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Bennett's woodpecker male


Bennett's woodpecker male
Photo Information
Copyright: Jan Hendrik van Rooyen (janhendrik) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 378 W: 65 N: 685] (2390)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-11-03
Categories: Birds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Birds of Southern Africa II [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-06-15 6:58
Viewed: 1250
Points: 52
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Bennett's woodpecker (Campethera bennettii)

Ann (my better half) and I visited Kruger last year in early November on a much anticipated trip. We arrived and then the heatwave struck. We were in Shingwedzi in the north of the park and it was the hottest I got in my entire life. We were told by the Kruger personnel that it was in excess of 40 degrees Celcius. At night we lit our fire to braai, and then sat insite the hut in the air conditioning watching the fire through the window. In the day we were in the pool all the time, except very early in the morning and late in the afternoon when we drove out. In spite of that enjoyed it thoroughly.

This picture was taken inside Shingwedzi, and it is a male. I took the picture at the same time as I took the one of the female as they were a pair. I had intermittent sunlight, because as you can see I had good sunlight here, but for the female the light was not good. You can also clearly see how their heads differ, with the male having more red colouring.

SUBFAMILY

Picinae

TAXONOMY

Chrysoptilus bennettii A. Smith, 1836, western Transvaal, South Africa. Two races recognized.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Specklethroated woodpecker, Reichenow's woodpecker; French: Pic de Bennett; German: Bennettsspecht; Spanish: Pico de Bennett.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

About 9.5 in (24 cm); 2.2–3 oz (61–84 g). A small, brownish yellow woodpecker with heavy spotting on underparts; male has a red forehead to the nape, a red "moustache," and white ear coverts; female has a red nape, black-and-white mottled forehead, brown throat and ear coverts, a buff wash on the breast, and less intense spotting on the underparts; juveniles are darker above and more spotted below, with a white-spotted black crown.

DISTRIBUTION

Lake Victoria region, western Tanganyika and southeastern Congo to Angola, central Kalahari Desert, Damaraland, southern Zimbabwe, and Transvaal. C. b. bennettii, most of range except for southern Angola, southwestern Zambia, northern Namibia, and northern Botswana; C. b. capricorni, southwest parts of range including southern Angola, southwestern Zambia, northern Namibia, and northern Botswana. Absent from large areas.

HABITAT

Uses a wide range of open forest and bush habitats, especially acacia, miombo, and Brachystegia.

BEHAVIOR

A territorial, but social species found in pairs or family groups. Much of its time is spent on bare ground or in short-grass areas, including lawns. May show some migration in drier parts of its range.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Highly terrestrial in its search for food, but also forages on low trunks and larger limbs of trees. Often accompanies glossy starlings (Lamprotornis) when foraging. Diet includes mainly ants, termites, and their larvae and pupae, but also other arthropods.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Monogamous. Breeds from August to February, with nesting peaking in October and November in Zimbabwe and Transvaal. Nests are often in open areas and often in cavities excavated by other species. Clutch size 2–5 eggs; incubation lasts 15–18 days; parental duties carried out by both parents. Nest cavities may be reused.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.


SOURCE: Bennett's woodpecker

IMAGE INFORMATION

                Camera: Canon 20D
           Camera mode: Aperture priority
           Time of day: 07H56
                  Date: 3 November 2006
                  Lens: Canon 100-400mm IS USM
          Focal Length: 375mm
         Shutter Speed: 1/1000 sec
                F-Stop: F/8
               Support: Hand Held
                   ISO: 400
    Original file type: Raw (CR2)
joey, SelenE, vanderschelden, Proframe, eev, Maite, jaycee, dew77, mlines, Debz, SkyF, smitha, claudine, star74, rousettus, wuta has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Jan,
a great shot that is sharp and well composed.
Well done,
Joey

p.s I did a workshop.

Beautiful shot of the woodpecker Jan Hendrik.
Love the way the bird is half way out of his hole and looks around if everything is safe to fly out.
Excellent composition with lovely colors and details.
Thanks for sharing.
Have a great weekend.
Kind reagards, Harry

Hi Jan Hendrik,
Beautiful image of course. Excellent compo; he just wants to leave, I guess; so you can see a lot of interesting plumage.
The colouration of the latter is very subtle and goes very well with the tree. Nice light.
Well done
TFS
Annick

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2420 W: 63 N: 3988] (12852)
  • [2007-06-15 7:19]

Hi Jan-Hendrik,
It's a very detailed and a very sharp photo of the male Bennett's woodpecker. Lighting, colors, focus and the pose you caugth is excellent. Well done and TFS
Selen

  • Great 
  • eev Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 67 W: 36 N: 64] (711)
  • [2007-06-15 7:24]

Very sharp and original composition. Plus your note was very informative. Thanks.

Hi Jan
That's a nice shot. Good sharpness, compo and exposure
Great

Hi Jan Hendrik,

A nice natural pose of woody,well timed and captured,I saw one as well in kruger last trip,I posted my version as well on TN,this was a bit more unnatural anyway I liked his pose as well,I tried as well a ws and darkened the BG a bit,hope you dont mind,

Best regards,

Paul

A classic woodpecker shot Jan
Love the composition, great stuff
Good sharpness
TFS
Chris

  • Great 
  • Maite Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1006 W: 64 N: 1242] (5082)
  • [2007-06-15 9:23]

Hello Jan
Fantastic capture of this beautiful woodpecker. You caught it in a very good pose, coming out from its nest. Excellent sharpness, POV and composition.
Congratulations and TFS
Greetings
Maite

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1897 W: 8 N: 4947] (15987)
  • [2007-06-15 11:22]

Hi Jan,

A perfect photo op and you took full advantage of it. This woodpecker is wonderful. You caught him at just the right angle. The colors are great, nice expression on his face with the sparkle in his eye. Sharp details. Fantastic shot.

Jane

hi jan,
you have captured this bird in its natural habitat, well composed shot with fine pov, well saturated colours, sharp image with good details,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2007-06-15 13:10]

Hello Jan,
Magnificent capture of this woodpecker.Well exposed and composed.Sharpness,clear details and pose of bird are wonderful.Excellent work!
TFS..:-)

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1343 W: 72 N: 2858] (9439)
  • [2007-06-15 14:28]

Hello Jan Hendrik,
Wow, this is close! Fantaastic photo in a very beautiful natural light. It's sharp with great details and a good composition and POV.
Regards,
Peter

What a fun image you captured. I like the pose. Exposure and color look good. I suspect that you lost a bit of resolution in the cropping.

TFS
Evelynn ; )

  • Great 
  • Debz Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 582 W: 0 N: 866] (3283)
  • [2007-06-16 8:21]

Wow cracking shot Jan! Couldn't be better, what a moment to catch, I bet they don't stay still for long either. So crisp and sharp and well composed. Great light and colours. Textures and detail superb.
tfs
debz

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3464 W: 145 N: 5942] (17790)
  • [2007-06-16 19:08]

Excellent shopt Jan, I love how you have caught him peering out the hole. He's well composed and it's a nice and sharp image with good details. Well done
Janice

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2007-06-18 8:25]

Hello Jan Hendrik,
Great shot, perfectly timed, as the bird emerges from its hide away.
The crispness of the details are perfect.
Very well composed with lovely detail and colors.
Sky

Hello Jan Hendrik,
Excellent shot and perfect timing. Good sharpness, details and lighting.The female's picture also looks very good.
TFS,
Smitha.

Hello Jan,

What a great picture with a great pose of the woodpicker...

I also like the lighting here...

Excellent exposition and POV and good details of the feathers...

Excellent horizontal composition also!

Great job and TFS,

Michel

This really impressive; you were so close! You realized the best this lens can do. I'm amazed by this great sharpness,POV and exposure. I feel I can almost touch it. What a beautiful portrait and interesting specie! Thanks,
Claudine

  • Great 
  • mlines Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 509 W: 17 N: 555] (2560)
  • [2007-08-18 16:47]

Hi Jan. It is well timed to show this bird looking out like this, maybe ready to fly away or just waiting for food coming back. Woody woodpecker was a key comic character as kids so good to see what the real woody looks like! This bird certainly looks very alert. TFS. Murray.

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1674 W: 5 N: 2130] (11894)
  • [2007-08-24 3:26]

SUPERBE!!!

Incroyable photo,j'aime beaucoup.
Merci Jan Hendrik.
Joseph

Hi Jan,
This is a beautiful presentation of this bird
I like the colors,POV and details a lot.
My compliments.

  •      
  • gerhardt Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2210 W: 268 N: 4098] (11541)
  • [2007-09-09 0:02]

Hi Jan,

Pragtige vangs... hierdie outjie ontwyk my al 'n hele rukkie. Ek moet hom nog kry. Ek hoop dit gaan goed?

  • Great 
  • wuta Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 884 W: 2 N: 616] (2070)
  • [2007-10-09 11:10]

Hallo Jan hendrik , Het is een geweldige foto ,mij lukt het tot nog toe niet ,ze blijven niet zitten net als de ijsvogeltjes die gaan als een speer ,maar hij is prachtig en mooie kleuren ,Groeten teunie .

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1792 W: 29 N: 5218] (17096)
  • [2007-10-14 2:58]

Hi Jan,
Great to see you back after such a long time.
Just marking this shot for a proper critique later. Hoping that my internet problem will be solved by the evening. Sorry again.
Regards.
Sumon

Hello Jan Hendrik,
I have not seen your great posts for a long time. Your portfolio consists of great captures. I wish we can see more from you.
This is perfect capture with wonderful timing and superb colors and sharp focus. It looks like Picus viridis here.
Thanks for sharing, have a nice weekend
Ahmet

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