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Fly or not to fly?


Fly or not to fly?
Photo Information
Copyright: Thomas Warratz (Oldtree) Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 45 W: 0 N: 92] (256)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-09-18
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron 70-300
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/1250 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Captivity [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2004-09-23 10:00
Viewed: 2360
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 18
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Secretary bird or Sagittarius serpentarius.

This is a large post so please click on the image to see the full view. The limitation of the aspect ratio for a large post is also the reason for my chosen composition here. (hope I get that right, I never posted a LP before...)

We are still at the flight show of the birds park walsrode. Even though this is a flight show, what you can see on the picture is as close to flying as this bird managed to come. But he attracts people by his way of walking and especially by his way of killing snakes. To show this to the audience the birds trainer prepared snake dummy and trained the bird on it. He try to kick the snake to death or at least unconcious with his feet, which looks really funny.

The following info can be found here.

...The Secretary bird is a bird of prey, but unlike other raptors it has long legs, wings and a tail. The single species of its family, the bird gets its name from its crest of long feathers that look like the quill pens 19th century office workers used to tuck behind their ears...
...The Secretary bird is widespread throughout Africa south of the Sahara.

It is found in open areas of plains and savanna country, and often congregates at areas that have been recently burnt, where mammals are deprived of cover and often injured...
...It finds most of its food on the ground and has a partiality for snakes. It grabs the snake with its strong toes and beats it to death on the ground, while protecting itself from bites with its large wings. Finally, it seizes its prey and hurls it into the air several times to stun it. (In South Africa, these birds are kept in captivity to destroy snakes and rats.)

In addition to finding food with its beak, the Secretary bird will also stamp on grass tussocks with its feet to scare up lizards, grasshoppers, and small mammals or birds...
RAP, marhowie, ellis49, PDP, extramundi, japie, gerhardt, Signal-Womb has marked this note useful
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To extramundi: SocksOldtree 1 09-23 15:52
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Critiques [Translate]

Superbe photo Thomas, trčs réussie, j'aime bien le fait de l'avoir mise en format panoramique. Trčs beau shoot.
Felicitations Thomas ! J'aime beaucoup.

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2004-09-23 10:54]

Excelente version LP Thomas.
Apropiado título y excelente oportunidad para el disparo.
Gran agudeza, bello colorido y perspectiva.
Tal vez el encuadre no sea el más apropiado, pero necesario para la publicacion de la version larga.
Gracias por compartirla con nosotros.

Excellent version LP Thomas.
Appropriate title and excellent opportunity for the shot.
Great sharpness, beautiful colorful and perspective.
Perhaps the frame is not most suitable, but necessary for the publication of the long version.
Thanks for sharing with us.

Thomas, Well, you definitely gave him room for take-off! Great DOF & detail in this image. I like this extreme wide angle presentation emphasizing your theme. Informative note - Good Job!

Very good Thomas.
Great composition , nice colours , anf good sharpness.
Good note.
Well done.

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2951 W: 366 N: 3779] (11763)
  • [2004-09-23 13:49]

Ooooh, I think these birds are creepy, this picture has some comedy though. He looks so serious tryig to take off but his legs look comical. Very nice work. Thanks for the note.

This is a very good photo, thanks for posting in Large Format, it was necessary this time. The quality great, and the shadow looks like it has a sock in one leg. And the pose in very nice. Please more Large Versions like this...

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2004-09-23 15:20]

I can almost see him running with leaps and bounds. This is a great action shot. The sharpness, composition and colors are very good as well. Thanks for posting

Thomas, I still see them sometimes in the wild. I had the opportunity to see it with a real snake. It firsts beat it with the wings then stamps on it. It's a site you'll never forget. Very nice photo you posted with a great supportive note.

Fantastic action photo Thomas. The LP version is so sharp it would cut ya. Well done.

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