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Curious Malachite


Curious Malachite
Photo Information
Copyright: Sheriff Wilbury (soccer) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 550 W: 0 N: 538] (1965)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-05-01
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon 20D, Sigma 50-500 F/4-6.3 EX HSM
Exposure: f/11, 1/160 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Birds of South Africa 1, Kingfishers, 50-60 points (chapter 5) [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-06-17 8:18
Viewed: 2195
Points: 108
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
On a trip to the Kruger National Park last year, I was eagerly awaiting my visit to a regular dam where, when you are lucky enough, there are some water birds and even Hippo to photograph.

There were several species of stork that day and crocodile. To my amazement I did not see any hippo at all. After patiently waiting to take some pics of anything close enough to my car, I notice the a very small bird land on a thorny bush, right next to the water's edge. As I approached with utmost caution, I saw that it was a Malachite Kingfisher. It had been on my list to get close enough to for over 2 years! Taking a chance by setting up my lense with a 2x Teleconvertor, I approached and there he was.....


My first attempt at using PS for my pics. I cropped it a little and attempted to sharpen it ever so slightly. I also cloned out a dust spec that was on the CCD and I only noticed it afterwards. I hope to get the hang of it and read up more as I go along.


Malachite Kingfisher

The Malachite Kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is largely resident except for seasonal climate related movements.

This is a small kingfisher, 13 cm in length. The general colour of the upper parts of the adult bird is bright metallic blue. The head has a short crest of black and blue feathers, which gives rise to the scientific name. The face, cheeks and underparts are rufous and there are white patches on the throat and rear neck sides.

The bill is black in young birds and reddish orange in adults; the legs are bright red. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are a duller version of the adult.

This is a common species of reeds and rank vegetation near slow moving water or ponds. The flight of the Malachite Kingfisher is rapid, the short rounded wings whirring until they appear a mere blur. It usually flies low over water.

The bird has regular perches or stands from which it fishes. These are usually low over the water. It sits upright, its tail pointed downwards. It drops suddenly with a splash and usually returns at once with a struggling captive.

Large food items are beaten on a bough or rail; small fish and insects are promptly swallowed. A fish is usually lifted and carried by its middle, but its position is changed, sometimes by tossing it into the air, before it is swallowed head downwards. Fish, aquatic insects and crustaceans are eaten.

The nest is a tunnel in a sandy bank, usually, though not always, over water. Both birds excavate. Most burrows incline upward before the nesting chamber is reached.

There is no nest, but three or four clutches of 3-6 round white eggs are placed on a litter of fish bones and disgorged pellets.

The call of this kingfisher is then a short shrill seek. The breeding song is a chuckling li-cha-cha-chui-chui.
jmp, eruyanik, rozaanbeukes, Zeno, gerhardt, glazzaro, pablominto, joggie_k, SkyF, tinman, hekcik, izler, ramthakur, jeanpaul, firelord, thistle, cas_orla, Alex99, MoFerreira, scottevers7, Aramok, Janice, CTP, Anton, TAZ, Comandante, marhowie, aido, ScottHale, PDP, observer, Miss_Piggy, lgfoto, jusninasirun has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Buenas, bonito el martin pescador. Bonita composición. TFS.

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1740 W: 95 N: 2273] (8411)
  • [2006-06-17 8:40]
  • [2]

Hi Sheriff,
A marvellous capture! It's a wonderful bird and reading your notes, I admire the patience that you must have and I must say that this shot worth the wait!
José M.

Hello Sheriff!
Great bird you captured! I like the pov and framing here! bg is very nice too! Great note also! A little bit more sharpness could be useful. Thank you and best regards!
Ersin

  • Great 
  • limier Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 259 W: 14 N: 235] (1031)
  • [2006-06-17 10:44]
  • [2]

Hi Sheriff
Clear shot with many beautiful colors a nice BG and a wonderful bird.
In my file there is only one bird but I didn't post it yet.
My comera equipment isn't so good enought and I like to shot some themes that are more close to me.
I like the composition with the bird in the right because lets me imagine about the place that the bird looking...
TFS

Hello Sheriff,

What a lovely Kingfisher ... Great to see that you've made great use of all the different colours these bird species can offer ..... Not to bad for using PS as a first attempt. Love the composition of the bird .... Gives you something to think about ....!!! Zaan

  • Great 
  • Zeno Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 451 W: 0 N: 975] (8383)
  • [2006-06-17 14:43]
  • [2]

Hi Sheriff,

You were lucky to see this kingfisher.I like the pose of this bird. The colours are great!
Great work.

TFS.
regards,
Zeno.

Lovely capture Sheriff,

Good detail, colours and sharpness. exposure and lighting are good. Good POV and composition.

Thanks for posting, have a great weekend.

  • Great 
  • Dando Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 637 W: 32 N: 792] (3084)
  • [2006-06-17 17:52]
  • [2]

Hi Sheriff, excellent capture. I'm jealous as this is one of my favourite birds and one day I take of shot of one when I have better equipment. Excellent colours, lighting, POV and details. Focus is a tad soft but that could be down to the 2x converter. Very well done my friend and TFS.
Dean.

  • Great 
  • chiliu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1494 W: 0 N: 1175] (6494)
  • [2006-06-17 23:31]
  • [2]

Hi Sheriff,
Excellent shot on this beautiful bird, great colours and very good composition.
Thanks for sharing!

What a catch, Sheriff. They are not easy to get this good. Well done.

Nice capture, these birds are so agile and colorful, nice detail.

Greg

  • Great 
  • valy67 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1880 W: 59 N: 2915] (8733)
  • [2006-06-18 17:11]
  • [2]

Hi Sheriff ! This is a great shot ! The focus seems to be a bit soft, but just being able to get a shot like that makes it a fantastic photo. beautiful natural colors, excellent pose of the bird, good composition, nice blue sky in the BG. Very well done !
Valérie.

Hello Sheriff,
His special pose makes thei little guy look like quite majestic, with some help from your POV of course!
Composition is well done, with pleasant colours and fine details...
Greetings,
Pablo -

I love these little critters.
Great pic!

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2233 W: 188 N: 1929] (8127)
  • [2006-06-19 7:40]

Hello Sheriff.
it must be exciting to catch such a lovely bird in its natural enviroment. Love the colors and details. Great pose and excellent POV. Very nice capture.
TFS..Sky

Hi Sheriff!
A wonderful close up of a exhuberantly colored bird. Your pp is excellent. But maybe some crop might bring the birdy closer to us...

Lovely bird and good catch and note. It is a bit soft, but that is not detracting from the bird. Well done

Fantastic shot. I am always jealous of a great kingfisher shot. Never manage to get the right light in any of mine. Nice soft lighting BG and POV. Thanks Allan.

  • Great 
  • hekcik Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 331 W: 15 N: 305] (1825)
  • [2006-06-19 15:31]

Hi Sheriff,

Excellent capture.
Fantastic details, sharp, colors and composition.
Very well done!

TFS :-)
Norbert

  • Great 
  • izler Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 1399 W: 3 N: 30] (506)
  • [2006-06-19 16:41]

hi Sheriff
beautiful bird photo. informative note. splendid colours. pov and details are good.
tfs
izler

Hi Sheriff,

This is a very nice picture. I really like it. What I like most is the pose and the composition. Well done.

Jan-Hendrik

Though the focus is not at its best, you have adopted a very good point of view to shoot this image, Sheriff.
The empty space to the right of the image gives it a sense of vastness.
I like the colours of this beautiful kingfisher.

Bonjour Sheriff
Très jolie cette prise de vue avec ce bel oiseau ,belle composition et les couleurs et les détails sont jolis.
Merci et au revoir....JP

This is an excellent shot of a beautiful bird.
I have several similar photos of a kingfisher, that I took in India, earlier this year, but they are nowhere near this good.
Excellent work.

Regards

Roy

Hello Sheriff,
Lovely shot! The colours of this bird are great. I like the POV and framing here, picture has good light as well. The only nit would be a tiny lack of sharpness, but that's nothing serious.
VERY WELL DONE!

Nice composition and pov here, Sheriff! Even if the focus looks a little bit soft, the colors are splendid and natural! Usually King Fisher (at least here in Canada) are very shy and are very very difficult to approach! So you did a wonderful work by capturing one so close!!! Great picture and TFS,

Michel

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3586 W: 143 N: 5690] (18601)
  • [2006-06-21 10:23]

Hi, Sheriff.
A very nice shot with great colours and framing. The glance involuntarily follows a glance of this nice birdy. And I suppose that the sharpness of this shot is quite enough in view of a distance up to the object of the shooting.
My best regards,
Alexei.

Hello Sheriff

Awesome shot of one of my favourite birds! They are always great to spot but even BETTER to capture as you have here! Thank you for your interesting note.

Mo

  • Great 
  • mbasil Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 336 W: 149 N: 745] (3304)
  • [2006-06-21 12:12]

Wow, 1000mm. This must be a shy bird indeed. You have done a great job of capturing him here, though. I feel honored to see him.
Best,
Mike

Hi Sheriff,
WOW! this is superb! Great quality light here. This has given beautiful saturated colors. I think your composition and framing is excellent. I think the detail looks good, and I think you could even try to sharpen it slightly more. Nice catch!
Scott

  • Great 
  • osse Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 962 W: 0 N: 89] (7801)
  • [2006-06-21 13:15]

Hi Sheriff
Well seen and captured. Good colours and DOF. Also good note and POV.
Well done Sheriff

osse

  • Great 
  • Aramok Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 886 W: 101 N: 1425] (4931)
  • [2006-06-21 15:14]

I have been fortuate enough to see a wild kingfisher in the UK and know how small they actually are, so I know how difficult it woudl have been to have gotten a shot like this and you have pulled it off really well.

the colours and POV are excelent.

TFS
Emma

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
  • [2006-06-21 16:35]

Hi Sheriff, your Malachite Kingfisher is a real beauty. Good notes to read too...
You'll get better at PS as you go along, but I think you could have sharpened (USM) it a bit more too. Practice and practice!! Still it is a stunning bird, and I say, Well done!
Janice

  • Great 
  • CTP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 647 W: 6 N: 1106] (3191)
  • [2006-06-22 0:06]

Hi Sheriff,
Great Kingfisher portrait.
I like your pov,dof,colors,note and framing.TFS
Chris

Hi Sheriff
Clear shot with many beautiful colors a nice BG and a wonderful bird.

Good detail, colours and sharpness. Exposure and lighting are good. Good POV and composition.

  • Great 
  • Anton Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 46 W: 11 N: 154] (595)
  • [2006-06-22 13:07]

A well captured image with vivid colours and well balanced composition. Well done!

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2006-06-23 7:05]

Ce Martin pêcheur est un de mes oiseaux préférés. J'aime bien sa couleur et sa forme. Composition simple et élégante.
Well seen and well done, thanks for sharing Sheriff.

Hello Sheriff,
Wonderful kingfisher capture.Colors,POV and clear eyes are wonderful.Well caught.
Thanks for sharing.

Hello Sheriff,
Very good light and color seen, nice BG.
Good detail, pose, and POV as well.
Great shot and Thank You!

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-06-24 19:06]

Hi Sheriff,
A nice shot, excellent composition/framing and colours, Just a little soft on focus. I think Dean might be right about the converter. Nice work.
Cheers,
Adrian

beautiful colours and composition. Although focus is correct, the image greatly improves with unsharp mask in PS. I have tested it and is really good.

hi
superbe specimen tres coloré,netteté et details sont biens.bravo
laurent

Sheriff,
This is an excellent capture of a Malachite Kingfisher. Congrats! I like the composition here. Leaving the room in front of him is perfect. The natural light is great.
Very fine work.
Scott

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2006-06-26 7:48]

Hi Sheriff, lovley shot. Great composition and good colours. I really wish I had one of these in my collection. I think a little sharpening could work wonders here. Well done.

The colours on this bird are quite magnificent!

Such a beautiful colored bird, posed so nicely on the branch. I love the lighting and color, well done.

Hi Sheriff,
This is a lovely shot with a superb POV! This Kingfisher is beautiful with gorgeous colours. Here in Australia we get the Azure Kingfisher which is also lovely.
I've tried a little workshop, just to put a bit more emphasis on the beautiful bird. I hope you like it :)
Well captured!
Claudia

Molto bella questa foto di "martin pescatore",
bei colori e ottima composizione, bravo!
Ciao.
Franco

An excellent picture of a wonderful bird! Great composition and superb colors. Sharpness and DOF also are very good. It's a pleasure to look at such outstanding work. Excellent job! TFS!

Regards,
Eddie

Sheriff,

Nice shot. I always really like those pictures of the kingfisher. The composition of the shot is great. It is slightly of the soft side but it doesn't bother me. When I went on vacation to South Africa this year I saw the kingfisher for the first time in my life. I was amazed how small the bird actually is and it is not easy to get a good shot of it.
Well done,
TFS
Kim

Hallo Sheriff
I just said to Phil that I personally think that kingfishers are the most beautiful birds of all. I am sure there are many more spectacular, magnificent, glorious, and gorgeous ones. Kingfishers still remain the most beautiful ones in my opinion. This colourful Malachite of yours is no exception. A bird with the most divine metallic coloured head feathers. The red paws and beak is such an attraction and I am sure one can spot it a mile away. A well deserved smiley, I fancy this one a lot. In fact I fancy most of the kingfisher images I come across on Trek Nature. I have a soft spot for them, since my first posting was that of a Brown Hooded Kingfisher. It will remain special to me. Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards
Anna

Very nice capture Sheriff, no wonder it was on your list :-).Good DOF and POV.TFS

Hi Sherrif,

Great photo especially for a sigma lens and teleconverter. I really battle with my lens. At full zoom it is just not as sharp as I would like it to be. I will have to save up for a Canon lens or the new Sigma with image stabalization, maybe I just have the shakes. I like your gallery as well but it looks about time that you added some more images. I did a trip to Kgalagadi in April and it was also very good there with more open space than Kruger.

Regards

Robin

Hello Sheriff. Very good capture of this kingfisher with your Bigma. Sharp focus in excellent perch looking up front. Well framed shot of this bird perched well on that branch and spotless sky. TFS and best regards. Jusni

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