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Time for Grooming


Time for Grooming
Photo Information
Copyright: Vishal Sabharwal (shal) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 287 W: 71 N: 499] (2086)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-03-10
Categories: Birds
Camera: Nikon D200, Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D AF ED, UV Filter
Exposure: f/8, 1/500 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Jim Corbett, Tigers & the National Park [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-05-18 14:10
Viewed: 1170
Points: 46
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
One of my fav. subjects to photograph :)

The Little Green Bee-eater, Merops orientalis, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It is resident in a belt across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal and The Gambia to Ethiopia, the Nile valley, western Arabia and Asia through India to Vietnam.

This species should not be confused with the Little Bee-eater, Merops pusillus. Migration is limited to seasonal movements depending on rainfall patterns.

This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. It always has green upper parts, but the head and underpart colours vary widely depending on the race. Thus, southeast Asian birds have rufous crown and face, and green underparts, whereas Arabian breeders have a green crown, blue face and bluish underparts. The wings are green and the beak is black. It reaches a length of 16-18 cm, including the two elongated central tail feathers. These elongated tail feathers are absent in juveniles. Sexes are alike.

This is an abundant and fairly tame bird, familiar throughout its range. It is a bird which breeds in open country with bushes. In Africa and Arabia it is found in arid areas, but is more catholic in its habitats further east. Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and ants, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. This species often hunts from low perches, maybe only a metre or less high. They readily make use of fence wires and electric wires. Before eating its meal, a bee-eater removes the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface.

Unlike most bee-eaters, these are often solitary nesters, making a tunnel in sandy banks. The breeding pairs are often joined by helpers.They sometimes form small colonies, or nest near other bee-eaters. They lay 4 to 8 spherical white eggs. Both the male and the female take care of the eggs. These birds roost communally, lined up on a tree branch. The call is a soft trill.

A study showed that Little Green Bee-eaters are capable of putting themselves in the place of other animals. They were able to predict whether a predator at a particular location would be capable of spotting their nest entrance and behaving appropriately. The ability to look from another's point of view was usually believed to be possessed only by the primates.

Jim Corbett National Park is India's oldest national park. Situated in the foothills of the Kumaon Himalayas, the park covers an area of 521 sq km, of which 313 sq km are in the Pauri district and the remaining 208 sq km in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. The head office of the park is in the town of Ramnagar. The park is known for its diverse wildlife and as the site for the launching of Project Tiger. The Corbett National Park and the adjoining Sonanadi Sanctuary form the Corbett Tiger Reserve.

The park was established on August 8, 1936 as Hailey National Park under the United Provinces National Parks Act of India (after Sir Malcolm Hailey, the then Governor of the United Provinces.) In 1952, five years after India attained independence, the park was renamed Ramganga National Park, after the Ramganga river that flows through most of its length. In 1957, it was again renamed, Corbett National Park, in honour of Jim Corbett, a legendary hunter-turned-conservationist, best known for hunting man-eating tigers and leopards in the Kumaon and lower Garhwal in the 1920s, and for later chronicling his adventures in many books, like The Maneaters of Kumaon and The Maneating Leopard of Rudraprayag, that were bestsellers around the world.

The wildlife found in the Corbett National Park include the tiger, elephant, chital, sambar, nilgai, gharial, King Cobra, Indian muntjac, wild boar, hedgehog, common musk shrew, flying fox, Indian Pangolin, and nearly 600 species of birds.

The park attracts thousands of visitors every year. There is a good tourist infrastructure at Corbett and a number of accommodation options are available, catering to different budgets. Among them are Forest Rest Houses (FRHs), which are maintained and run by the government, and are the only accommodations located within the protected forest area. FRHs are available in Dhela, Dhikala, Gairal, Jhirna, Kanda, Khinnanauli, Malani, Mohan, Paterpani, and Sarapduli.
Source:Wiki
vanderschelden, falke, Maite, scottevers7, iris, Debz, SelenE, fartash, rajvanshrashmi has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Royaldevon: Thanks for stopping by :)shal 1 05-19 02:07
To Ken52: Oops...shal 1 05-19 01:52
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Vishal,
Good decisive moment through this beautiful wing.
Good compo, sharpness,...
TFS
Annick

  • Great 
  • falke Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 157 W: 17 N: 443] (1590)
  • [2007-05-18 14:17]

Wow, this is amazingly good! The pose, the colours and the composition successfully enhances this birds beauty. You even got a small sparkle in the eye.

TFS/Bengt

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1675 W: 24 N: 4870] (15888)
  • [2007-05-18 14:27]

Hi Vishal,
Fantastic moment captured. Lovely soft colours, sharp details, perfect lighting, neat exposure and a special BG. Excellent POV and DOF. I love the way it is 'showing off' its wings. The glint in the eyes is so special. Very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

  • Great 
  • juanjo Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 171 W: 8 N: 27] (1140)
  • [2007-05-18 15:11]

hello Vishal
what a lovely picture, the bird is in an interesting position +
colours and details ae very good as well as Bg

perfect shot

regards

jjo

  • Great 
  • marcin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 126 W: 0 N: 155] (1371)
  • [2007-05-18 15:38]

hello
Fantastic moment, great photo
regards
marcin

Hi Vishal,
Excellent shot! Congratulations!
Serge

nice capture, TFS Ori

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1836 W: 94 N: 2338] (8400)
  • [2007-05-18 17:04]

Hi Vishal,
You have captured a really nice pose with excellent details, focus and colours. Congratulations.
TFS, José M.

Hello Vishal,
This is a really sharp and colourful capture of this bird. (I wish you had told us what it was!) The wings look like beautiful fans waving to keep her cool! Great dof and composition.
Kind regards,
Bev :-)

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3065 W: 231 N: 5834] (19602)
  • [2007-05-18 23:32]

Quite amazing, Vishal.
Fantastic moment caught with this bee-eater displaying its feathers.
Excellent focus and light.
Pity the BG is so busy, but we can't always have what we want.
I would give my right arm to have the opportunity to photograph this beautiful bird.
TFS. : )

  • Great 
  • Ken52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 660 W: 98 N: 1249] (4153)
  • [2007-05-19 0:14]
  • [+]

You did not identify the bird. Colors are fantastic! Outstanding exposure. Great action caught with razor sharp focus and fine details. Excellent composition and POV.

  • Great 
  • Maite Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 978 W: 64 N: 1189] (4884)
  • [2007-05-19 10:33]

Hello Vishal
I like a lot the pose you captured here! What a beautiful picture!
Excellent quality and nice presentation.
My compliments and TFS.
Best wishes
Maite

Namaste Vishal,
that's marvelous - those open wings are wonderful and you catched this beauty in so good sharpness and with brilliant colours, thanks, very impressive
Sabine - wishnugaruda

What a beautiful capture it s Vishal. You caught it just at the right moment whit its wings opened like this. Details, colors and exposure are beautiful! Congratulations!
Claudine

Hi Vishal,
Great timing to catch this wonderful pose. Soft light and a spot on exposure. The colors and detail in the wing and body plumage look superb. Very good camera work on this little beauty.
Scott

  • Great 
  • iris Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 361 W: 39 N: 664] (2071)
  • [2007-05-26 5:13]

Hello Vishal

Superbly composed shot.The wing spread is very well captured and then lighting looks perfect.I like the smooth tone that you have created in the picture.The background and its hay colour make the Littl Green Bee Eater look truly vibrant and glorious in all its colours.
Well Done
TFS & Cheers

  • Great 
  • Nilson Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 347 W: 0 N: 282] (2180)
  • [2007-05-26 18:22]

Exelente foto ficou muito boa é muito dificil fotografar estes pássaro ele não para pra nada,ja tentei e não obtive resultado,fico contente em ver esta foto bem capturada meus parabéns.
Nilson

Belle photo de cet oiseau,je suis arrivé a en prendre un lui ressemblant en Egypye, mais pas aussi bien pris et pas aussi beau. Amitiés Thomas

Hi Vishal,
This is an excellent picture!. The colors are very good and the pattern on the wings is superb
TFS
Goutham

  • Great 
  • Debz Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 582 W: 0 N: 866] (3283)
  • [2007-06-16 7:56]

A stunning shot beautifully rendered and well composed. A great moment to catch with the open wing showing those lovely feathers. Great light and colours, clean and sharp. Good work.
tfs
debz
:) tomorrow

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2304 W: 59 N: 3674] (11774)
  • [2007-06-16 7:58]

Hi Vishal,
The pose you caught is very beautiful. Great timing, focus, colors and composition. Very well done and TFS
Selen

Hello Vishal
Very intersting shot of this Green Bee-eater,
Perfect focusing,composition and BG,
Fantastic colors, Superb shot ,TFS

Good Luck
Fartash

Still another awesome shot, Vishal!How do you do it?
TFS!
Regards,
Rashmi

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