<< Previous Next >>

Eurasian Wryneck (Göktyta)


Eurasian Wryneck (Göktyta)
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Ellstrom (ellis49) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3388 W: 343 N: 9479] (30805)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-06-23
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 40 D, Canon EF 300mm / F2.8 L USM, Digital RAW 400, Canon 2x extender II
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/500 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-10-12 9:24
Viewed: 314
Points: 52
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Thanks for the nice comments and words of my previous post.

This is a Göktyta, Eurasian Wryneck, Jynx torquilla.
It’s a not so common bird up and it’s very hard to find it, it have a very good camouflage as you can see. I took this in a dead tree where I use to find a lot of other birds.
It blend in quite well in the tree but I was lucky and could get a decent shot with my 300mm + 2.0x extender.
Believe it or not, this one belongs to thw woodpeckers.
The size is 17-19 cm and wing span 25-27 cm. And is a migration bird.
I think it's rare on TN
Info from Wikipedia.
This species breeds in temperate regions of Europe and Asia. It is migratory, wintering in tropical Africa and southern Asia. It is a bird of open woodland and orchards. On migration it is frequently seen in sandy areas, where it forages for ants.
Their bills are shorter and less dagger like than in the true woodpeckers, but their chief prey is ants and other insects, which they find in decaying wood or almost bare soil. They re-use woodpecker holes for nesting, rather than making their own holes. The eggs are white, as with many hole nesters.
These birds get their English name from their ability to turn their heads almost 180 degrees. When disturbed at the nest, they use this snake-like head twisting and hissing as a threat display. This odd behaviour led to their use in witchcraft, hence to put a "jinx" on someone.


Canon 300mm/F2.8 L, 2.0X converter, Tripod , camo-net, Walkstool, ISO 400, Raw-format, AV-mode, spot metering, +1/3 Ev
Converted in Canon DPP, Levels, Contrast, Crop, resized to 800 pixels, Smart Sharpen ,PP in PS CS4.
Well calibrated Eizo monitor, calibrated/profiled with a Spyder3 Elite

goldyrs, matatur, siggi, nglen, meyerd, roges, CeltickRanger, sandpiper2, horia, goutham_ramesh, anel, jmirah, uleko, cloud, maurydv, thor68, Juyona, Argus, ramthakur, marhowie, Alex99, Miss_Piggy has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekNature members may write critiques.
Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To sandpiper2: Camo-netellis49 2 10-19 13:47
To ramthakur: Thanksellis49 1 10-17 05:34
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

Gert,
This is one bird I've never seen!!And to be honest, I think we don't even have a distant cousin of it here in India!I ove the beautiful depth you've achieved in this shot with the perfectly chosen POV!
And Gert, you've no idea how glad I am to see you posting again!
Thanks so much for coming back; when you were not, we were at a loss...
Thanks for sharing this beauty!
Kind regards!
Goldy

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1367 W: 56 N: 4680] (16082)
  • [2009-10-12 9:52]

Hello Gert,
great shot very well composed, I like the pose of this Wryneck very much. Splendid sharpness with a lot of details on his plumage
very well done.Best regards Siggi

Thank you indeed Gert, for this splendid image of a real camouflage artist, the strong eye contact draws ones attention directly to its head, but the rest is also finely in focus and as a whole perfectly illuminated and exposed against a nicely homogenous green BG. A wonderful image MF.
Mehmet

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2904 W: 34 N: 8600] (32056)
  • [2009-10-12 10:26]

Hi Gert. I think i have seen this bird only once before on TN.
You did so well to see it and to get this fine close up. As you say it blends into the tree so well. You have taken this with sharp focusing and fine detail. All with natural colours. The plain green BG helps to make it stand out,. Very well taken TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • meyerd Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 518 W: 68 N: 1686] (5316)
  • [2009-10-12 11:23]

Hi Gert, again,
that's another difficult bird to photographers. I'm sure you had no choice with the light, you had to accept the glaring sun on the bird. I have no idea to what extent you could take out some of the high light with PS and whether it would be an improvement (I tried some adjusting, to no avail). Still, you got all the fine brown tones, the composition follows your usual high standard. Thanks for the good note, too.
My best regards
Dietrich

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2380 W: 94 N: 5487] (17484)
  • [2009-10-12 11:26]

Hello Gert,
Wonderful photo of this Dryneck in a fantastic pose. I've seen this bird once a few years ago, but only for a second, then it was gone. The camouflaged colours in this photo are so beautiful. Excellent sharpness and details. Great OOF and contrasting BG. Perfect composition and POV. High quality photo!
TFS and regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • roges Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 590 W: 0 N: 497] (3004)
  • [2009-10-12 11:46]

Hi Gert,
En stor fångst. En toppspelare. Du kan knappt skilja den miljö där fågeln.
En trevlig vecka,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • pirate Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 472 W: 99 N: 624] (3213)
  • [2009-10-12 12:14]

Hi Gert
one of my favorite birds, great bg perfect sharpness and nice branch
lovely
tfs
tom

Hi Gert
What a mimicry of this bird!
Very good picture. Nice composition and very good exposition. Nice natural colours and soft background.
Thanks for sharing
Ania

great camouflage, TFS Ori

hello Gert

a superbly camouflaged bird with the barnch wher his is posing,
shot with fine POV and framing, and as always superb focus
of the foreground with great sharpness and details
and beautifully blurred background, TFS

Asbed

Hi Gert

I wonder if this one has been on TN before, its a first for me anyway. Great result using the 2X. Great sharpness and background. What on earth is a camo-net? is it like a portable hide - details please.

Chris

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2169 W: 218 N: 4382] (14898)
  • [2009-10-13 0:26]

Hi Gert

This time, i don't know who was better camouflaged: you in your camo-net or the bird :))
This is a really fantastic capture of this very interesting species that i don't recall seeing before ever.
The resemblance between the Wryneck and the texture of the branches it is on is fantastic and to capture that is really excellent on your part my friend. Further more, the perfectly uniform BG acts terrific to isolate the two elements and to better show them.
I'm a bit surprised to see such a high f-stop number for this shot, but i trust your decision and you probably chose it to endure a good focal plan for the bird. Anyway, it still left that beautiful BG so in fact you didn't lose anything :)

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Gert, i like the position of the bird in this well exposed shot as you mentioned the camouflage is extraordinary and the colors are good too. There are no nits , but if i have to really pick one ( Just nit picking :-) ) then I feel the space below the bird is bit too much :-) ) I would have preferred more space on the top, but thats just a personal taste.

TFS
www.gouthamramesh.com)

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1715 W: 0 N: 3896] (15640)
  • [2009-10-13 4:47]

Hello Gert,
For me this is a very special looking bird.. I never have seen nor heard of it. So thanks to present it to us. It has an ideal plumage for camouflage, it's a miracle that you have seen it. Excellent picture-as usual- I like the fine colors and the subtle blurred background. A very fine shot.
Thanks and kind regards
Anne

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2986 W: 162 N: 929] (2735)
  • [2009-10-13 9:09]

Hello Gert,
Superb view of this very well camouflaged bird that I've only seen once! You're very lucky to have captured it and in a lovely pose. Excellent sharpness and colours as usual and a fine background too.
Many thanks and cheers, Ulla

Hi Gert
Excellent capture with natural colors, fine detail and composition...TFS
Jim

  • Great 
  • cloud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 71 N: 758] (4689)
  • [2009-10-13 12:59]

Hello Gert,
You managed to catch perfect sharply species rare on TN. Nice composition and dead branch very suit to it. Last year I saw Wryneck through window my flat on bottom of big oak. First I didn't know what it's species only when used the binocular made assure. I was very surprised.
Regards, Pawel

Hello Gert,
a splendid capture of the Eurasian Wryneck (in italiano Torcicollo), not easy to photograph this bird, very good sharpness and bright colours, a very nice composition with a lovely pose of this small woodpecker.
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

excellent capture of the rare and wonderful bird! :-) i saw 1 or 2 around here during the last 40 years, somewhere i should
even have a photo which i was able to take with an old cam about 25 years ago.*g*
sharpness, details and colors are terrific as usual, love the blending with the lichen-covered branch and the look.
well done & great to see you back here, thor.

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2256 W: 10 N: 2618] (15517)
  • [2009-10-14 13:40]

Hello dear friend,
spectacular capture,
original specimen...
many greetings Gert and Siv.

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3802 W: 190 N: 11310] (34871)
  • [2009-10-16 7:36]

Hej Gert,
Congratulations on this excellent capture of Göktytan taken from a perfect POV in a camouflage posture on the dead branch with fine sharpness and lighting. The camera setting are just right here to provide the right neutral Bg.
You were lucky to take this not easily seen species. I keep trying to look for it. The only time I got really good view was when I didn't have my camera with me!
Thanks for this inspiration!
Best regards,
Hälsningar,
Ivan

My good luck today to interact with and enjoy the work of the two most outstanding artists from the Golden Era of TrekNature -- you and Howard Cheek, Gert. I just finished my appreciation of Howard's picture and here I am, looking at this wonderful creation from you.
This bird is quite unique and you have shot it so beautifully in a bright yet cheerful light of summer time in your country. The bird and the branches merge so well with each other and make a charming composition against a soothing olive green BG.
Thanks and regards,
Ram

Fine details, great DOF, POV, and BG Gert.
Love the comp, nice catchlight too..
Short comment today, gotta go dude :)

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3581 W: 143 N: 5669] (18529)
  • [2009-10-17 6:07]

Hi, dear friend.
Thanks a lot for so warm words as well as for continuation of posting on TN. I am amazed with your shot. First of all it is its subject. It is really charming and unusual bird. How nice its camouflage and similarity with tree branches. I love wonderful sunlight and clearness of the colours also as well as crisp details of the main subject. Colours and blurriness of the BG are wonderful canvas for this beautiful composition. My warm greetings and wishes.
Yours Alexei.

Hallo Gert
Talk about perfect camouflage. Wow very extraordinary! This is a very graceful bird with delicate features that fits it well. The colourful and perfectly shaped plumage is striking and a feast to the eye. You have captured it with great focus and sharpness. Photography at its best. The neutral backdrop highlights this bird's features to its best. Thanks for sharing this beauty. Best regards.
Anna

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF