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Fork-tailed Drongo


Fork-tailed Drongo
Photo Information
Copyright: Jan Hendrik van Rooyen (janhendrik) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 377 W: 64 N: 683] (2374)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-11-04
Categories: Birds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Birds of South Africa 1, Birds of Southern Africa II [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-05-17 6:16
Viewed: 920
Points: 52
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)

My dad grew up in the “bushveld”. The Bushveld comprises South Africa's extensive woodland savanna, in which is found the country's marvellously rich and diverse game reserve, the world-renowned Kruger National Park. When I showed him this picture, he said. “Aaah, it is a “rookvoeltjie” (Smoke bird). I was intrigued and asked him why he called it that. He said that it was always in eager attendance whenever there was a veldt fire, to pounce on any insect fleeing the flames. I found it quite an apt colloquial name. The official Afrikaans name is a "Mikstertbyvanger".

This picture was taken in the Kruger National Park, in the Letaba rest camp, right next to the Elephant museum. The ISO was 800, so I did a bit of Neat Image to remove noise. I hope you like it.

An all black bird with a fairly long, deeply forked tail and a reddish eye. Size 23-26cm - Substantially larger than a Cape Sparrow, and about as big as Laughing Dove, although it is more elongated in build. Afrikaans: Mikstertbyvanger

The bill is short and strong, with a hooked tip to the upper mandible . It is black in colour. The eyes are deep red, and the feet and legs are black.

The Fork-tailed Drongo is completely glossy black, with a longish tail, which is deeply forked and flares wider towards the end. The primary wing feathers are paler, showing as a pale patch when the bird is in flight.

This is a common species of open savannah, thornveld, edges of riverine woodland and forest; alien plantations, parks and gardens.

It is usually seen singly or in pairs, and is a conspicuous bird, as it usually perches in the open, using fence poles, telephone wires or dead trees as a hawking perch It sallies out to catch flying insects, chasing bees and butterflies with a fast strong flight. It is a bold and aggressive bird, and will harass raptors and other birds that are much larger than it, including owls and sparrow hawks, as well as cats.

It eats insects, particularly bees, but will also take small birds, fish and nectar from flowers.

It is a raucous species, being quite vocal most of the time, with a variety of ringing and harsh notes. The song is a fast jumble of harsh notes, often mixed with the mimicked calls of other species.

It breeds mainly from September to November. The nest is a wide, shallow cup suspended between the forks on a horizontal branch. It is attached to the branches with cobwebs.

SOURCE: Fork-tailed Drongo

IMAGE INFORMATION

Camera: Canon 20D
Camera mode: Aperture priority
Time of day: 09H03
Date: 4 November 2006
Lens: Canon 100-400mm IS USM
Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec
F-Stop: F/7.1
Focal Length: 400mm
Support: Hand Held
ISO: 800
Original file type: Raw (CR2)
hansh, coasties, smitha, jaycee, SkyF, ramthakur, metcher, Pentaxfriend, SelenE, Debz, vanderschelden, livios, GLEM, horia, Maite, claudine, mlines has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To vanderschelden: Shooting from the carjanhendrik 1 05-17 06:51
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • hansh Gold Star Critiquer [C: 184 W: 1 N: 393] (2011)
  • [2007-05-17 6:23]

Hello Jan Hendrik.
Great shot, almost perfect of sharpness and great colors. I like the POV and find it a great bird.
Very well done and TFS.
Gr. Hans

Lovely colours, even better with dark BG, extremely sharp focus on head
Tom

Hi Jan Hendrik,

A beautiful coloured bird. Nice behind view. Clear sharp plumage details and good catchlight in the eye. Very nice camera work. :-)

Hi Jan Hendrik,
Very good capture and beautiful colours..!
Good framing and sharpness, good shot..!
Regards,
Patrick

Hi Jan-Hendrik,
Beautiful capture again in your Kruger garden:-)
A bit another view here; pose is most interesting.
Good detail in blacks and effective catch light.
A 'rookvoeltjie' eh...I think you mean 'een rookvogeltje':-)
I'm not quite seasoned in the matter but I don't think the sensor generates much noise at 800.
I see a lot of images have been taken in the Restcamps; it might be quite difficult bird shooting from a car especially with the engine on; I wonder if IS copes with the latter in terms of camera shake....
Great work!
TFS
Annick

Hello Jan Hendrik,
WOW! superb shot. Good sharpness and details. on the upper part of the bird. I especially liked its pose.
So it's called smoke bird in your place. Very apt name too. It's a very common bird in our place.But I have never been able to get such a beautiful shot as yours. Thank you for sharing it.
Smitha.

Hello Jan Hendrik,
Another very, very beautiful photo. Extreme sharp on the back and head of the bird. amazing deep-blue colours. POV and composition are great.
Regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • mutan Silver Star Critiquer [C: 13 W: 0 N: 0] (467)
  • [2007-05-17 7:22]

very very nice.... I love my lens...:)
congratulation...

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1584 W: 242 N: 5304] (18669)
  • [2007-05-17 9:04]

Hi Jan,
a very sharp and detailed shot!
Well done,
Joey

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1687 W: 8 N: 4335] (14097)
  • [2007-05-17 10:45]

Hi Jan,

Another beauty. The colors and details on this Drongo are fantastic. The pose is wonderful showing off his lovely feathers. A beautiful face with a superb eye. Lovely bg too.

Jane

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2007-05-17 10:48]

Hi Jan Hendrik,
I think you have your birds trained to sit in the most perfect spots. When I capture one there are usually surounded by all kinds of branches.
KLove this shot, the colors and details are wonderful.
TFS..Sky

Wow, this is a great capture of a lovely Drongo, Jan!
The plumage of this bird is beautifully presented in this shot taken from the rear perspective.
You have used Neatimage deftly without obliterating details.
TFS and regards.

Hi, Jan.
Rare bird. I have got only one drongo and this was black. Excellent details and sharpness here. Nice BG too. Good work.

Ha Jan Hendrik,

WoW
Wat een beauty
Perfect shot of a bird i have never seen before
excellent sharpness and feather details
lovely colours, compo, POV and DOF

TFS Thijs

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2307 W: 59 N: 3688] (11816)
  • [2007-05-18 2:55]

Hi Jan Hedrik,
Very nice capture of this beautiful bird. The shining eye looks so lovely. Colors, POV, composition and details are very good. TFS
Selen

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2378 W: 164 N: 7139] (22556)
  • [2007-05-18 5:16]

Hello Jan Hendrik,
Excellent profile of this Drongo in a nice pose showing his lovely bright feathers. Sharp details and fine colours. I like your composition too.
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

  • Great 
  • Debz Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 582 W: 0 N: 866] (3283)
  • [2007-05-18 6:56]

Hi Jan, great shot with a nice POV. Well focused and nice and sharp. Great colours and tones on the feathers. Great catch light on the eye and perfect DOF.
tfs
debz

Hello , excellent colors , shrpnss , details and POV , congrat.to you , TFS.

  • Great 
  • GLEM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 522 W: 87 N: 693] (5737)
  • [2007-05-20 11:49]

salut Jan,
superbe image avec un point de vue original. Le cadrage est extra, les détails et couleurs particulirement naturelles.
bravo

gl

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2306 W: 324 N: 4306] (16850)
  • [2007-05-20 19:49]

Jan, this is a very beautiful bird. Besides, you did an excellent job.

I do enjoy saturation, contrast, sharpness, pov and composition.

Lovely catchlight.

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2047 W: 212 N: 3658] (12174)
  • [2007-05-22 7:01]

Hi Jan

Anther splendid capture from you!
The sharpness andclose-up level here are really impressive! I simply love to see all those clear details and textures on the plumage of this beautiful Fork-tailed Drongo.
The colors here are another main element and, thanks to your excellent exposure, they came out great and well saturted. They also make the bird stand out so nicely from the frame.
Good composition and DOF, too.

Bravo and TFS
Horia

  • Great 
  • iris Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 361 W: 39 N: 664] (2071)
  • [2007-05-26 4:55]

Hello Rooyen
a very nice shot of the drong here.
The colors and details have come out very well in the composition.
TFS & Cheers

  • Great 
  • Maite Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 978 W: 64 N: 1189] (4886)
  • [2007-05-30 9:54]

What a marvellous capture of this beautiful bird, Jan! Fantastic point of view and composition. I like a lot its pose and the wonderful details on its plumage.
Really gorgeous.
Greetings
Maite

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1836 W: 94 N: 2338] (8400)
  • [2007-06-03 13:31]

Hi Jan,
Really nice colours on this beautiful bird. I love blue birds in general and this a great sample of them. Nice pose, excellent details and dof.
TFS, José M.

Hello Jan Hendrik,
This is a very nice specie that I think I see for the first time. It looks deep blue to me. You managed very well with ISO 800 and Neat image as this picture looks very natural to me. I love this pose you captured, beautiful details and nice catch light. Your notes about it are very interesting. I have to go to Kruger someday… Thanks,
Claudine

  • Great 
  • mlines Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 500 W: 16 N: 542] (2502)
  • [2007-08-18 17:16]

Hi Jan. Excellent perspective for this particular bird. Your angle shows that it is a well named bird. Timed well to get the turned head as you have it. TFS. Murray.

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