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Hawfinch, (Stenknäck)


Hawfinch, (Stenknäck)
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: 2009-05-07
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF 300mm / F2.8 L USM, Digital ISO 400, Canon 2x extender II
Exposure: f/8, 1/500 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-10-17 9:34
Viewed: 332
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Thanks for the nice comments and words of my previous post.

Hawfinch, Stenknäck

Today's post is also a quite rare bird and not so easy to photograph as they use to
Stay high up into the tree tops and are very shy.
I took this in may when this male was searching for seeds where we had the feedes for the winter.
It’s a s beautiful bird with a very odd looking, enormous bill, short tail and neck but the colors and pattern of the plumage are fine.
It’s a migration bird and use tp return in April-May.

From Wikipedia.
The Hawfinch, Coccothraustes coccothraustes, is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. As its closest living relatives are the Evening Grosbeak (C. vespertinus) from North America and the Hooded Grosbeak (C. abeillei) from Central America especially Mexico, the Hawfinch is sometimes also known as European Grosbeak.[citation needed]
This bird breeds across Europe and temperate Asia. It is mainly resident in Europe, but many Asian birds migrate further south in the winter. It is a rare vagrant to the western islands of Alaska.
Deciduous or mixed woodland with large trees, especially Hornbeam, is favoured for breeding, including parkland. It builds its nest in a bush or tree, laying 2-7 eggs. The food is mainly seeds and fruit kernels, especially those of cherries, which it cracks with its powerful bill.
This large finch species does not form large flocks outside the breeding season, and is usually seen as a pair or small group.
The 16.5-18 cm long Hawfinch is a bulky bull-headed bird, which appears very short-tailed in flight. Its head is orange-brown with a black eyestripe and bib, and a massive bill, which is black in summer but paler in winter. The upper parts are dark brown and the underparts orange.
The white wing bars and tail tip are striking in flight. The sexes are similar. The call is a hard chick. The song of this unobtrusive bird is quiet and mumbled.

It's taken with a borrowed Canon 20d, since my 40d was send to Canon for repair.
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
marianas, marius-secan, nglen, Juyona, Alex99, cloud, Noisette, meyerd, horias, Miss_Piggy has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To vanderschelden: Calibrationellis49 1 10-20 08:56
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Critiques [Translate]

Gert
Wonderful colored Hawfinch!
Great details, lovely capture!
Congratulation1
Mariana

Hello Gert,
Superb image, very good details and lovely natural colours.
Excellent sharpness and composition.
Marius.

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2904 W: 34 N: 8600] (32056)
  • [2009-10-17 9:53]

Hi Gert. This is a bird i have not seen in the wild so thanks for posting this first class close up. The detail is excellent with sharp focusing. i like the eye level POV so we can see the whole of the bird including the the large bill. Your use of the light has given natural colours.All with interesting notes .TFS this beauty.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2380 W: 94 N: 5487] (17484)
  • [2009-10-17 9:54]

Hello Gert,
Great close photo of this Hawfinch taken from a perfect low POV. Excellent eye-contact. The photo is very sharp and beautiful in colours. Good DOF, OOF BG and composition.
Regards,
Peter

Hello Gert,

You might expect to spot this bird somewhat higher in a tree or so as you mentioned in your note.
By the way I hope everything is okay with Gert.
The white balance and the colors are definitely okay here. Excellent focus on the main parts of the bird. Well done overall.

You've been mentioning an Eizo monitor and the Spyder3 calibration tool. I'm thinking about purchasing X-rite for color management in terms of monitor calibration as well as printer and scanner. Can you share your Spyder3 Elite experiences? Thx.

Greetings,
Annick

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2256 W: 10 N: 2618] (15517)
  • [2009-10-17 12:48]

WOOW,
excelente captura Gert,
hermoso foco y pov,
saludos amigo.

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2009-10-17 13:11]

Hello Gert!
How are you?
A superb shot of this Hawfinch.
I'd love to see one of these let alone photograph one!
Really good detail in the feathers and beak (which looks like it's made from steel or something!) :)
Nice and natural colours lit by lovely soft light.
Excellent composition as well.

Great work my friend!

Joe

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3581 W: 143 N: 5669] (18529)
  • [2009-10-18 1:03]

Hi Gert.
Perfect 600 mm combination. Sharpness and colour rendition are top level as well as delicately blurred BG. However, I am impressed most of all with clarity of the image, 3D effect and exactness, beautifulness and clearness of the colours. Low POV is amazing and composition of the shot is spot on (study for all of us).
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • cloud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 71 N: 758] (4689)
  • [2009-10-18 1:38]

Hello Gert,
Very good shot of Hawfinch, perfect sharpness, low POV and nicely blurred BG. In my countryside I meet this species only in winter and early spring.
Best regards, Pawel

Hi Gert

Great shot of this finch with a massive bill. The canon did a great job even with the 2X attached. Excellent sharpness around teh head, superb details. Good POV for a bird on the ground.

Chris

Verry good capture with nice clarity and colours.Well done.Best regards.Alin.

Hello Gert
very beautiful bird with impressive beak, wonderful sharp details of this Hawfinch, i like all the different color tones of is plumage,
very good lighting and great composition
Have a good night
Jacqueline

Hi Gert,
incredible, the big beak, up front it is even more impressive. I certainly never saw the iris as clearly as here---and it turns out to be rosy!! You did justice to one of the most beautiful birds we have in Europe.
My best regards
Dietrich

Hej Gert
Det var länge sedan vi hade kontakt... Stenknäck är fin fågel som jag har på min lista :) Du har fotat den här fågeln med bra kvalitet och fina färg... Bra jobbat!
Hälsnigar
Ralf

Gert
What a sharp details to this lovely little bird!
Congratulation MF for this superb capture!\
Horia

Hallo Gert
What a delightful and colourful image of this Hawfinch. This is a beautiful bird and you have captured it in a perfect close-up pose. The different coloured of layered plumage is vivid and very bright and the details of the rather huge beak and almost plum coloured eye are displayed well. A pleasant image with great natural colours and light. Thanks for sharing. Kind regards
Anna

Hi Gert,
now I'm curious to see your work during the last months. Wow - it's wonderful - special this bird ...
It's realy my favourite bird of all here where I live, but it's rare, I only saw it a few times. You captured it so sharp and with warm colours, excellent.
We call it "Kernbeisser".
Thanks and greetings
Sabine

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