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Bronze Mannikin


Bronze Mannikin
Photo Information
Copyright: Stephen Earle (StephenE) Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 19 W: 0 N: 111] (533)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-09-30
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon 40 D
Exposure: f/8, 1/250 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Birds of South Africa 2, Birds of Southern Africa II [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-10-25 5:42
Viewed: 705
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This image was taken at a home feeder using the canon 300 f2.8 lens with a 2x converter.

A very small, compact white and brown bird. Size 9cm - a very small bird - much smaller than a Cape Sparrow.

The bill is short, conical and black on the upper mandible . The Lower mandible is blue-grey. The head, throat and upper breast are blackish, wish a metallic green wash - visible in good light. The back and the wings are a lighter greyish brown and the underparts are whitish, with some blackish barring on the flanks and undertail.

The sexes are alike, but young birds are paler, plain brown.

This is a common species around the edges of thickets, woodland and secondary growth in farming areas and gardens. It is very gregarious, often being seen in flocks or small groups. Birds may sit very close together on a branch, and are often seed clambering up grass stems so that these bend over towards the ground.

The call is a fast, high pitched tsree tsree tsree. It also has a sharp chuk-chuk-chuk-chuk alarm call.

The Bronze Mannikin lives mostly on small seeds, insects and green plant material.

It breeds from August to May. The nest is a ball of dry grass, with a tubular side entrance, which is placed in a bush or tree, or on a post or beam of building.
Argus, darwin, fartash, horia, marhowie, writerscrawlz, MMM, undoredo, Pentaxfriend, fiftysomething has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Stephen
Excellent sharpness and detail
Nice color
tfs jon

Stephen,

Very nice,
Lovely detail,
sharp and crisp,
great job,

fototab

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2041 W: 6 N: 2025] (13275)
  • [2007-10-25 6:11]

Hola amigo,
precioso trabajo y detalles armónicos,
esplédido pov y buen foco.
saludos

Hello Stephen
Very intersting spiece to shoot,
Perfect focusinf,DOF and exposure,Welldone.

Regards
Fartash

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2082 W: 216 N: 3759] (12474)
  • [2007-10-25 6:35]

Hi Stephen

What a magnificent capture of this cute Bronze Mannikin!
I love the sharpness you managed to pull with such a long focal length, but the result is an impeccable close-up with great texture in the plumage of the bird as well as very good contrast.
The DOF here is also a very important part; being very well salected, it kept the entire bird in perfect focus while giving you that lovely blurred BG.
Also, due to the very exact exposure, the colors in the frame are lovely and well saturated, a fact that adds to the overall beautiful composition.
Superb job!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

great pic, sharp and clear, TFS Ori

Hello Stephen,
Excellent, excellent all the way-round!
Very handsome bird, I especially like the gentle curves of the OOF green BG to the left of frame..
Perfect work, a pleasure to view :)
Howard

Lovely shot. Excellent exposure, nice details, and you managed to get the catchlight in the eye. Also, I love the sharpness and the overall composition - by the way, the BG is perfect.

  • Great 
  • MMM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 755 W: 0 N: 1515] (6928)
  • [2007-10-25 10:25]

Hello Stephen
Very nice presentation.The image is very sharp whit very nice plumage details.POV and DOF are excellent.Nice colros and I also like the catch light in the eye.

Hello Stephen,
Very sharp shot you've taken.
Outstanding details and sharpness, lovely colours and fine POV, very nice composition and nice focusing.
Well done and TFS,
Regards,
Kevin

  • Great 
  • marcin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 126 W: 0 N: 155] (1371)
  • [2007-10-25 11:22]

Hi Stephen
Very nice,
Lovely detail and color
regards
marcin

Hi Stephen,

Perfect shot
Excellent compo with SUPERB sharp details and lovely colours
Great POV, DOF and BG

TFS Thijs

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1330 W: 107 N: 4804] (21334)
  • [2007-10-25 18:48]

That's a super shot Stephen, a great bird that of course I never saw...;-) the picture is very sharp with lots of details, with a great exposure. Very good work !

Thanks,

Mario

Great photo. The comments made by everyone else have said it all. Superb focus - it is almost lifelike..

Good shot Stephen
Excellent sharpness and DOF.
great plumage details and contrasting background

Chris

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