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Pine Grosbeak


Pine Grosbeak
Photo Information
Copyright: Mario Belanger (EOSF1) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1381 W: 126 N: 5246] (23469)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-02-20
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 40D, Canon EF 100-400 F4-5.6 L IS USM, ISO 200, B+W 77 010 UV-Haze 1 x
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/250 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes (Fill) Flash: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): CeltickRanger's favorite Bird photos -2- [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-09-22 15:45
Viewed: 793
Points: 46
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
From the archives, a female Pine Gros Beak (Pinicola enucleator 20-25cm) shot last winter.

From: www.birds.cornell.edu
One of the larger members of its family, the Pine Grosbeak is a bird of the boreal forests, found across northern Eurasia and North America, and south into the mountains of western Canada and the United States. A large, unwary finch, it makes periodic winter irruptions into southern Canada and northern United States. It is the largest and rarest of the "winter finches."
Cool Facts
The tameness and slow-moving behavior of the Pine Grosbeak gave rise to local name in Newfoundland of "mope."
Winter flocks may stay near a tree with abundant fruit until all of it is consumed.
Winter irruptions are infrequent and irregular. To see an illustration of the invasion of the winter 1997-98, based on data gathered through BirdSource's Winter Finch Survey, click here.
A breeding adult Pine Grosbeak develops pouches in the floor of its mouth for carrying food to its young.
During most of the year, 99% of diet is vegetable matter, especially buds, seeds, and fruits of spruce, pine, juniper, elm, maple, mountain ash, apple, and crabapple. It feeds insects and spiders to its young, though, often mixed with plant foods. It drinks water or eats snow daily.
Description
topSize: 20-25 cm (8-10 in)
Wingspan: 33 cm (13 in)
Large finch; medium-sized songbird.
Plump, heavy-chested.
Dark wings with two white wingbars.
Large stubby curved bill.
Male red.
Blackish-brown tail and wings.
Tail long and slightly forked.
Eyes black.
Bill dark.
Legs dark.
Sex Differences
Sexually dimorphic: Male with rosy-red head, chest and back, rest gray; females with yellow-olive where male has red.
Male
Pinkish-red head, breast, back and rump. Streaked back. White undertail coverts. Blackish brown wings and tail. White wingbars and tertial edges.
Female
Yellowish olive head and rump. Gray underparts and back. Blackish brown wings and tail. White wingbars and tertial edges.
Immature
Immature male usually is indistinguishable from immature or adult female until the second year when it molts and grows new reddish feathers. Some young males have some red or orange feathers in the body plumage, which females apparently lack. Females average duller than males (especially on the crown and rump) and have a lighter russet tinge to the head or lighter olive tinge to the breast than males. The color of the head and body is often golden orange or reddish bronze in males, in contrast to golden yellow of the female, and the chin is often buffier or more brown-gray than in the female.
Sound
Song is a sequence of clear, warbling, flute-like notes. Flight calls vary geographically, but can sound like "tee-tee-tew," resembling calls of Greater Yellowlegs.
Range
Breeds in subarctic and subalpine coniferous forests of North America and Eurasia.
Winter Range
Winters mainly in breeding range, but may go farther south irregularly to southern Canada and northern United States.
Habitat
Breeds in open coniferous forests.
Wintering areas determined by food availability, so found in wider variety of habitats, including urban areas.
Found in flocks in winter; strongly territorial in breeding season. Distinctive call note often given in flight.
Conservation Status
Status largely unknown because of difficulty of assessing populations.
Other Names
Durbec des sapins (French)
Camachuelo picogrueso (Spanish)
cedryk, jaycee, rcrick, Heaven, soccer, cicindela, star05, fartash, techranger, CeltickRanger, MMM, crs, uleko, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  •      
  • cedryk Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 966 W: 52 N: 1694] (5184)
  • [2008-09-22 16:08]

Hello Mario,
Wow, it's an impressive - in some way - monumental shot (I think it's because of the perspective). This grosbeak really seems to struggle the winter! Excellent details and particularly the colours.
Best greetings & TFS!
Michal

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2008-09-22 16:13]

Hi Mario,

Another beauty from your archives. This wonderful Grosbeak looks so majestic in her pose. The background gives a very dramatic look. Of course, the wonderful colors and superb details of the face and plummage doesn't hurt either. Beautiful bird, picture, framing and composition.

Jane

  • Great 
  • rcrick Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 717 W: 37 N: 1558] (5011)
  • [2008-09-22 20:49]

Hello Mario,

Definitely worth the trip back to the archives, this female Pine Gros Beak is just beautiful, the detail is just exceptional, wonderful colours, love the POV, composition and framing spot-on, lovely work.

Cheers Rick :)

  • Great 
  • Heaven Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 811 W: 108 N: 1736] (6060)
  • [2008-09-22 22:29]

Hi Mario!

Your picture is marvellous! The sharpness shows a rich palette of details and the colour management is superb. The unusual and very nice background creates a particularly nice effect and makes this picture an outstanding one. Thanks also for the detailed notes.

Kind regards

Markus

Hello Mario!
A bird on the top in the top-class quality picture. A pose of this little one is very nice (almost monumental), and you kept it with very nice sharpness and depth of field. All parts of specimen are in the focus, and thanks to that it is really nice to watch this photo.
Note is also very informative and in my opinion it is just all what we need in good presentation.
All the best from rainy (again...) Lodz,
Radomir

Difficult to photograph them against the sky. Yet perfect shot.
Nice pose and details. The bird itself was beautiful (which a good start)
TFS
JM

Mario,

Excellent Sharpness, detail of the subject and clarity of the image. The composition is one that I like and the BG is clear and distanced from the subject to display it's wonderful detail.
TFS,
Sheriff

Mario,
Very nice POV, especially like your notes about them.. Last winter they were many of them in New England and that hasn't always been the case.. Beautiful shot!!

Best Regards,
Jane

Hi Mario excellent shot. Nice sharp looking bird and nice BG colors. Well done. Regards - Adil.

Dear Mario
What a wonderful shot of this Pine Grosbeak,
Great details,use of flash and POV.Welldone my friend.

Regards
Fartash

Beautifully regal shot of her majesty. Great capture, well composed, and fantastic POV. Details are outstanding. TFs Mario... :) Informative notes as well...

Larry

salut Mario

c'est l'une de tes plus belles photos du Durbec des sapins.
à cause de la pose de l'oiseau et aussi du background,
excellent POV et cadrage, belle pose de l'oieau,
belles couleurs du plumage, excellenre netteté et détails, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • MMM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 921 W: 0 N: 1985] (8905)
  • [2008-09-23 7:25]

Salut Mario
Quel belle image.La pause de ton sujet est splendide.Comme toujours l'image est bien en focus avec d'excellent détail.
Merci Michel

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 523 W: 0 N: 920] (3543)
  • [2008-09-23 10:41]

Hello Mario,

What a nice and interesting POV you have chosen. Due to the excelent sharp image bird can be very well seen. Color rendering is also very well done. There is the background to that adds lot of value to the image.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2008-09-23 14:20]

A top-class shot of this Pine Grosbeak.
The amount of detail is stunning!
Excellent DOF.
Very good composition.

I am wowed once again :-)

Cheers,
Joe

Bonsoir Mario,
Ha qu'il est beau cet oiseau, jolies couleurs et netteté de toute beauté , La photo est magnifique et superbe, ..
Tous mes compliments.
Michel

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2008-09-24 0:35]

Salut Mario,je suis content de retrouver un morceau de ta collection d'hiver,sans doute une oeuvre artistique de grande classe...les oiseaux dans la neige capture' par toi sont vraiement extraoridanires!!Mes plus gros compliments,prepare-toi que la saison va commencer..ehhee...bonne journee',Luciano

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2395 W: 94 N: 5542] (17634)
  • [2008-09-24 6:11]

Hello Mario,
What a beauties you got in your archive. Very impressive pose of this Grosbeak. Colours and sharpness are incredible. Superb colours against the white BG. So beautiful... Excellent composition and POV. High quality!
Regards,
Peter

Hello Mario,

Great shot.
Splendid capture with excellent detail.
Lighting and composition are very good.

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2997 W: 162 N: 968] (2839)
  • [2008-09-24 9:38]

Hello Mario,
Beautiful view of the Grosbeak at the top of a pine tree. Lovely light and colours, impressive sharpness and very well framed.
TFS and regards, Ulla

  • Great 
  • mariki Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1060 W: 61 N: 2306] (9467)
  • [2008-09-24 11:33]

Bonsoir Mario,

Très bonne photo de ce durbec. Excellent focus. Superbe pose de l'oiseau et fantastique contraste avec le ciel et les nuages.
Bonne soirée,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • zeca Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 373 W: 14 N: 538] (2881)
  • [2008-09-26 8:46]

Hi Mario!
Really nice capture! The sharpness is amazing, showing excellent details against the blurred/white background!
Well taken!
Regards,
Zeca

  • Great 
  • jesst Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 375 W: 0 N: 172] (2411)
  • [2008-10-06 9:16]

Hi Mario!
Very beautiful picture. Amazing colors and nice composition. Image is sharp, with great detail

Bonjour Mario,

Ce Durbec des sapins sur la branche semble observer les environs. La prise de vue permet de distinguer les détails et les couleurs du plumage de l'oiseau. L'image est claire et nette. Les couleurs sont rehaussées par la qualité de la lumière. Bon weekend.

Pierre

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