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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: 1427 W: 128 N: 5252] (23221)
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
Date Submitted: 2008-03-15 14:14
Viewed: 501
Points: 50
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
Here's a female Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator 20-25cm) photographed while eating snow on a Spruce branch of 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)
CeltickRanger, eqshannon, vanderschelden, Jamesp, nkasot, Evelynn, NinaM, angela926, coasties, Proframe, gerbilratz, boreocypriensis, albert, mariki, SkyF, jaycee, Islander_, Pentaxfriend, Alex99, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Alex99: FlashEOSF1 1 03-20 19:07
To joey: Eating SnowEOSF1 1 03-16 09:48
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Mario,

wonderful photo again!
See you,

Luca

salut Mario

une autre belle photo du Durbec des sapins, avec un excellent POV
j'aimes que dans le cadrage tu ai laissé une espace devant l'oiseau,
excellemt DOF, belles couleurs, excellente netteté et détails, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • rdfoto Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 375 W: 0 N: 747] (3202)
  • [2008-03-15 14:50]

Bonjour Mario
Très belle capture, excellents détails (comme d'habitude) et couleurs, très belle attitude du sujet, bravo
Amicalement Robi

I get some of these mixed up Mario...not your images but I am uncertain of the birds...are these in or close to the finch family? And why are most finch red? Ah well...another good shot..Just thought I would spend my two cents wisely buy asking a couple of questions from the guy who knows only women better than birds:-=)
Bob

Hello Mario,
Well done.
Very good image.
Excellent colors, details,...
TFS
Annick

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1305 W: 0 N: 5107] (15234)
  • [2008-03-15 16:14]

Hi Mario

Excellent shot - great POV with outstanding detail and colour. Well observed and captured.

James

Hi Mario,

This is a perfect shot of this lovely female Pine Grosbeak. Great composition. TFS.
Regards,
Nazım

Super sharpness and color...I really like snow as a backdrop for wildlife photos. The colors really pop.

TFS
Evelynn : )

  • Great 
  • NinaM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 655 W: 0 N: 1623] (5300)
  • [2008-03-15 18:58]

Décidément dans cette forêt, tu as eu une journée de photo fantastique. J'adore ces oiseaux et cette neige qui tombe du bec de la durbec, wow, c'est vivant et les couleurs sont naturelles et saturées, comme du satin. Merci encore Mario!

Francine

Hello Mario,
Superb shot, fantastic sharpness and details, excellent composition and pov, wonderful depth of field and beautiful vivid colors.
Angela

  • Great 
  • darwin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 260 W: 0 N: 478] (1814)
  • [2008-03-15 22:17]

Hi Mario
Very nice shot
Detail and color is superb
Excellent composition
tfs jon

Hi Mario

Simply stunning! Awesome camera work. Great to view. :-)

Beautiful shot of this lovely bird Mario.
Love the way you've captured the grosbeak in the wintery scene.
Perfect exposure and great clarity and due to that the feather details are most wonderful.
Excellent work. TFS!!!

Best regards, Harry

Hello Mario...lovely subtle colours and a fine DoF gives this bird a very good composition to be in...sharp and well focused...very good..regards h

Hello Mario,
Another lovely-splendid shot of a bird friend. Al photographic criteria are excellent as usual. TFS.
Regards,

Bayram

  • Great 
  • Zeno Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 475 W: 0 N: 926] (7979)
  • [2008-03-16 3:44]

Hi Mario,

Its unbelieveble how great your grosbeak photo's are. This shot shows nice details and also the snowy background is superb. TFS.

regards,
Zeno.

Bonjour Mario
Une nouvelle superbe photo, tu dois passer des heures dans la foret et le froid !,
Bien cordialement
Albert

Bonjour Mario,

Très belle présentation de ce durbec. Bonne netteté. Superbes couleurs.
Bon dimanche,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2008-03-16 6:03]

Salut Mario,
great shot the details and colors are fabulous.
Very nice POV, and the lighting brings out the rich colors of the plumage very well.
Lovely work on the composition.
Sky

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1911 W: 8 N: 4976] (16095)
  • [2008-03-16 9:21]

Hi Mario,

A beautiful Grosbeak on the pretty branches. I love the snow on his beak. Wonderful colors, superb details, fantastic composition. As excellent as always.

Jane

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1888 W: 245 N: 6180] (22002)
  • [2008-03-16 9:30]
  • [+]

Fabulous image of this Pine Grosbeak which is eating snow(?!)
Very good use of flash to fill the shadows and increase the shutter-speed.
Great composition as well.
Nice natural colours and perfect exposure.
Excellent clarity.
Well done Mario,
Joe

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1812 W: 29 N: 5246] (17188)
  • [2008-03-16 11:29]

Hi Mario,
Outstanding shot of this beautiful Grosbeak with awesome colours and details on its plumage. Superb lighting and exposure and you have captured a fine pose with a precise DOF and excellent POV. Very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

* A big THANKS for your wishes on my 200th post.

Bonsoir Mario,

Très belle photo, détails magnifiques! Merci,

Eugène

Hi Mario,

What a BEAUTIFUL bird
Excellent pose, POV and colors
perfect sharpness and details

TFS Thijs

Hi Mario.
Superb picture of the amazing bird and so attractive scene. Great flash work (is it flash extender and simply external flash.) I like excellent DOF, details of every feather and other parts of the bird and twigs. As usual BG is superbly exposed and wonderful for look. Bravo and kind regards.
Alexei.

Bonjour Mario,

Une belle image rapprochée de ce Durbec des sapins sur la branche. Les détails et les couleurs de l'oiseau sont clairs et précis. Le sujet est bien cadré. La réflexion de la lumière sur la neige rehausse les couleurs. Bonne journée.

Pierre

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