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Till the last Drop
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| Photo Information |
Copyright: Narayanan Ganesan (gannu)
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1169 W: 4 N: 3262]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif) (14691) |
| Genre: Animals |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2008-09-21 |
| Categories: Birds |
| Exposure: f/6.3, 1/2500 seconds |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2008-09-21 22:28 |
| Viewed: 893 |
| Points: 28 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Friends,
I am sorry for not able to send my critics as I am travelling. I happened to visit Jurong Bird Park and thanks to our friend (Meerkat) for suggesing this place.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Pelecanidae
Rafinesque, 1815
Genus: Pelecanus
Linnaeus, 1758
A pelican is large water bird with a distinctive pouch under the beak, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae.
Information
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Along with the darters, cormorants, gannets, boobies, frigatebirds, and tropicbirds, pelicans make up the order Pelecaniformes. Modern pelicans are found on all continents except Antarctica. They occur mostly in warm regions, though breeding ranges reach 45° south (Australian Pelican, P. conspicillatus) and 60° North (American White Pelicans, P. erythrorhynchos, in western Canada). Birds of inland and coastal waters, they are absent from polar regions, the deep ocean, oceanic islands, and inland South America.
Pelicans are large birds with enormous, pouched bills. The smallest is the Brown Pelican (P. occidentalis), small individuals of which can be as little as 2.75 kg (6 lb), 106 cm (42 in) long and can have a wingspan of as little as 1.83 m (6 ft). The largest is believed to be the Dalmatian Pelican (P. crispus), at up to 15 kg (33 lb), 183 cm (72 in) long, with a maximum wingspan of nearly 3.5 m (11.5 ft). The Australian Pelican has the longest bill of any bird.
Pelicans swim well with their short, strong legs and their feet with all four toes webbed (as in all birds placed in the order Pelecaniformes). The tail is short and square, with 20 to 24 feathers. The wings are long and have the unusually large number of 30 to 35 secondary flight feathers. A layer of special fibers deep in the breast muscles can hold the wings rigidly horizontal for gliding and soaring. Thus they can exploit thermals to commute over 150 km (100 miles) to feeding areas.
Pelicans rub the backs of their heads on their preen glands to pick up its oily secretion, which they transfer to their plumage to waterproof it.
Sub-groups
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The pelicans can be divided into two groups: those with mostly white adult plumage, which nest on the ground (Australian, Dalmatian, Great White, and American White Pelicans), and those with gray or brown plumage, which nest in trees (Pink-backed, Spot-billed, and Brown, plus the Peruvian Pelican, which nests on sea rocks). The Peruvian Pelican is sometimes considered conspecific with the Brown Pelican.[1]
Feeding
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A pelican showing an open throat pouch.The regular diet of a Pelican usually consists of fish, but they also eat amphibians, crustaceans and on some occasions, smaller birds. They often catch fish by expanding the throat pouch. Then they must drain the pouch above the surface before they can swallow. This operation takes up to a minute, during which time other seabirds are particularly likely to steal the fish. Pelicans in their turn sometimes pirate prey from other seabirds.
The white pelicans often fish in groups. They will form a line to chase schools of small fish into shallow water, and then simply scoop them up. Large fish are caught with the bill-tip, then tossed up in the air to be caught and slid into the gullet head first.
Populations
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The Dalmatian Pelican and the Spot-billed Pelican are the rarest species, with the population of the former estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000[4] and that of the latter at 13,000 to 18,000.[5] The most common is believed to be the Australian Pelican (though some estimates have placed the White Pelican at a higher population).
Courtesy Internet
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soccer, boreocypriensis, haraprasan, crs, siggi, goutham_ramesh, NinaM, Silvio2006, uleko, iris, goldyrs has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes. |
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- soccer
(1965)
- [2008-09-22 1:15]
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Narayanan,
I like the tight composotion in the pic. Your detail is great and not always easy to do with the subject being white and the BG dark. Very interesting subject too!
TFS,
Sheriff
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- mariki
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1060 W: 61 N: 2306]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(9467) - [2008-09-22 2:57]
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Hello Ganesan,
Very good presentation of this pelican. Excellent POV, DOF and sharpness. The back of the bird is a bit overexposed but it is not an easy picture to take with this very bright light and dark surrounding.
Well done,
Cheers,
Mariki
Hi Ganesh, asuperb shot of a pelican from Singapore with nice lighting effect and wonderful details. Have a nice mime in Singapore my friend!
Cheers,
Bayram
Hi Ganesh Ji,
Happy journey. A nice capture of this beautiful pelican. Sharp details and a lovely composition. Thanks a lot for sharing.
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- crs
(3543)
- [2008-09-22 3:46]
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Hello narayanan,
This is a fine portret of the bird made from a good POV. Image is well focused on the bird showing nice and sharp detaisl. There is a fine contrast between the bird and the background.
Thank you for sharing,
Cristian
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- siggi
(16394)
- [2008-09-22 5:32]
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Hello Narayanan,
very nice portrait of that Pelican. Very sharp image, good exposure and great eye contact, very well done, thanks!
Siggi
HI Ganesh,
I was about to call you:-). This is very good with good POV. Whites are always difficult to shoot in dark BG and during harsh lighting, which is evident from in you pic as the areas behind the pelican's back is overexposed where as the details in the front are properly exposed :-). But you have managed to do well.
(The best time to shoot such pics would be when the source of light is at 45 Deg Angle :-)
TFS
Goutham R
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- NinaM
(6596)
- [2008-09-22 6:17]
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I like this picture and the effect of the white bird with the shadows gives a black & white feeling to it. It is very nice and mysterious, and you managed to expose it perfectly. Thank you Narayanan!
Francine
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- san
![Silver Note Writer [C: 6 W: 0 N: 22]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/n-n-s.gif)
(162) - [2008-09-22 7:03]
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Wonderful play with lights NG.. The effect is different from the usual..
San
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- uleko
(2897)
- [2008-09-23 3:20]
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Hello Ganesh,
What a fine close view of this Pelican in a nice pose. Great details and beautiful light and colours too.
Many thanks and regards, Ulla
Hi Ganesh, splendid portrait of pelican, great focus, fine details and excellente sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio
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- joey
(24727)
- [2008-09-23 13:55]
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Hi Ganesh,
how is it in Singapore?
My Dad was there only a couple of weeks ago.
This is a fine capture.
I love the high contrast.
Good sharpness.
Well done,
Joe
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- iris
(3016)
- [2008-09-23 21:18]
- [+]
Hi Ganesh
What a marvellous memento from Singapore...i have to say it is the lighting that takes the cake...it is as if the heaven opned in the dark and glow came upon the beautiful Pelican.
This is no natural setting and i love them usually in their original setting.But here there is almost an ethereal quality to the bird here.Superb eye contact.
very well done.
TFS & Cheers
Beautiful shot, 'na!
Love the POV you've chosen
Goldy
PS:Yes Corbett will be open in Dec.
