placed n the fork of a slender branch which is hanging over a small stream or other water.

The camera settings:

Program Setting: Aperture priority
Focal Length: 500mm
F Stop: F/16
Shutter Speed: 1/200
ISO: 1600
Tripod: No
Flash: Yes
Reflective Panel: No
Cable release: No
RAP, christophe, Luc, PDP, mogens-j, gerhardt, ellis49, AndyB, willie, red45, marhowie, LordPotty, coasties, Lourens, justrob has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

beautiful composition and color, a pity for the regulating of your sensitivity to 1600 iso, while correcting your photo to suppress the noise, you to create a little fuzzy, Great shot

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848] (11755)
  • [2004-11-23 16:06]

Hi Japie, it's a beautiful little bird, full marks for the capture. It is a little soft around the head but I am comparing this to your usual standard. Very well done.

Great capture Japie and for a 1600 ISO it is very good. I agree with Paul about the soft focus on the head but in this situation it is really a minor thing. His colours are great and there still are many details in the plumage.

Very nice Japie.
Very beautiful bird.
Good composition and good details.
For ISO 1600 it's a very good shot.
Well done.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2058 W: 315 N: 4404] (14713)
  • [2004-11-24 1:48]

I just begin to play with ISO. Until now all my shots were taken at iso 50 to obtain less noise. But under cloudy conditions I must reduce the speed too much and my pictures are not good.
Nice African Paradise Flycatcher, Japie. An hairy one like the Green Heron. His eye is splendid. His bill too. I will say nothing about his tail because you know why :)
I like him in spite of the imperfections which are visible only with the eyes of the really introduced persons.

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1592 W: 32 N: 1361] (3978)
  • [2004-11-24 2:20]

A nice capture,its a beautiful bird.
Composition and colours are great.
A good result.
Well done.

Japie, I like the pose. the colours are beautiful. I wish I can get shots like this Well done

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2830 W: 75 N: 8024] (26861)
  • [2004-11-24 4:17]

Very nice bird, full of colours. From its pose I conclude that its in fact very busy. Very good capture Japie.

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2004-11-24 7:08]

Una extraña y bella especie Japie.
Difícil de mostrar por el fondo y por la composicion de colores y texturas de su plumaje.
Me agrada la perspectiva y encuadre de la imagen.
($$ mañana)

A stranger and beautiful species Japie.
Difficult to show by the bottom and the composition of colors and textures of its plumage.
I like me the perspective and frame of the image.
($$ tomorrow)

Japie, Great capture at 1600 with good results. My post today was also at lunch break and the one shot was all my "bumbling" bee would give up! Good job!

Well done Japie.I know how hard it is to capture quick little birds like this.It's a very handsome specimen.Not bad at all.

That Canon really works very well in ISO 1600, I am amazed. The subject is very, very beautiful, I like it a lot. It looks smaller in the shot, maybe because of the delicate it seems. You keep surprising me every day Japie, thanks.

It's a beauty and the first time I've seen it in this detail. A bit soft, but that contrasting eye is to die for. Well done Japie.

Hi Japie

An interesting bird. The blue circle around the eye is quite stunning. His head looks like a pompom! Great note. TFS,

Very nice shot, Japie. How lucky can you get to have a beauty like this in your garden!!!

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2306 W: 324 N: 4306] (16856)
  • [2004-12-13 9:58]

Japie, you were lucky because you caught the bird, and now we're lucky because we can watch it.

Great picture with excellent POV, DOF and sharpness.

To me, the bird has a funny look. Also because of that I like it a lot.

Lívio

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