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Spoonbill [breeding plumage]
![Spoonbill [breeding plumage]](http://i1.treknature.com/photos/4879/spoonbill_[breeding_plumage].jpg) |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Spoonbill
Spatule
Platalea leucorodia
Spoonbill are rare birds in Europe.They are mostly only found in Netherlands (600), the Balkans, the Donau delta, and a sall area in south Spain.
Sexes alike. Juvenile has a pink bill. In breeding plumage (as on my pic) a long yellowish crest. Winter in Mauritania and Senegal. They leave on small animals leaving on the mud under water.
I took 130 pics. Most are miss.
I first saw one flying. 5 tries but there was only trees on the pics! Then I saw a cyclist who was watching another one. Surely he made the first one run away. There was lot of reeds in the way so it was difficult to get proper shots. It was busy eating and therefore constantly walking. I was walking with same pace and sometimes there was no or less reeds. Manual focus was not appropriate because we were both moving and because I was avoiding to put my camera between me and the bird. The bird could see I was never staring in his direction and didn't mind I was there. He eventually flew away before I could be close enough to have crisp clear pictures. I went to the place where he landed but I was there much less successful (no wonder. Such a move made him suspicious)
All he pics from my serie were quite different. Some were sharper than that one. On one he has a big catch in his bill. Some have a nice background. But they all had defaults. I estimated the one I posted might be the best. I cropped the pic 60%. On some other pics there was too much stuff at the surface of the water, so we can't see the reflection in water no more. So those should be cropped even more but then the quality becomes too low.
On this actual pic we don't see any more all the waves he's producing when walking. Probably a short break because its bill touch something which required his attention.
Sorry for the quality of the pic. I though it was worth posting, because the bird is rare. |
samos has marked this note useful
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- gjoess
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 155 W: 0 N: 62]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(712) - [2006-05-09 16:29]
- [+]
Cool action shot. That water doesn't look too clean though. Good use of portrait format.
Nice pose for this spoonbill.
Good color, lovely compo.
Andrea
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- CTP
(3191)
- [2006-06-21 14:07]
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Hi JeanMarie,
Nice capture of this spoonbill.
I like your pov,dof,focus,sharpness,framing and composition.TFS
Chris
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1128 W: 116 N: 2182]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(14381)