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Coal Tit (Svartmes)


Coal Tit (Svartmes)
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Ellstrom (ellis49) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3387 W: 343 N: 9480] (30807)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-11-22
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 40 D, Canon Ef 400mm /F5.6 L USM
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/125 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes (Fill) Flash: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-11-22 9:56
Viewed: 909
Points: 24
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
First I will thank you all for the fine comments on my previous post.

I took this in the morning at our new feeding station we have sat up in the forest outside my
Town Gävle. The old feeding station and our old hide have been destroyed and are gone.
This is a Coal Tit and it’s the second time I post one on TN. It’s a not that common tit, not rare but most people do not recognize it, it’s the smallest of our tits, it looks funny with his “bull neck” and like a pale copy of a Great Tit.
We had some snow yesterday and it was very welcome since it bright up the darkness in forest. This is taken with a fill-in flash.

PLS
No points for this, I have given them up like some others. I have turn of the points, so don’t waste your green ones.


The Coal Tit, Periparus ater (often still Parus ater), is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate.
The Coal Tit is 10–11.5 cm in length, and has a distinctive large white nape spot on its black head. The head, throat and neck of the adult are glossy blue-black, setting off the white on the nape and sides of the face; the white tips of the coverts show as a double wingbar. The underparts are white shading through buff to rufous on the flanks. The bill is black, the legs lead-coloured and irides dark brown.
The young bird is duller than the adult, the black head having no sheen, and the white of the nape and cheeks is tinged with yellow.
There are a number of subspecies. The British race P. a. britannicus has an olive brown back, distinguishing it from the nominate continental race P. a. ater in which the back is bluish grey. The North African race P. a. ledouci has yellow underparts and cheeks, and the Cypriot P. a. cypriotes has a buff tinge to its upperparts, and deep buff underparts.

Source and more info in different language here

Canon 400mm L USM, tripod ISO 400, Raw-format, av-mode, spot metering +1/3 ev, tripod, fill-in flash set to -2/3 ev. Converted, levels, Contrast, Crop, resized to 800 pixels, Smart Sharpen ,PP work in PS CS3
nglen, Evelynn, eng55, jaycee, carper, Argus, Janice, jconceicao, angela926, Alex99, bobcat08, Gert-Paassen, Juyona, uleko has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  •      
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2912 W: 34 N: 8640] (32202)
  • [2008-11-22 10:01]

Hi Gert. I am sorry to hear about your hide and feeding station. It makes you wonder what pleasure people get doing this. anyway it has not stoped you get a fine close up of the Coal Tit . I was watching them in the forest today but we have very dull skys at the moment. very nice detail and natural colours. with a typical Tit pose. well done TFs.
Nick..

You managed great sharpness and details in this shot Gert. The angle adds a lot of energy to the composition. Nice work

TFS
Evelynn : )

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1147 W: 32 N: 1170] (3600)
  • [2008-11-22 10:15]

Hi Gert,
Very nice capture of this coal tit.Clear details,pose of bird,catchlight in eyes and composition are wonderful.
Thanks for posting.

  •      
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2008-11-22 10:20]

Hi Gert,

A lovely little Coal Tit not seeming to mind the November snow. A lovely pose, beautiful colors, and excellent details. I love the setting and composition. I am sorry to hear that your hide has been destroyed - I hope it was not done intentionally but by a force of nature.

Jane

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2009 W: 122 N: 2581] (8424)
  • [2008-11-22 10:22]

it's a fantastic sweet bird Gert,
a very good capture , a capture from sharpnes, details and a good pov, very good photojob Gert, have a nice evening.
regard jaap

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1378 W: 56 N: 4747] (16330)
  • [2008-11-22 10:45]

Hello Gert.
Very nice shot.Good compo,POV,DOF and sharpness.I like this pose and beautiful colours.Great work.
TFS
Regards Siggi

  •      
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3821 W: 190 N: 11376] (35063)
  • [2008-11-22 12:03]

Hej Gert,
A very nice portrait of our Svartmes taken from a great POV that shows all the features including the white stripe on the nape of the neck. The technical quality is up to your high standard. It is interesting to compare the Scandinavian ssp with the one from Turkey taken by your neighbour Ahmet, ours being much lighter in tones.
Thanks for sharing this beauty,
Hälsningar,
Ivan

När vi kom tillbaka från Lanzarote var det snö och 3 grader kallt:(!

Hi Gert

Perhaps your hide was destroyed by someone who thought you were doing something illegal!
Looks like its getting cold over there now, with snow on the branch. Good to see you're still getting out. The weekends here lately have been terrible. Today it is windy 80km/hr no chance of photography or going into the forest.
Great shot, the hide works great and you're getting some great results. Beautiful sharpness. I wish I could afford a lens like that. I look forward to seeing teh next one.

Chris

  •      
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
  • [2008-11-22 12:23]

Hi Gert,
I have read the critiques before me and they mostly say this photo is sharp. Sorry, but I feel it is a little OOF. It is not like you to post a photo so soft.
But it is a cute little fellow, lovely pose, and well done on capturing this not so common Coal Tit.
Janice

Hello Gert,

Splendid capture of this litle bird.
Wonderful colours with fantastic details.
Lighting and composition are superb.
Good notes.

Hello Gert,
Nice capture of this adorable little bird, excellent composition, superb sharpness, excelletn depth of field, nice light and very good details in the plummage, excellent pose and good catchlight in the eye.
TFS
Angela

Striking picture of this cute little Coal Tit, Gert.
I see the snow has already fallen in your area. The bird looks beautiful along with the branch covered with bits of snow.
TFS and regards.

  • Great 
  • izler Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 1399 W: 3 N: 30] (504)
  • [2008-11-22 23:27]

hello gert
good capture and well composed of this timid bird on snowy branch
i like POV, DOF, light, colours, sharpness and details
TFS
regards
izler

  •      
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3585 W: 143 N: 5672] (18539)
  • [2008-11-22 23:44]

Hi Gert.
Again and again I am impressed with brilliant exposure of the difficult subjects. Fantastic reproduction of colour tones of the snow and white feathers of the bird. Magnification, POV and framing of the fine scene are superb and can to serve as a sample of high skill. Bravo and kind wishes.
Alexei.

Hello Gert,
I love these little birds.
They are similar to our Tomtits in the rainforest here. A nice close up shot,but like Joes shot tonight,seems a little bit softer (perhaps its my old eyes)
Mind you,these things never stay still for a second,so I would have great difficulty getting any sort of shot at all.
Still an excellent shot by any standards.
Cheers
Steve

Hello Gert,
Last month we had a very unusual visitor- a great TIT.It reminded me of you and Nicholas. I have always admired the pictures of Tits posted by you two.:)
This is a beautiful close up shot of the Coal Tit. Excellent POV and DOF. Good sharpness and details in the plumage captured.
Thanks for the share,
Smitha.

  •      
  • bobcat08 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 379 W: 19 N: 361] (1431)
  • [2008-11-23 12:24]

Hi Gert,

A beautiful Coal Tit. An amazing clarity. Very fine POV. So the branche with a bit snow on it and then the bird. Yes, I like this position. Colors a very natural. Razorsharp as usual. BG is fine. Great job. Thanks for sharing. Greetings and TFS BOB

  •      
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2008-11-23 13:27]

Hi Gert,
a fine capture of this Coal Tit.
Superb composition.
Great use of flash.
Sharp with good detail.

Well done,
Joe

p.s sorry to hear your previous feeding station was destroyed! Was it vandals?

Hi Gert,

You have this one in great sharpness and with beautiful colours and details.

Gert

Hi Gert,
a lovely guy here, I also have them in my garden from time to time.
I love tits, I have now seen 5 different species in my garden ;-)
So cute, so agile, you can be lucky to catch one in such a pose in with good sharpness.
Thanks, very nice, greetings
Sabine - wishnugaruda

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2264 W: 10 N: 2632] (15573)
  • [2008-11-30 9:27]

Hola Gert,
Cold start again in Europe ...
here is 21.2 degrees (very cloudy)
next Wednesday will visit the island of Fuerteventura, I hope to take good pictures.

beautiful capture and fine details of the apparent change of season,
attractive shoot,
saludos familia.

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2997 W: 162 N: 968] (2839)
  • [2008-12-03 6:26]

Hej Gert,
I wonder why your hide has been destroyed? You'll have to make a new one and hide it well!! This is a lovely capture of the Coal Tit picking at a bud on the tree. Excellent details and beautiful colours. I like the bit of snow too although I'm pleased we haven't got it here yet!
TFS and all the best wishes, Ulla

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