Photos: Earth >> Europe >> Ukraine >> East >> Krym >> Alushta

Register

  << Previous Next >>

We Fly


We Fly
Photo Information
Copyright: Alexei Alyokhin (Alex99) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3556 W: 143 N: 5626] (18415)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-10-01
Categories: Birds
Camera: Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D, Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG Macro, Marumi MC-UV 58 mm
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/2000 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-10-21 3:56
Viewed: 1356
Points: 48
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Since olden days the people envied ability of birds to fly and dreamed of flights. Now their dreams were carried out. They can fly by planes, balloons, parachutes, hanggliders, by other devices and, at last, in minds. The photography also gives such opportunity. A little imagination, and you feel, that you fly side by side to this remarkable bird. I wish you successful flight.

The Association of European Rarities Committees recognises six species:

Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
American Herring Gull, Larus smithsonianus
Caspian Gull, Larus cachinnans
Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis
East Siberian Gull, Larus vegae
Armenian Gull, Larus armenicus

My photos and my researches show, that this is the Yellow-legged Gull.

The Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) is a large gull of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. It is sometimes considered to be part of the same species as Caspian Gull and the combined species is then called Larus cachinnans.

Classification
The taxonomy of the Herring Gull/Lesser Black-backed Gull complex is very complicated. This group has a ring distribution around the northern hemisphere. Differences between adjacent forms in this ring are fairly small, but by the time the circuit is completed, the end members, Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull, are clearly different species. However, different authorities recognise up to eight species in this complex.

It is now generally accepted that the Yellow-legged Gull is a full species, but until recently there was much disagreement. For example, the BOU in Great Britain placed Yellow-legged Gull as a subspecies of the Herring Gull, while British Birds magazine split Yellow-legged Gull from Herring Gull but included Caspian Gull in the former. However, recent DNA research has shown that Caspian Gull is basal to the complex, and cannot be in the same grouping as the other form.

There are two subspecies of Yellow-legged Gull: michahellis (named for the German zoologist Karl Michahelles), which breeds in the Mediterranean, and atlantis, on the Atlantic islands. Birds breeding in Portugal and the Atlantic coast of Spain are sometimes considered to be a third subspecies: lusitanius.

See more info:
Yellow-legged Gull

Teleconverter Kenko AF 1.4x Teleplus Pro 300 DG applied.
blakitan, horia, peter_stoeckl, jcoowanitwong, wallhalla15, dew77, valy67, SkyF, ellis49, jeanpaul, Shoot_Score, izler 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
None
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

Hi Alexei,
Greatly capturing this flying yellow legged gull. Nice close up shot. Sharp. Well done.

Ben Lakitan

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2167 W: 218 N: 4377] (14870)
  • [2006-10-21 6:34]

Hello Alexei

A splendid seagull portrait!
It's so beautiful that it appears to be painted!
Really well done!
Excelletn POV and DOF, superb colros and great lighting!

Bravo, TFS and have a great weekend!
Horia

  • Great 
  • viv Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 3 N: 653] (3307)
  • [2006-10-21 7:14]

Hi Alex,
Indeed they fly, great shot, looks like a portrait while flying,
Thanks
Vivian

bonjour alexei
bien vu ce goeland en vol, bonne expo et netteté.
laurent

Hi Alexei,
You caught this gull from very close, wow! I like this "portrait in action". The mouvement is very well frozen with good POV, details and composition; vey nice. Thanks,
Claudine

Hello Alexei,
magnificent point of view! The image looks like taken by a fellow seagull. Great work with tele and cropping.
Very smooth and elegant cut and composition.
Delightful hues of white and blue, and grey.
Thank you! My best regards,
Peter

Hi Alexei,
Wonderful picture. Amazing to see such fine picture of gull inflight. Perfect10.
JC

Privet Alexei.
A very nice and wonderful captured scene while flying this bird. Other friends told all things, above me. No more words, just perfect. Congratulations my friend.
Sincere greetings
Fevzi

Excellent shot Alexei, great lighting, details and sharpness, nice bg and contrast. Great colours and composition too. Very well done, thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend.
Gr.
Heinz

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2006-10-22 5:54]

Privet Alexei,
Wonderful flying gull portrait.POV,clear eyes,solid body and visual impact are excellent.
TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2006-10-22 22:57]

Hello Alexei

A nicely composed shot of this gull.Nice colours and good in flight shot.Good close up , you can see the concentration in the gull's expression.TFS

Rob

Hello Alexei !
Wow, what a wonderful in-flight capture you have here ! The composition and cropping are wonderful, the gull looks so close, as if the piccture was taken by another gull next to him ! :-) Beautiful grey/blue colors too, and I love your note - would be great to fly with the birds in the immensity of the sky. Very well done !
Valerie.

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2244 W: 188 N: 1929] (8127)
  • [2006-10-23 8:31]

Hello Alexei,
great close up of this seagull. Nice sharpness and great details. I like the tight crop and framing.
Sky

Alexei,
Love birds.
This one is very well captured. Excellent focusing.
Great notes too.
Excellent clarity. Well composed & presented.
Best regards,
Mario.

Hi Alexei,
a very good in-flight shot, it look more like a close-up shot.
Maybe the exposure could have been a bit better, but I really like this one. Good details and nice tight crop.
Well done.

great captured, and coloure;-)

Great flight capture! Wow. Sharpness is fantastic as well. Don't like gulls, they are annoying sometimes! Haha.
Well nice overall blueish white color.
Good composition. :) Thanks for sharing.
Steph

Bonjour,
Une belle impression de vitesse !
Bonne journée.
clnaef

  • Great 
  • mrcrow Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 428 W: 116 N: 193] (3002)
  • [2006-11-18 15:04]

ultra sharp and smooth shot...good eye contact..and how you go it i expect its one of many attempts..so i have been told
simply good
cheers
geof

Bonjour Alexei
C'est une excellent Prise de vue en portrait de ce beau goellan en plein vol ! La composition très jolie avec de belles couleurs . Merci pour le partage .
Au revoir et merci ....JP

Alexei, today I have told my juvenile what a beautiful bird he/she wil become! And I promised it again "Catch ya later!
Larus smithsonianus "

I have but one word for your photo: "Soaring!"

I admire and aspire! What a CHALLENGE! Thanx for showing the way! Dobri, dobri!

Jasha

  • Great 
  • izler Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 1398 W: 3 N: 30] (486)
  • [2007-01-17 3:40]

hello Alexei
good timing and successful macro working on its head. composition, point of view, colours, lighting, sharpness and details are great
TFS
regards
izler

Hello Alexei,
Dynamic framing and great lines in this fine composition!
Great colours and fine details in this interesting close-up!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Belle photo et bons détails de cet oiseau,bon éclairage,la netteté est très bonne aussi. Amitiés Thomas

Hi Alex,
I love this cropped shot. The sharpness is almost unreal!
Great job!
Michael

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF