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Greater Striped Swallow


Greater Striped Swallow
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: 2004-12-22
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Sigma 170-500mm APO, Digital ISO 100, Skylight
Exposure: f/11, 1/60 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Birds of Southern Africa, 40 points or more - 40 puntos o más, Photos with titles of songs, Swallows [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-01-03 4:24
Viewed: 1653
Favorites: 3 [view]
Points: 48
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
. This was taken in the Pilaansberg Nature Reserve and of Swallows that are actually sitting still – much less work than yesterdays post! I include the same vital statistics, as this will probably not change :)

More about the Greater Striped Swallow (Roberts: 526)

It is a large swallow with a pale orange-brown cap; and a finely streaked breast and belly. Size 18-20cm - Larger than a Cape Sparrow but smaller than a Laughing Dove. Afrikaans: Grootstreepswael

The bill is short and slender, and it has a very wide gape. The bill is black and the legs and feet are brown. This species has an orange-brown cap, which does not extend below the level of the eye, or cover the ear-coverts. The orange-brown areas are a paler colour than those on the Lesser Striped Swallow. The rump is also orange-brown and the rest of the upperparts are dark glossy blue-black.

The underparts are creamy white, with fine dark streaking, which extends from side of the face, the chin and breast to the lower belly and flanks. The outer tail feathers are quite long and dark.

The Greater Striped Swallow is a common summer migrant. It is usually seen in pairs or small groups, and is most often seen close to the nest sites on a house or culvert, or some other man-made structure.

The Greater Striped Swallow eats mainly aerial insects, but also some seeds.

The call is quite musical and mellow: It consists of a chuckling phrase of 2-3 introductory notes, followed by a deep, gargled trill: crip trap triiirrrr. It also has a mellow chissik callnote.

The Greater Striped Swallow breeds from August to March, and usually raises two broods per season. The nest is an enclosed bowl, suspended on the underside of a horizontal surface such as a fallen tree, roof of veranda, culvert or bridge. The nest has a long entrance tunnel and is built entirely from mud pellets and lined with grass and other fine.

The camera settings:

Program Setting: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 372mm
F Stop: F/11
Shutter Speed: 1/60sec
ISO: 100
Tripod: No
Flash: Diffused Off Camera ETTL.
Reflective Panel: No
Cable release: No
White Balance: AWB
netfalls, coasties, red45, Janice, JeanMichel, Lesley, carper, Fisher, Signal-Womb, marhowie, Crypton, Robbrown, mumek, extramundi, Callie, Luc, deud has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To ornis: Handheld Camerajapie 1 01-03 05:36
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Critiques [Translate]

A ftunning shot Japie, great sharpness and BG.
Very well done.
TFS.

Excellent photo with an excellent background. The bird is really sharp and clear, and is complimented by the blurred one behind.

Nice shot Japie. I like the presentation with the blurred bird in the background. Good colour and shaprness to the foreground bird. Very nice to view. TFS

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2801 W: 75 N: 7845] (26257)
  • [2005-01-03 4:40]

Great quality Japie! Sharp, colorfull bird repeated in BG in another pose. Very good idea and realisation. Great DOF.

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3410 W: 144 N: 5796] (17179)
  • [2005-01-03 4:55]

Well captured Japie. Good composition, especially showing the other bird in the background. Very well done. TFS.

What a beautiful swallow, Japie. I like the pose at the top, the blurred one echoing and the framing. Great details and very good light. Just a question: 1/60 and focal lenght 372mm and ... no tripod. Seems a difficult combination to get such a good shot. Was the camera handheld or leaning on something?

I love Swallows and could lie on my back in a meadow and watch them fly overhed for hours. Japie, this is a beautiful shot and it is so cleverly composed. When shooting wildlife, especially birds, it is hard to be creative because the fly off so fast so when I see something like this I think...wow...now that's talent!

Japie very nice,
I must say you made a lot progression on this side. Very good composing shot, with a good colourfull and sharp left bird and a fantastic dof. Very good job you did here. I really like the shot.

Great shot Japie.
Handheld camera at 1/60 and 372mm, I know what you have done
in Christmas, practise weightlifting.;-)
Very good sharpness, composition and colours.
Great work.

Manifique la netteté et les couleures.
J'espère un jour faire des photos aussi bonnes. Félicitation pour ta capture et bonne journée.

Beautiful shot. Swallows have beautiful colors especialy when the sun shines on them. My favorite is the tree swallow.

Mike

Excellent composition and sharpness on bird with good use of shallow DOF on the second which does not distract. Nice one.

Japie, Your subject is sharp & detailed & this juxta posed near-far composition makes this one very special. Well done & Happy New Year!

super shot japie !
le plumage de l'oiseau est magnifique et le sujet reste vraiment net.
note tres utile.
merci d'avoir partager ce clichet ;)

The portate of the bird is crisp neat and well coloured and even better when you know its hand held at this speed and focal lenght, nice one.
though I think there is another great image waiting to get out by cropping just to the right of his perch and if you havent got it on file clone a little more space to the left where he is looking to go.

  • Great 
  • mumek Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 121 W: 0 N: 183] (833)
  • [2005-01-03 17:02]

Super composition, excellent background, colors and details.Very interesting note.

Excellent (and skillful) shot for a superb post, congratulations Japie, I will not make a single critic in this one, just look and enjoy. I like very much your postprocesing, it is just in the limit but works very very well. Thanks very much for posting.

Beautiful capture with excellent colours and DOF. Nicely set off against the oof bg. I like this POV but would like to see just the left one on his own, too ;-))

  • Great 
  • Callie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1252 W: 106 N: 2658] (7487)
  • [2005-01-03 22:54]

Hi Japie
VERY Very nice, the one on the left is SO wll exposed and presented! The overall affect is pleasing, with the OOF one on the right complimenting th one on the right. Good plumage details too.

  • Great 
  • radz Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 601 W: 11 N: 599] (3161)
  • [2005-01-04 0:15]

Excellent shot ,b/g blurred look good.

Very nice shot Japie. Excellent post

Excellent shot for 1/60 sec.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2058 W: 316 N: 4403] (14711)
  • [2005-01-05 13:13]

I like this one too, Japie... and this will probably not change :) ;-)
Very special and spacial composition. Good sharpness and beautifull colors.
The note is not less good no as the previous one. :+)
Thanks

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 491 W: 2 N: 459] (2079)
  • [2005-01-06 8:07]

wow!!!! what a composition! what colours! extra! i love it. how it is possible?

  • Great 
  • karina (26)
  • [2005-01-09 4:00]

Great composition. I love the balance of the second swallow. Well seen. It's a beautiful image.

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