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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: 2008-03-19 9:46
Viewed: 642
Points: 64
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
A male Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator 20-25cm)
sitting on Spruce branch 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)
earthtraveler, fartash, boreocypriensis, jaycee, nglen, gerbilratz, CeltickRanger, eqshannon, Jamesp, SkyF, rousettus, mariki, albert, SelenE, uleko, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Another stunner Mario! The plumage colorations and patterns are wonderful on these birds and you have done them justice with your excellent exposure and focus of this bird. Wonderful pose and composition also. Superb. Tfs Richard

très bons détails dans le plumage, bel oiseau, la profondeur de champ est parfaite
amicalement
jo

Hello Mario
Excellent shot of this Pine Grosbeak ,
Perfect details,composition and POV,Welldone my friend.

Regards
Fartash

Hi Mario,

What a lovely anfd fatty-handsome Pine Grosbeak. I like its colours and lovely pose as always:)- as always your capture is excelent my friend.
TFS and regards,

Bayram

  • Great 
  • sray Silver Star Critiquer [C: 24 W: 0 N: 0] (242)
  • [2008-03-19 10:22]

Salut Mario
Belle composition dans son habitat . Belle netteté . Et le cadre utilisé le met bien en valeur . Un autre Bravo !
Merci de partager
Serge

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1107 W: 6 N: 3063] (11326)
  • [2008-03-19 10:40]

Salut Mario,tes photos sont toujours tres tres belles,mais les oiseuax rouge dans la neige sont vraiment extraordinaires,une vrai oevre artistique,merci de partager et bonne soiree',Luciano

Hello mario,
Another good one in your series.
Well done
TFS
Annick

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1836 W: 94 N: 2340] (8406)
  • [2008-03-19 10:54]

Hi Mario,
Wonderful pose, pov, colours and composition.
TFS, José M.

  • Great 
  • Luca Silver Note Writer [C: 7 W: 0 N: 49] (316)
  • [2008-03-19 11:07]

Hi Mario,

great shot and composition! Very nice sharpness!

Luca

Perfect shot of this over-waight little bird :) Really great details and lovely composition!

great focus and love those colors

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1357 W: 72 N: 2886] (9535)
  • [2008-03-19 11:33]

Hello Mario,
In one word: splendid! The contrasting colours are perfect. Evenso the sharpness.
Regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • marcin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 125 W: 0 N: 163] (1437)
  • [2008-03-19 11:38]

Hello Mario
Excellent shot, perfect details and colors
best regards
marcin

amazing bird, TFS Ori

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1911 W: 8 N: 4976] (16095)
  • [2008-03-19 13:07]

Hi Mario,

It must have been cold for this bird to be so puffy. A beautiful Pine Grosbeak posing so nicely on the pretty pine branch. Superb details of the face, wings and plummage. Nice natural color and a lovely setting.

Jane

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2130 W: 9 N: 5960] (22528)
  • [2008-03-19 13:28]

Hi mario. its looks a large one alright. Mr chubby. But a fine looking bird. Great detail and colours. a nice pose and POV. well done TFS. good notes too.
Nick..

Truly a stunning capture, the bird is in superb condition and you have done it justice, a truly wonderful capture, the DOF is excellent and the foreground is as sharp as the bird. very fine work. regards h,

  • Great 
  • rdfoto Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 375 W: 0 N: 747] (3202)
  • [2008-03-19 14:03]

Bonjour Mario
Très belle prise, excellentes couleurs et netteté, très belle attitude du sujet, une belle réussite.
Amicalement Robi

salut Mario

quelle belle photo du Durbec des sapins, avec sa belle pose,
ton excellent POV et cadrage de l'image, excellent DOF,
belle luminosité de l'image, excellente netteté et détails, TFS

Asbed
p.s. hier j'en ai vu un pour la première fois au Boisé Papineau,
j'ai pris une photo mais de loin, la raison pour laquelle
pour le moment je ne publierais pas cette photo dans TN

Again this particularity combination of reds/greens and white work out so very well...I shall send you a drink! We'll tip to the French on this one Mario..Monday was all for the Irish...today the Francophones...I shall tip to anything a glass!
Bob

Hi Mario, great portrait of lovely bird with fantastic colors, fine details, wonderful focus and excellent sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1305 W: 0 N: 5107] (15234)
  • [2008-03-19 14:43]

Hi Mario

A great shot - good composition and POV with wonderful colour and super-sharp detail. Well observed and captured.

James

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2008-03-19 15:39]

Hello Mario,
amazing shot, those colors of this birds plumage is amazing. Excellent pose you captured, looks like he really is showing off the best side.
POV, sharpness and composition are great.
TFS..Sky

Bonsoir Mario,

Très belle composition. Netteté parfaite et excellentes couleurs.
Bonne soirée,
Mariki

Hello Mario,
amazing capture of this very beautiful passerine bird. bravo! Excellent sharp details and eye contact. splendid colors. Great POV and composition. good notes. many thanks for sharing this beauty. best wishes
Ahmet

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1888 W: 245 N: 6180] (22002)
  • [2008-03-20 4:03]

Magnificent photo Mario!!!!!
The flash-work is superb!
Sharp with immense detail in the plumage and superb clarity.
Very well composed.
Nice vibrent colours.
I love the patches of snow on the branch.
Very, very well done,
Joe

Allo Mario,
C'est une autre excellente capture de ce bel oiseau. Les couleurs ressortent parfaitement dans une superbe composition, exposition et détails. Tu semble avoir pris de centaines de milliers de photos à cet endroit :)
Claudine

Dear Mario,

Beautiful depiction of male pine grosbeak. The scaly passage of the plumage can be seen with your successful focusing.

TFS,

Ümit

Bonjour Mario
Encore un superbe oiseau et une très belle photo a ajouter a la série!

Bien cordialement
Albert

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2426 W: 63 N: 4002] (12926)
  • [2008-03-21 4:06]

Hi Mario,
Details on the plumage, clarity, focus&sharpness, lighting and details are great. Bravo and TFS
Have a nice weekend,
Selen

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2585 W: 170 N: 7879] (24911)
  • [2008-03-21 5:57]

Hello Mario,
This is a fabulous shot of this beautiful bird. It looks really cold, all puffed up into a ball. All is nicely in focus, details are very sharp and those pink colours are lovely! Fine perch and a nice natural background too.
Many thanks and best wishes, Ulla

Bonjour Mario,

Ce Durbec des sapins sur la branche semble gonfler ses pulmes pour se protéger du froid. La prise de vue permet de voir avec précision les détails et les couleurs de l'oiseau. La lumière rehausse la richesse des couleurs. Bonne journée.

Pierre

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