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Spotted Thick-knee


Spotted Thick-knee
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: 2004-09-04
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Sigma 170-500mm APO, Skylight
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/60 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Birds of Southern Africa, Photographer's favourite [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2004-09-06 9:47
Viewed: 1432
Points: 27
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I have not crawled in the dust and grass in this manner since my army days! When I noticed this Spotted Thick-knee at the back of my property I knew it was going some doing to get a good shot of him (These guys are quite shy). It is due to the hard work that it did take in the end that I'm breaking my plant/flower postings to post this shot. It was late afternoon and light was getting risky that I took this. I crawled through the long crass and took this lying on my tummy supporting the lens on my fist. While lying there in the long grass I was having visions of Gerhard's spiders which was very comforting.

Vital Statistcs

Name: Spotted Thick-knee (Afrikaans - Gewone Dikkop)

A medium sized, brown, heavily spotted ground-dwelling bird with large yellow eyes. Size: 38-41 cm - Nearly twice the size of a dove.

Spotted Thick-knees are large plover-like birds, but with larger heads and much bigger eyes. The plumage is light, sandy-brown, paler, almost white on the belly and with blackish streaking on the head, neck and breast. The back and wings are heavily blotched or spotted with blackish-brown. The bird has a white eyebrow, moustachial stripe and chin. The bill is straight, short and quite strong. The bill is black, with a yellow base. The large eyes - characteristic of a nocturnal bird are yellow. The legs and feet are yellow.

Spotted Thick-knees are largely nocturnal and spend the daylight hours resting up on the shade of a bush or tree. Their spotted markings help camouflage the roosting birds amongst the leaves and other litter on the ground. Dikkops (as they are popularly known) are often found on small vacant patches of land within the urban areas, where they hide up during the day. At night their plaintive and loud whistling calls can often be heard as they move around.

The call is a drawn out, eery whistle - "ti-ti-tee-teee-tooo", which drops in pitch towards the end.

Spotted Thick-knees nest mainly in early spring and early summer. The nest is a very well-hidden scrape that is often camouflaged with small stones, clods or dry plants. The eggs are also well camouflaged.
carper, RAP, TAZ, letr, Lourens, Callie, PDP, gerhardt, nwoehnl, milloup, AndyB, Jeppe, gopi has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To gerhardt: USMjapie 2 09-06 16:48
To Callie: KDORPjapie 2 09-06 16:02
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2167 W: 124 N: 2567] (8208)
  • [2004-09-06 10:39]

Japie hij is schitterend,
It's just he's standing in an oil painting, so good I find that dof, and the capture is good too, with very nice details in it, Your note is good as usual. great job

Beautiful Japie
Great colours , good composition and good sharpness.
The green eye is beautiful.
Well done.

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2004-09-06 12:14]

Bellos detalles en esta captura Japie... el color del ojo y del pico, la composicion de las plumas.
Muy buena perspectiva y profundidad, junto con una nota muy completa.

Beautiful details in this Japie capture... the color of the eye and the peak, the composition of the pens.
Very good perspective and depth, along with a note very complete.

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2395 W: 50 N: 3190] (10896)
  • [2004-09-06 12:37]

Japie est aussi un champion de l'Afrique et Callie pour nous offrir de jolis et étonnants oiseaux !
Well done !

  • Great 
  • letr Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 87 W: 50 N: 47] (130)
  • [2004-09-06 13:09]

Wel japie, I think it's worth wile the effort you took .. great capture with good dof and details.. Good Shot !!

Very nice, Japie. The colouring on his back is excellent, clearly showing the spots of the Spotted Dikkop or Thick-knees. (I prefer the old name). Excellent note as well.

Jy kan net K'dorp toe kom, hulle kom na jou toe! Very nice in the environment picture here. Sy oog moet geel wees?

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848] (11751)
  • [2004-09-06 14:42]

Despite it being camouflaged you have brought it out nicely. The eye is a lovely green, very good work Japie.

Op die rug af... op die maag... Ek onthou die dae. Very nice post of this Dikkop. The details are sharp, colours bright. Your notes... as always detailed. Did you USM?

Well, your hard work and army-style moving on the ground surely were rewarded, Japie. Excellent posing, and great detail in the beautifully patterned plumage. Love the eye and the yellow legs. The DOF is well handled, too. Very nice one.

Japie, beautiful bird. Good sharpness,pitty of the disturbing elements they make the picture less pretty. The bird however is beautiful.
Greetings, Jan

Now, I'd have loved to watch that photo session ;-)) Good, sharp capture with the eye detail standing out. Just reward for you return to the army days ;-))

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1592 W: 32 N: 1361] (3978)
  • [2004-09-07 3:28]

A beautiful bird and it has been very well captured considering its surroundings.
The DoF is excellent and the eye colour amazing.
Excellent work,very well done.

  • Great 
  • Jeppe Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 36 W: 0 N: 33] (193)
  • [2004-09-07 5:11]

A very fine DOF and pose you got here Japie - I like the good details of the feathers and the look in the eye - thanks for letting us see this fine work and for the great note to follow.

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