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Bon Voyage


Bon Voyage
Photo Information
Copyright: Hilary Wilkinson (Hil) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 750 W: 11 N: 1442] (4951)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-02-18
Categories: Birds
Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/250 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-04-11 18:49
Viewed: 509
Points: 28
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
At my local park there are about 50 or so Mute Swans, back in Oct I was having a stroll when I heard a honking sound and there amongst all the Mute Swan was a Whooper!, he stayed all Winter and never once let the Mutes bully him, a couple of Week ago he had gone, no doubt Migrating back to Iceland for the Summer, So Bon Voyage and I hope to see you back in Oct maybe this time with a Mate to keep you company.

Some Info..

The Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) is a large Northern Hemisphere swan. It is the Old World counterpart of the North American Trumpeter Swan.

Description
The Whooper Swan is similar in appearance to the Bewick's Swan. However, it is larger, at 140-160cm length and a 205-235cm wingspan. It has a more angular head shape and a more variable bill pattern that always shows more yellow than black (Bewick's Swans have more black than yellow).

Distribution and behaviour
Whooper Swans breed in subarctic Eurasia, further south than Bewick's in the taiga zone. Their breeding habitat is wetland. They pair for life, and their cygnets stay with them all winter; they are sometimes joined by offspring from previous years.

They are migratory wintering in northern Europe and eastern Asia. They are rare breeders in northern Scotland, particularly in Orkney, but no more than five pairs have bred in recent years. This bird is an occasional vagrant to western North America.

Icelandic breeders overwinter in England and Ireland, especially in the wildfowl nature reserves of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

These birds feed mainly by grazing on farmland on coasts or inland flood plains. They have a deep honking call.

Notes from Wilkipedia.com
claudine, SkyF, deblink, patrickb, geterdone, Necipp has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To claudine: ChangeHil 2 04-11 19:06
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2007-04-11 18:52]

Hello Hilary,
a wonderful portrait of a swan, very well captured. Details and colors look fabulous. Very nice expiosure on the whites. Very well composed with an excellent POV.
Sky

hello
nice capture with the drops that add to the photo, good quality, well done
regards
jo

Hi Hilary,
He certainly is a whopper. You have captured the image of him well. The quality of the photo is superb. I hope he returns for you next year.
cheers,
Debbie

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-04-11 21:46]

Hello Hil

A wonderful portrait of this whooper swan.Razor sharp focus with superb details.The colours are lovely.I really like the texture and ripples on the water surface.Great catch light in the eye.Great job.I saw my first ever Trumpeter Swan here today,flew right over me and I was too dumbfounded to stop and take a photo.TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • trinko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 610 W: 83 N: 324] (4310)
  • [2007-04-11 23:21]

nice water drop from the beak. good colors and focus. nice water ripples

This is a superb portrait of your friend Hil. This composition, exposure, details and moment caught are just beautiful! I love this little drop, nice catch light and perfect exposure on the white. Well done with as usual, interesting notes. Thanks!
Claudine

PS. Is it me or the site just changed its design? For what I see, it is the same graphic than TE now…

  • Great 
  • Zeno Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 475 W: 0 N: 926] (7979)
  • [2007-04-12 5:19]

Hi Hilary,

Very sharp capture. The details - especially the waterdrops - are marvellous. Well done.

regards,
Zeno.

Hi Hil. Great shot, super sharp focus and good DOF. He really is beautiful.
Well done, regards
Patrick

Hi, Hil.
Good sharp shot. Well composed. Nice water droplets.

Hi Hil,
Very nice closeup of the Swan. Good exposure on the whites, good detail, compo and POV. love the drip and the blue reflections? Nice little catchlight in the eye giving it life...Very nice shooting. Lyndon

Hi Hil,
this is a beautiful portrait of a normally very shy bird.
Very fine details and good DOF. I also like the low POV and the tight crop. Maybe you have a weak blue cast on the white neck but it's a minor nit.
Well done.

bonjour hilary
l'exposition est bien maitrisé,la tête du cygne est treslegerement flou mais dans l'ensemble c'est bien fait.
laurent

Je trouve cette photo intéressante avec le contraste de la blanche du cygne par rapport à la couleur foncé de l'eau, bravo

It's a beautifull shot Hilary, very nice contrast with the dark background reflections and your low POV was perfect, nice drop of water, good eye contact, composed very well tfs rgds Necip.

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