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Passer montanus
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Passer montanus
This is a rare and shy species – within the group of sparrows, that is. ;-)
The tree sparrow wasn’t recognised as a separate species from the house sparrow until 1713.
Passer montanus, the tree sparrow, is smaller than a house sparrow and more active, with its tail almost permanently cocked. It has a chestnut brown head and nape (rather than grey), which you can see well in the photo, and white cheeks and collar with a contrasting black cheek-spot. They are shyer than house sparrows in the UK and are not associated with man, although in continental Europe they nest in buildings just like house parrows.
The tree sparrow is mainly a bird of open farmland with hedgerows and free-standing trees or small isolated woods. It also inhabits disused quarries, coastal cliffs with ivy, or large gardens, especially where nest boxes are provided. In winter, local flocks may form where food is abundant, especially of agricultural land. It eats seeds and insects
The similar species is the house sparrow, Passer domesticus. The house sparrow has taken top spot in this year's Big Garden Birdwatch - the world's biggest bird survey. Nearly 400,000 people from across the UK spent an hour counting the birds in their garden and their records provide a valuable snapshot of the UK's garden birds. House sparrow numbers have been relatively stable in recent years, although they are still massively down from levels 26 years ago, with a decline by 54%.
(Info source and recommendable website with descriptions of UK birds incl. bird voices: http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/)
PP: Reduced noise and sharpened, resized.
Composition: this is a good example how NOT to compose a bird shot, in that the subject is pointed to the closest edge of the frame. As a saving grace, at least the direction of its gaze is towards the viewer. I chose it despite suboptimal composition as it well shows the chestnut cap different from the common house sparrow, and it has a nice catchlight that brings out the eye.
P.S. I welcome any critique and invite you to be detailed. I assure you that I will not complain about any critique, whatever form or style you may choose. I also welcome critique of any newbie. I am a newbie myself and eager to learn from the pros as well as from fellow newbies. It is worthwhile for me to know which effect a photo has on various people. You do not need to know a lot about photography to let me know what effect my picture has on YOU, personally. Thank you for taking the time! |
PDP, Luc, sway has marked this note useful
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- PDP
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(11755) - [2005-08-03 19:22]
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Hi Gabi, nice view of a sparrow. I like the low POV you chose here. The bird itself is soft in focus, although it does have a nice catchlight in the eye. The greay belly of the bird does not contrast very well with the grey of the wood. As for the composition, it's not too bad but as you say yourself a little more room in front might be nice.
Well done.
Hey Gabi,
Nice shot. I have been battling to get a decent shot of one of these old boys. They're so fast --- maybe I must down 2 redbulls before trying. Anyway, I hope you don't mind, I did a little workshop for you.
Well done
- Luc
(14713)
- [2005-12-12 20:27]
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Personal assessment of the photo: very good.
Capacity of evocation in me: very strong.
Very strong visual impact.
Personal assessment of the note: complete.
Thank you very much again Gabi.
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 302 W: 40 N: 484]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif){kind=small}