Storspett (Great Spotted Woodpecker)

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Storspett (Great Spotted Woodpecker)
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Ellstrom (ellis49) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3661 W: 349 N: 8862] (28609)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-02-22
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon Ef 400mm /F5.6 L USM, Digital ISO 400
Exposure: f/8, 1/250 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Alex99 favorite photos [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-03-19 8:55
Viewed: 1074
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 36
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
First I will thank all for the nice comments and words of my previous posts.

This is a well known woodpecker, the Great Spotted Woodpecker and this one is a female.
We use to have a pair around our hide and feeding station, they need fat in the winter and them
gladly eat a lot of tallow and nuts.
It’s a quite big bird 23-26 cm long, with a 38-44 cm wingspan and it’s rather common up here.
She posed nicely for me and I like the light here,
I hope you like her.


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.



It is distributed throughout Europe and northern Asia. It is largely resident except in the colder regions of its range.
It is an inhabitant of woodlands and parks, depending for food and nesting sites upon old trees. It is often an inconspicuous bird, in spite of the plumage. The large white shoulder patch is a feature that catches the eye.
Great Spotted Woodpecker is 23-26 cm long, with a 38-44 cm wingspan. The upper parts of the male are glossy black, with a crimson spot on the nape and white on the sides of the face and neck. On the shoulder is a large white patch and the flight feathers are barred with black and white. The three outer tail feathers are barred; these show when the short stiff tail is outspread, acting as a support in climbing. The under parts are buffish white, the abdomen and under tail coverts crimson. The bill is slate black and the legs greenish grey,
The female has no crimson on the nape, and in the young this nape spot is absent, but the crown is crimson. It may be distinguished from the smaller Lesser Spotted Woodpecker by the crimson on the abdomen.
There are several subspecies, including the prehistoric P. m. submajor which lived during the last ice age.
Source and more info in different language here

Canon 400mm/5.6 L USM, tripod. Hide.
ISO 400, Raw-format. Pattern metering.
Converted, Levels, Contrast, Crop, re sized to 800 pixels, Smart sharpen
I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 for PP
jaycee, earthtraveler, claudine, boreocypriensis, fartash, Tamrock, angela926, cicindela, crs, Islander_, eqshannon, Alex99, uleko, JoseMiguel, CeltickRanger, Evelynn, jusninasirun, ramthakur, bobcat08, Argus, Adanac, Juyona, kmr13777 has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Gert,
Fine image of this woodpecker. She did give you a lovely pose. Her colorations are wonderful and you managed good detail. Looks great on the old branch in this fine composition.
Tfs Richard

  •      
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1675 W: 8 N: 4022] (13255)
  • [2008-03-19 9:13]

Hi Gert,

Picture perfect as always! Beautiful woodpecker - marvelous pose - superb colors, details and textures - excellent background.

Jane

Hi Gert,
This is an excellent composition with natural exposure, great details and superb subject! I like its proud pose and beautiful catch light. This is wonderful! Thanks,
Claudine

Hi Gert,

Excellent shot of this lovely Woodpecker. When I was a child I had liked to watch its cartoons:) Indeed I like to watch sill:). Thanks for sharing this beauty friend.
Cheers,

Bayram

excllent details, good composition, the light and colours are excellent
regards
jo

Hello Gert
Very intersting shot of this Great Spotted Woodpecker,
Perfect details,colors and BG,Welldone my friend.

Regards
Fartash

Hi Gert,
very nice shot of this woodpecker. I like the composition with the diagonal branch and the blurred brown background. the woodpecker is captured sharp.
Very nice colors, too

TFS tatjana

Hello Gert,
Good image. I do like the compo. Excellent depth of field.
Well done
TFS
Annick

  •      
  • Tamrock Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 362 W: 0 N: 688] (3617)
  • [2008-03-19 11:12]

hej gert!
finfin bild på hacken!
skarp och välkomponerad
i ett snyggt ljus!
great pic!

Hello Gert,
Great capture, beautiful colors and clarity, good composition and pov, excellent sharpness and very nice depth of field.
Angela

This is really a "top woodpecker" - both in sensu stricte" and in sensu lato Gert!!! :)
Beautiful technique, great sharpness, DOF and details. Colours are not only vivid byt perfectly saturated. No noises and BG is delicate and makes very nice contrast with main objest - the bird. Nothing to add! Except one: BRAVO!!!
Friendly yours,
Radomir

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 117 W: 0 N: 160] (681)
  • [2008-03-19 12:42]

Hi Gert,

This is a very nice photo of this bird. Excelent light and nice natural colors on the bird as well as on the branch. Good POV with good eye contact. Nice clear image with great details of the bird and clear texture on the wood.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

Hi Gert,

Very beautiful bird portrait, nice composition and BG! Thank you,

Eugene

You would so much love it here in Washington State Gert. Seeing the patience and concern you show for each species and every post...I think to myself, " this person would love to be at Turnbull even if for one day only"....We do have these creatures so lovely as you image them, but so few people who seem to nice/care or otherwise...and with me still being on the med...who knows when I shall haev the chance....I wish you much success in your continued passion for imaging and aviary etal creatures.....as this one!
Bob

  •      
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2935 W: 142 N: 4217] (13775)
  • [2008-03-19 20:44]

Hi Gert.
During two years I cannot take good shot of the woodpecker. I think you can do it when you wish. It is really sample for imitation and true masterpiece in every respect. I mean a composition and framing, terrific details and sharpness of the wood and bird, amazing smooth BG and fantastic lights, darks and colours. Bravo, my dear friend and congratulations.
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 729 W: 4 N: 1811] (8608)
  • [2008-03-20 2:49]

Gert Lovely color and what a superb bird. The colors are great and wonderful lighting Ganesh

  •      
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1555 W: 233 N: 5091] (17959)
  • [2008-03-20 3:49]

Excellent shot of this Woodpecker!
Very nice diagonal composition and a great POV.
Nice warm and natural colours.
Excellent DOF.
Superb texture on the wood.
The image quality is impeccable!
Very well done Gert,
Joe

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2297 W: 163 N: 6694] (21146)
  • [2008-03-20 8:53]

Hej Gert,
You must have a lot of patience waiting for all these birds to come near your hide! I'm amazed how many birds you've posted from there. This is another brilliant shot and excellent composition showing the Greater Woodpecker in a fine pose. Very beautiful light and natural looking colours too. Well done!
Many thanks, Ulla

Hi Gert,
What a delightful image!
I like a lot the close approach and sharp details got.
The good lighting produced so fine details on the bird's plumage, as well as the rich tones on it.
Congratulations and thanks for share.
My best regards,
JM

hello Gert

excellent shot of this woodpecker, i love your POV, the vertical framing
and the way the woodpecker and the branche are framed on the image,
excellent DOF, excellent sharpness and details of the plumage, TFS

Asbed

This is quite lovely Gert. It is sharp without looking oversharp and the colors are rich but natural looking. The entire subject is in focus and looks great against that soft out of focus background.

TFS
Evelynn : )

Hello Gert. Excellent shot at this woodpecker. I like the perch against the dead wood and stunning against the muted background. Excellent top quality first class image. Regards. Jusni

As usual, a marvellous capture of this beautiful Woodpecker, Gert.
The image is perfection incarnate in nature photography.
We learn so much from this kind of high quality work.
TFS and regards.
Ram

Hello Gert,

A marvelous composition. The diagonal branches with this colored bird. Has the male a red cap or not? Did you know or this birds changing there feathers from winter to summerfeathers? Anyway this is a wonderful woodpecker. Fine overall details. It's now one of my favorites. Thanks. Have a nice weekend and TFS BOB

  •      
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2416 W: 132 N: 6653] (20877)
  • [2008-03-22 4:53]

Hej Gert,
A marvellous capture of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker. I like the composition and POV on a dead branch and thanks to the fine sharpness it contrasts well with the OOF natural BG.
Thanks for sharing this beauty,
Hälsningar,
Ivan

Jag gillar namnet storspett men har inte hört det så ofta.
Vi får vänta veckan ut innan vintern släpper greppet :(!
Däremot har du bättre chanser att få smådoppingen med is på vattnet. Ha det bra!

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1029 W: 1 N: 3939] (13258)
  • [2008-03-22 19:20]

Hello Gert,
Outstanding quality image, with sharp focus and great exposure resulting in this marvelously detailed capture with wonderful colors. Thank you Gert, I had not seen this species before.
Rick

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2072 W: 6 N: 1848] (12716)
  • [2008-03-23 12:23]

Buen trabajo y oportuno disparo,
el pose del carpintero rama muy buenas...
perfecto el color y la iluminación,
saludos Gert,
Today in Spanish to practice, hahaha :))
saludos

A very interesting woodpecker! I like the alert pose you caught him in. It is amazing the power that the spot of red exerts to pull you in to the image.

Hi Gert,
Thank you for sharing this beautiful shot with excellent color and details with all of us here at TN.

Regards,
Kirti

Hi Gert,
Excellent detail/DOF & use of natural light..Great techique to get this so sharp @ 1/250th without any "IS" assist.
The beautiful colors of this handsome woodpecker come shining through in expert fashion. But I expect no less from you :)
Have a nice weekend,
Howard

Foto superba! Ottima composizione.
Ciao e grazie. (TFS)
Angelo

  • Great 
  • RP1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 154 W: 1 N: 124] (1840)
  • [2008-04-12 16:57]

Hi Gert,
Superbphgoto of this woodpecker. I like the composition and the diagonal branch and the brown background. Colours are very nice and the bird is sharp.
TFS,
Roger

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