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The Dancer


The Dancer
Photo Information
Copyright: Mario Belanger (EOSF1) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1427 W: 128 N: 5241] (23187)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-08-31
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/5.6, 1/800 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-09-14 3:48
Viewed: 328
Points: 44
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [French]
An adult Common Moorhen (Gallinula Chloropus 33 cm) is showing his dancing skill on a pond of Ile-Bizard.

From: www.birds.cornell.edu
The most widely distributed member of the rail family, the Common Moorhen inhabits marshes and ponds from Canada to Chile, from northern Europe to southern Africa, and across Asia to the Pacific. Vocal and boldly marked, the species can be quite conspicuous, sometimes using its long toes to walk atop floating vegetation.
Cool Facts:
The Common Moorhen has long toes that makes it possible to walk on soft mud and floating vegetation. The toes have no lobes or webbing to help in swimming, but the moorhen is a good swimmer anyway.
The Common Moorhen sometimes lifts its feet out of the water in front of the body while swimming, perhaps to pass over vegetation.
Newly hatched chicks of the Common Moorhen have spurs on their wings that help them climb into the nest or grab emergent vegetation.
Twelve subspecies of Common Gallinule are recognized from around the world, most differing only in size or brightness of plumage. One subspecies is found only in the Hawaiian Islands and has been known as the Hawaiian Gallinule.
Description
Size: 32-35 cm (13-14 in)
Wingspan: 54-62 cm (21-24 in)
Weight: 310-456 g (10.94-16.1 ounces)
Dark, with white flank stripe.
Red bill and forehead.
Swims on surface of water like a duck.
Bill triangular like a chicken's, not flat like a duck's.
White stripe on sides of undertail.
Breeding (Alternate) Plumage: Mostly blackish body, brown wings, and white flank stripe. Undertail white with a black line in middle. Forehead shield and bill bright red; bill with yellow tip. Legs olive-yellow. Ring of scarlet just below thigh feathers.
Nonbreeding (Basic) Plumage: Chin, throat, and underparts paler than on breeding adult. Bill and forehead shield dusky red.
Sexes similar, male slightly larger.
Juvenile brownish-gray with drab maroon bill and no frontal shield.
Sound
A highly varied repertoire of calls, including clucks, whinnies, cackles, squawks, and yelps.
Range
Breeds in appropriate habitat scattered throughout the United States, from southern Minnesota through the Great Lakes region to the Atlantic Coast, southward through the Mississippi River basin to the Gulf Coast, and locally in the western states, including the California coast and Central Valley, the Salton Sea, and the Colorado River. Also in much of Mexico, South America, Europe, and Asia, as well as islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Winter Range
Resident in West, along Gulf Coast, and southern Atlantic Coast. Moorhens breeding in the north Atlantic and Midwestern states winter from North Carolina to Texas, and possibly southward to Central and South America.
Conservation Status
Listed as threatened or as a species of special concern in several Midwestern and Northeastern states because of loss of wetland habitat, predation by introduced mammals, and other factors.
Other Names
Gallinule poule-d'eau, Poule d'eau (French)
Pollo de agua, Gallareta frentirroja, Pollona negra (Spanish)
Common Gallinule, Florida Gallinule (English)
JoseMiguel, Heaven, eqshannon, uleko, CeltickRanger, jconceicao, jaycee, nglen, siggi, manyee, techranger, crs, gannu, vanderschelden, RII, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Bonjour Mario,

Très bon timing pour avoir l'oiseau dans cette position de danseuse. Excellent focus et netteté. J'aime beaucoup le reflet du ciel bleu dans l'eau qui permet d'avoir un excellent contraste. Très belles couleurs.
Bon dimanche,
Mariki

hello mario,
excellent capture, the pose you got here is nice and the title suits it, the reflections of the sky on the water looks great, well composed shot,
tfs & regards
pankaj

Hi Mario,
Great timing to catch this stretching moment.
So good the pose got, with the wing extended to better appreciate its feathers, as well as its leg.
A sharp image plenty of fine details.
Congratulations and thanks for share.
My best regards,
JM

Hi Mario!

It's nice to be your neighbour today! I'm impressed by the beauty of the picture in general and of the bird in particular. The colours are superb and the sharpness highlightsa lot of details. The lighting is perfect, too, and one can learn a lot reading your notes.

Kind regards

Markus

Each and every time I see this pose I am reminded of Karate Kid...ah well...it is not an uncommon sight but always demands a second glance. when seen in person it is less likely to capture the eye as it does when clicked on film...or digital:-)
Bob

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2582 W: 170 N: 7867] (24879)
  • [2008-09-14 7:21]

Hello Mario,
Superb capture of this Moorhen having a nice stretch and showing its beautiful plumage. Great sharpness, beautiful light and lovely colours. A very fine composition too!
Many thanks, Ulla

salut Mario

très belle image du Poule d'eau, belle luminosité, belles couleurs
et excellente densité des couleurs, j'aime ce genre de photographie
où il y a mouvement même si cela est minime,
attendre et cliquer au bon moment, TFS

Asbed

Hello Mario,

One more fantastic photo.
Composition and light are splendid.
Colours and sharpness are very good.

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1909 W: 8 N: 4974] (16081)
  • [2008-09-14 10:05]

Hi Mario,

Once again excellent timing to catch this Moorhen doing his warm-up exercises. Or it could be practicing an exercise on a balance beam! He's even pointing his toe. This pose shows off the wonderful tail feathers and plummage. Excellent colors, details, and setting with the water and leaves. Not a common sight.

Jane

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2130 W: 9 N: 5959] (22526)
  • [2008-09-14 11:33]

Hi Mario. I do this every morning to keep fit. I think not!! Once again a very clear well detail close up of the Moorhen. You have natural looking colours.with clear blue water. TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 475 W: 11 N: 1334] (4670)
  • [2008-09-14 12:13]

Hello Mario,
perfect capture of moorhen with superb colors, great sharpness and details. Fantastic BG and natural colors. Greetings, great work really.
Best regards Siggi

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2765 W: 150 N: 7969] (24819)
  • [2008-09-14 12:35]

Hello Mario,
Nice one in your Moorhen series. This one with the wing stretch is great, looking indeed like a ballet dancer!
TFS this beauty,
Ivan

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1883 W: 245 N: 6168] (21966)
  • [2008-09-14 15:09]

Razor-sharp shot, Mario!!
The pose is brilliant :-))
Great lighting.
Superb DOF and BG.
Excellent composition.

Well done,
Joe

A one leg stand... ;)

Well captured and nicely presented photo of this bird. Love to see shots like this.

Larry

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 404 W: 0 N: 630] (2535)
  • [2008-09-14 21:55]

Hello Mario,

Nice shot with good conection to the titel. You have cought the bird in an interesting atitude. Image has a very good light and fine color rendering. Bird is clearly shown with nice details of plumage.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

Hi dear Mario ,
Very nice shot at interesting moment.
Great details and amazing colours.
Very well captured
Thanks for sharing
Kind regards
Saeed

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 996 W: 4 N: 2570] (11874)
  • [2008-09-15 6:25]

Hello Mario, Amazing shot with such a superb angle. Wonderful sorroundings and also the pose. The POV so superb. Ganesh

  • Great 
  • efsus Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 22 N: 358] (1844)
  • [2008-09-15 9:08]

Merhaba Mario,
Bir sumo güreşçisinin güreş öncesi hazırlık hareketlerini andıran güzel bir an karesi olmuş. Renkler ve detaylar çok güzel olmuş. Eline sağlık.

Hüseyin.

Hello Mario,
Very good sharpness and moment.
You covered everything necessary.
Well done overall.
TFS
Annick

Belo e interessante momento muito bem registrado nesta bonita foto.
Parabéns Mario!
Grande abraço,
Vera

  • Great 
  • RII Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 486 W: 0 N: 887] (2804)
  • [2008-09-18 23:23]

Hi Mario.

Magnific composition and details, excellent colors, contrast, sharpness and point of view , the pose bird is vert nice, complet note.

Thanks...Ricardo.

Bonsoir Mario,

Les réflexions dans l'eau sont des atouts à la composition. La prise de vue permet de distinguer les détails et les couleurs de la gallinule poule d'eau. L'image st claire et nette. La lumière rehauuse les couleurs. Bonne soirée.

Pierre

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