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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: 2008-11-11 14:08
Viewed: 947
Points: 52
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
One of the last in that series, a Pine Grosbeak male shot in the Boreal forrest of Montmorency.

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)
Royaldevon, CeltickRanger, mirceax, NinaM, scharan1, rousettus, eqshannon, Jamesp, carper, matatur, albert, fiyo, Alutka, wuta, jaycee, sranjan, MMM, Maite, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Mario!
Excellent pose of the bird and great details. Good contrast between red and white snow. composition is really nice. Interesting 3D effect.
TFS
Adrian

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2008-11-11 15:03]

Salut Mario,orjamais j'ai plus de mots,cette une autre merveille,ton nom est une garancie de tres haute qualite',il faut avoir un systeme de votation automatique pour tes photos sans peur de rate'..eheeheheh..mes compliments encore,bonne journee',Luciano

  • Great 
  • Dave Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 525 W: 47 N: 674] (2173)
  • [2008-11-11 15:10]

Hi Mario,
The soft delicate hues blend together nicely in this beautiful composition. Bravo!
Dave

Hello Mario,

This is a beautiful bird with fine coloured plummage. I like the proud pose where he is sticking out his chest.
The focus is pin-sharp and the details very good.
The image stands out well against the grey, snow-laden clouds.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

salut Mario

je te l'ai déjà dit et je vais te le dire encore souvent,
c'est une de tes plus belles photos, et c'est pourquoi
après ma critique elle ira directement dans un de mes thèmes,

superb photo du durbec des sapins avec un excellent POV
et cadrage vertical approprié, belle pose de l'oiseau, belle luminosité,
excellente netteté et détails, joli catch-light à l'oeil, TFS

Asbed

Bonsoir Mario,
Superbe! Une photo digne d'une publication ornitologique.Les couleurs et la reflétions sont fantastiques. En plus des excellents détails!
Bravo et merci.

Mircea

  • Great 
  • NinaM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 801 W: 3 N: 2100] (6596)
  • [2008-11-11 16:04]

Ils sont vraiment beaux ces oiseaux, Mario, et cette session de photo que tu as prise à Montmorency, vraiment, elles sont réussies. La lumière est superbe, comme d'habitude. Merci!

Francine

Olá Mario

Que linda foto deste pássaro...a plumagem vermelha combina com os ramos também avermelhados. Muito bonita a composição.
Parabéns!
GA
Vera

Hello Mario
another wonderful shot for your birds. very beautiful passerine bird of Pine Grosbeak. Coloration and composition superb. sharp focus, eyes contact, POV/OOF wonderful. but also framing great. thanks for sharing this beauty. well done
Ahmet
be back for pts

Old, new, red and blue-green...it almost rhymes..I shall never grow tired...just well worn for words..
Bob

hello mario,
beautiful capture, your quality and consistency is amazing, how do you manage this good work all the time with regular postings? i loved the colors, the pose, the monotonus bg and the composition very much,
well done,
tfs & regards
pankaj

Hello Mario

A beautiful image of a beautiful bird.
The plumage detail and colouring is perfect.
Excellent eye detail and glint.
Terrific POV and DOF.
The wintry setting and pine tree is wonderful.
Great job.
TFS

Wolf

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1899 W: 36 N: 5579] (18518)
  • [2008-11-11 21:01]

Hi Mario,
Wonderful shot of this beautiful Pine Grosbeak with immaculate sharpness, lovely colours and clear details. I like its calm posture and the soothing light. Excellent DOF, POV and composition.
TFS.
Sumon

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16524)
  • [2008-11-11 22:39]

Hi Mario

ANother beautiful Grosbeak - the colours and detail are beautiful.

James

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2009 W: 122 N: 2581] (8424)
  • [2008-11-11 23:30]

it's beautiful Mario,
a fantastic bird shot of your hand , good pov, fine sharpnes a pleasure to look at, have a nice day.
regard jaap

hi mario,
very fine capture, beautiful bird with great colors and details. a bit more space would have been more elegant for this one. tfs.
nagraj.v

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1151 W: 32 N: 1192] (3654)
  • [2008-11-12 0:54]

Hi Mario,
Beautiful capture,like a postcard.Colors,details and BG are perfect.Excellent work!
Thanks for posting.

A fine close up indeed Mario, showing the Grosbeak from a good, low frontolateral POV. The colours and plumage details are highly evident in this sharp and well exposed image. TFS and cheers,
Mehmet

Bonjour Mario
Superbe capture détails et coleurs sans reproche
Bien cordialement
Albert

  • Great 
  • fiyo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 987 W: 5 N: 2762] (10618)
  • [2008-11-12 3:14]

Hello Mario,
Very nice capture.I liked vivid colors,POV,framing and composition a lot.TFS

witaj,
cudownie barwny ptak...chyba się troszeczkę nastroszył, bo wygląda jak "wełniany kłębuszek".
Doskonała jest kompozycja zdjęcia, ostrość oraz POV. Idealny DOF i światło.
Widać rękę mistrza!
Gratuluję i życzę dalszych udanych łowów.
Alina

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2398 W: 94 N: 5543] (17640)
  • [2008-11-12 8:30]

Hello Mario,
I think February was a golden month for you. The number of photos from that month are impressive. Not only the number, but also the quality. Everything in this photo is of a great quality. How beautiful!
Regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • wuta Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 856 W: 2 N: 617] (2142)
  • [2008-11-12 10:39]

Hello Mario , Super sharp details and wonderful colours and compositie , very beautiful ,tfs Greetings Teunie .

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2008-11-12 11:57]

Hi Mario,

You worked magic getting this Grosbeak to pose so perfectly for you. His face is beautiful with the wonderful eye and beak. The reds, greys, blacks and whites are excellent. Beautiful setting with the pines and a lovely composition.

Jane

Dear Mario,
Amazing shot of Pine Grosbeak male with excellent plumage colors, confident look, sharpness & conspicuous beak.I like that it drinks water or eats snow daily. Cheers. TFS.
Regards-Subhash

  • Great 
  • MMM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 921 W: 0 N: 1985] (8905)
  • [2008-11-13 7:19]

Salut Mario
Excellente image.Bon POV et image bien en focus.La pause le détail et les couleurs sont sublime.J'aime bien le cadre également.
Merci Michel

  • Great 
  • Maite Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1007 W: 64 N: 1266] (5195)
  • [2008-11-13 13:30]

Really lovely! Magnificent POV, DOF, sharpness, colors and composition. I love it!
Thank you very much for this proud and beautiful Pine Grosbeak.
Greetings
Maite

Bonjour Mario,

Ce durbec des sapin sur lanche semble gonfler ses plumes pour se protéger du froid. La prise de vue permet de voir les détails et les couleurs des plumes de l'oiseau. Le sujet est bien cadré. La bonne luminosité fait ressortir les couleurs. Bonne journée.

Pierre

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