Hippo pool

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Hippo pool
Photo Information
Copyright: Lenka Gondova (lgfoto) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 257 W: 16 N: 277] (1416)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-02-20
Categories: Mammals, Birds
Camera: Canon 40D, Canon 400 5.6L
Exposure: f/5.5, 1/2000 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Travelogue: Tanzania 2008
Date Submitted: 2008-03-16 14:08
Viewed: 512
Points: 18
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Taken at Hippo pool with almost 100 hippos at one small place.

Little birds all around hippos' backs and heads are
The Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Buphagus africanus, is a passerine bird in the starling and myna family Sturndidae. It is native to the savannah of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Sudan. It is least common in the extreme east of its range where it overlaps with the Red-billed Oxpecker, despite always dominating that species when feeding.

The Yellow-billed Oxpecker nests in tree holes lined with hair plucked from livestock. It lays 2–3 eggs. Outside the breeding season it is fairly gregarious, forming large, chattery flocks. Non-breeding birds will roost on their host animals at night.

The Yellow-billed Oxpecker eats insects and ticks. Both the English and scientific names arise from this species' habit of perching on large wild and domesticated mammals such as cattle and eating arthropod parasites. In a day an adult will take more than 100 engorged female Boophilus decoloratus ticks or 13,000 larvae.

However, their preferred food is blood, and while they may take ticks bloated with blood, they also feed on it directly, pecking at the mammal's wounds. So the good the bird does to the mammal may be negated by its keeping the wounds open to parasites and disease[citation needed]. Whatever the net result, mammals generally tolerate oxpeckers.

Source Wikipedia
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To Proframe:lgfoto 1 03-21 09:07
To Necipp:lgfoto 1 03-16 15:01
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Critiques [Translate]

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  • Necipp Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1151 W: 15 N: 2083] (12288)
  • [2008-03-16 14:26]
  • [+]

Hello Lenka excellent shot nice timing with the birds, Good eye contact and nice light. DOF was perfect. Very well composed and V sharp tfs rgds Necip.

Very impressive picture Lenka. Very well done. :-)

Hi Lenka

Wooooooow, amazing. This is one of those documentary shots which is perfectly explain many things (at least for me):

Light: with good exposure I can see the skin and details of it.

DOF and shutter speed: the right choice of F and shutter speed frees everything in this shot. It also help to have great sharpness and details, also it help to see the shape and color of the birds.

Frame and POV and composition: This is purely depending on a photographer and not his/her equipments. The composition and law POV in this pic is perfectly chose by you. The cadre is perfect, small amount of water in front and small place on tope and right works perfectly here. And if you crop the right side I think it is at the exact place. Now I don't find my eyes curios to see what is on the other side of the pic.

Well done
TFS
Babak

It's hard for me to imagine 100 hippos all in one place. It is a nice sharp image. It is always interesting to have more than one species in a photo. I like all the action.

TFS
Evelynn : )

Very beautiful shot Lenka.
Must have been hard to concentrade where and wich Hippo to shhot with so many of them around.
Excellent sharpness and exposure and due to that all skin and feather details are perfectly visible.
Love the way you've managed to capture these two birds in flight above the Hippos back and head and the shadow of the bird on the right at the Hippos back adds a wonderful extra to the entyre scene.
Perfect work. TFS!!!

Best regards, Harry

Hi Lenka,
What a great picture! Nice capture, and sharp.
Thanks,
Wei

Lenka,

What an awesome action shot!! The Hippo and the Oxpeckers flying off are both very well captured. The compostion, sharpness, detail, POV and Lighting are excellent. A dream pic for every African Wildllife photographer!
TFS,
Sheriff

This is a wonderful action shot. The birds, the water droplets, and the water coming from the hippo's mouth have all been frozen at exactly the right moment. Your sharpness and composition is also very good. TFS.
Mike

hello Lenka

what a lovely and funny shot, excellent POV, excellent luminosity
of the image, great sharpness and details, and what i love most
of your image is that one of the bird's reflection is on the hippo, TFS

Asbed

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