Laughing Kookaburra

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Laughing Kookaburra
Photo Information
Copyright: John Plumb (JPlumb) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 654 W: 159 N: 889] (2827)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-04
Categories: Birds
Camera: Nikon F80, AF-S VR Nikkor 70-200mm 1:2.8G ED
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2006-11-25 18:14
Viewed: 2788
Favorites: 2 [view]
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I was taking a break from a morning shoot in Tomaree Park at Shoal Bay when this guy flew right down in front of me on the fence rail seen in this picture. I was able to take one picture and he flew away. This was my visual introduction to Laughing Kookaburras.

Laughing Kookaburras live in woodland territory. They are native to Eastern Australia, but have been introduced to other parts of the country and New Zealand. They are a member of the Kingfisher family; in fact they are the largest member, growing up to 45 cm. in length.

They hunt by perching on a convenient branch while they wait for prey to pass by underneath. They hunt small animals such as mice, large insects, lizards and snakes.

They are named for their laugh. It is very loud, and can be startling. For those who have not seen a Kookaburra, they may already be familiar with the laugh as it was often used as background noise in early jungle movies. That’s where I first heard it, without realizing what it was I had heard.

Here’s a Sound Bite of a pair of them. Warning: turn your speakers down.

from: http://birdsinbackyards.net/images/audio/dacelo-novaeguineae.mp3
coasties, snowfalken, KiltedArab, pankajbajpai, marhowie, Ken52, SkyF, mlines, claudine, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To marmottelolo: Un Joli OiseauJPlumb 1 01-21 19:19
To Shoot_Score: Drop the B/GJPlumb 1 01-16 23:27
To paulbright: First TimeJPlumb 1 12-19 16:50
To chiliu: Hi Chi,JPlumb 1 12-19 04:31
To claudine: You will not see this bird in QuebecJPlumb 1 12-19 03:01
To mlines: BackgroundJPlumb 1 12-11 00:29
To SkyF: CatchJPlumb 1 12-11 00:19
To marhowie: Dead SpaceJPlumb 1 11-28 23:03
To viv: Cute BirdJPlumb 1 11-28 22:43
To Ken52: ThanksJPlumb 1 11-28 22:37
To pankajbajpai: ThanksJPlumb 1 11-28 22:35
To KiltedArab: BackgroundJPlumb 1 11-28 22:33
To snowfalken: Audio SupportJPlumb 1 11-28 22:30
To coasties: The KookaburraJPlumb 1 11-28 22:24
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi John

A delightful shot. Lovely pose, good low POV and an excellent background. :-)

Hi John,

This is real pleasure for my eyes! It isn't the sharpest picture I've seen but it has a great artistical value. The colors are so beautiful and the composition is superb! I don't know if you thought about this but it is more than a lesson of how to use the rule of thirds in photography! It looks to me like trying to find the golden section. And it is all complemented with such a beautiful background. You're lucky to have such a diverse wildlife in your country! I would sacrifice a few rolls of film for such a picture. Nice framing too! And the informative note completes your post. It is the first note I've seen with audio support! Excellent job! Congratulations!

Best regards,
Eddie

Maybe not the sharpest image but he still stands out very well against the background and it's an interesting shot of a bird I haven't seen too many images of - so thanks!

And a great note as well.

hi john
nice portrait, good pov, nice dof, well composed shot,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • Ken52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 661 W: 98 N: 1202] (4017)
  • [2006-11-26 23:00]
  • [+]

Hey John, nice shot of this unusual bird. Nice detail on the plumage and a good POV.

  • Great 
  • viv Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 309 W: 3 N: 613] (3056)
  • [2006-11-27 5:37]
  • [+]

Hello John.
What a cute bird, it is crisp and clear. Nice POV and BG.
Thanks a lot
Vivian

Hello John & welcome to TN.
Very well composed shot of your Kookaburra, excellent POV. I listened to the soundbite link, a great idea. Color, DOF, light, detail, all look good to me. Nice BG bokeh that compliments well also. The only thing I would perhaps do differently is loose the dead space bottom frame..
Well done!

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2447 W: 207 N: 2035] (8113)
  • [2006-12-01 7:25]
  • [+]

Hi John,
great catch of this interesting bird.
Very nice sharpness, POV and colors.
Very well done.
Sky

Hi John. Very fine capture of this kookkie. The framing is good and the background treatment is just right. Well presented. Murray.

Hello John,
This is a bird that I will not see in Quebec for sure. What a little beauty that you caught at the right moment. This is so fun when things happened like this out of nowhere :-) You caught a great pose from the bird, details and I like this composition. You seem to have been very close to the subject. This is a very nice post. Thanks,
Claudine

Hi John,
Great portrait!
Good detail, nice and natural colours.
Well done and thanks for sharing!

Hi John,
this is the first time I am seeing a Laughing Kookaburra. Classic bird shot pose, the bg is excellent, would have liked a bit sharper image but that's not always possible.
Thanks for sharing!

Ah yes, the kooky Kingfisher!

Seen some last year in King's Park on Perth, as well as in the Canning Valley in Ferndale. Both times of course I had left my cameras at home, as a hike was what we wanted. Shooting birds can really mess up hiking plans!

Nice capture and presentation, though I would have preferred a wee sharper, and might drop the b/g below the wood... What say you? Jay

bonjour john
felicitation pour cette capture,un joli oiseau que vous avez reussi a mettre en valeur.
laurent

Excellent photo, esp since you only had one shot at it.

Hello John,
Great details are captured in this little fellow!
I like the point of view, and they always have this funny attitude...
Well composed presentation, close-up work is well done!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Hi John,
I just had to comment on this image. Our Kookaburras are so beautiful aren't they. For a while I had one that would often land on my clothes line but I haven't seen it since I got my camera. Anyway your image is just grand. It posed nicely for you. Lovely colours, and the quality of the image is great for one that was taken so quickly.
Cheers,
Debbie

Hi John,

A nice image of the Laughing Kookaburra, the photo has a good composition, sharpness and beautiful colors. Thanks for sharing.

Pierre

  • Great 
  • ilvao Silver Note Writer [C: 4 W: 0 N: 20] (96)
  • [2008-05-21 4:42]

Hello JP?

GREAT ONE OF THIS BIRD I WILL REMNBER EVER THE FIRST I HEARD IT
Nice job to capture it so closed
Perfect framed
All the best
Olivier

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