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What Was That...


What Was That...
Photo Information
Copyright: Pam Russell (coasties) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3815 W: 505 N: 8090] (27700)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-01-20
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM, Digital RAW 200, Hoya UV 77mm
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-01-24 4:43
Viewed: 1468
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 66
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
It is not often that a Kingfisher will allow you to get so close, but this beautiful wee guy is in a free flight aviary and must be used to people. An opportunity I was not about to miss, so I apologise now for the sign he is standing on. Thanks for looking.

Kingfishers

Kingfishers are birds of the three tismand Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers). There are about 90 species of kingfisher. All have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. They are found throughout the world.

The taxonomy of the three families is complex and rather controversial. Although commonly assigned to the order Coraciiformes, from this level down confusion sets in.

The kingfishers were traditionally treated as one family, Alcedinidae with three subfamilies, but following the 1990s revolution in bird taxonomy, the three former subfamilies are now usually elevated to familial level; a move supported by chromosome and DNA-DNA hybridisation studies, but challenged on the grounds that all three groups are monophyletic with respect to the other Coraciiformes; which leads to them being grouped as the suborder Alcedines.

The tree kingfishers have been previously given the familial name Dacelonidae but Halcyonidae has priority. This group derives from a very ancient divergence from the ancestral stock.

Kingfishers live in both woodland and wetland habitats. The Laughing Kookaburra, at 45 cm the world's largest kingfisher, is a woodland bird, while the European Kingfisher Alcedo atthis is always found near fresh water.

Kingfishers that live near water hunt small fish by diving. They also eat crayfish, frogs, and insects. Wood kingfishers eat reptiles. Kingfishers of all three families beat their prey to death, either by whipping it against a tree or by dropping it on a stone.

They are able to see well both in air and under water. To do this, their eyes have evolved an egg-shaped lense able to focus in the two different environments.

The above obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher

IMAGE INFORMATION

Camera: Canon 20D
Time of day: 15:52 p.m.
Date: 20th January 2007
Weather conditions: Clear
Lens: Canon 100-400mm L IS
Filter: Hoya 77mm UV
Shutter Speed: 1/80
F-Stop: F/7.1
Focal Length: 400mm
ISO: 200
Support: Hand Held
Original File: Digital RAW
dew77, SelenE, Adanac, Tamrock, gallezeric, Alex99, marhowie, TAZ, lgfoto, vanderschelden, Luis52, brouble, wuta, jeanpaul, metcher, cecilia, pilonm, SkyF, curiouskiwi has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Great shot of this elusive bird! Perfect sharpness and DOF to keep the emphasis on the kingfisher. Nice pose he gave you too!

Hello Pam,
It is a beauty to look at and he is indeed very close. Who will mind about the sing he is standing on? This is a very detailed and colorful capture with excellent exposure, colors and composition. Well done!
Claudine

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2007-01-24 6:05]

Hello Pam,
Magnificent kingfisher capture.Details on feathers,clear eyes,POV,proud expression on face and composition are wonderful.Excellent work!
TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2405 W: 63 N: 4227] (13822)
  • [2007-01-24 6:19]

Hello Pam,
You were really lucky to get such a close-up shot. very good focus and sharpness.
The sign he stands on has matching colors :o)
TFS
Selen

Pam

No apologies necessary... It is a beautiful picture, with great DOF and sharpness and such a great pose.

TFS
Emma

hi pam,
nice shot,
well composed shot,
excellent sharpness,
lovely colours,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1169 W: 1 N: 5208] (17609)
  • [2007-01-24 8:11]

Hi Pam,
No apologises required, you take the opportunities presented to us, besides maybe he is reading up on other species. This capture has fantastic details and colors, thanks for sharing.
Rick

Hello Pam,
Extraordinary photo!
I like a lot the POV, and the clear and razorsharp details you got on the kingfisher.
It's so enjoying to look at the feathers and their wonderful colors.
Very good DOF used and background got.
I like a lot also the excellent composition.
Congratulations, thanks for share and best regards,
JM

hi pam!
really a great capture!
sharp with fine pov and dof
congrat to this beauty!

hi Pam

splendid this martins-fisherman very beautiful colors and good clearness beautiful cheer attitude

eric

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3584 W: 143 N: 5669] (18531)
  • [2007-01-24 11:11]

Hi Pam.
Next your amazing close-up. This cute bird had posed for your skillfully. And you managed to reflect its all beauty perfectly. Great composition, sharpness and details. Excellent selection POV and DOF. Colours are simply amazing too. BRAVO. Superb work.
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2007-01-24 11:40]

Hello Pam,
Ok, we forget the support of this bird ;-) Great to see so close, with the good sharpness we can appreciate many details of this lovely species. I never see in real but I like it because of his shape and colors.
Congratulations my friend.

  • Great 
  • lgfoto Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 194 W: 13 N: 279] (1536)
  • [2007-01-24 11:53]

Beautifull shot Pam. Great DOF, colours and harmony with background.Congratulation.TFS

  • Great 
  • marcin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 136 W: 0 N: 242] (1826)
  • [2007-01-24 12:43]

hello
very good focus and sharpness, great shot
well done
marcin

Hi Pam,
Good birdie pic!
Colors, sharpness, composition...
Maybe he was just helpful; posing with the note already in the image. Smart bird:-)
TFS
Annick

  • Great 
  • Luis52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1110 W: 5 N: 3457] (12761)
  • [2007-01-24 18:00]

Hola Pam.- Otra bella postal como siempre son las tuyas. Que hermosos colores del plumaje que exibe este pajaro. Parece estar posando excusivamente para tu camara. Luis52.

Great POV, it looks so proud and the detail is great.
TFS
Brian

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-01-24 21:36]

Hello Pam

A wonderful pose,I really like the way he has his head tilted.Beautiful colours.Excellent POV and DOF the details are very sharp.Excellent detail in the plumage.TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • badar Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 108 W: 0 N: 159] (785)
  • [2007-01-25 0:00]

Hi Pam,
Razor sharp, well composed.Saturation & contrast are perfect.
TFS
Badruddin Ali

Wow Pam this is so cool I envy you for getting this I cant get anywhere close enough to get a shot like this with the Kingfishers I have some but won't bother uploading :-) sharp and excellent pose very well done and congrats from the bottom of my heart rgds Necip

  • Great 
  • wuta Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 856 W: 2 N: 617] (2142)
  • [2007-01-25 13:42]

Hello Pam ,Fantastic shot , great colours pose details sharpnes beauty bg and framing , Greetings Teunie .

Hi Pam
Un très beau spécimen, la pose de l'oiseau sur cette affiche qui le décrit peut-être??? et le bg claire, en font une belle composition.

Félicitations et au revoir...JP

Hi, Pam.
Very nice kingfisher. Well composed capture with excellent exposure, sharpness and details. Beautiful BG.

A lovely sharp and detailed capture and a great pose too...
Well done Pam...
Cecilia

Crystal clear image with very nice colors. Very nicely done Pam. :)

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3064 W: 231 N: 6159] (21044)
  • [2007-01-28 23:27]

It seems like I have missed quite a few of yours too. : 0
I was very busy last month, and was not always able to get on TN every night.
The colors on this kingfisher are just stunning.
Excellent details and light.
And what a proud bearing,
TFS. : )

Hi Pam, wonderful bird with great pose, lovely details, splendid colors, very well done, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1515 W: 18 N: 3165] (11638)
  • [2007-01-29 17:30]

Amazing sharpness Pam and just stunning colours. This is just so beautiful

TFS

Karan

Hola Pam,
Buen retrato de este martín pescador, es que estas aves son preciosas las mires por donde las mires.
Un saludo.
Jorge

bonjour pam
voila un oiseau que j'ai renoncer a photographier,trop rapide et surtout peu present dans ma region.
une superbe reussite.
laurent

  • Great 
  • pilonm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 548 W: 90 N: 871] (2919)
  • [2007-01-31 12:35]

Hello Pam,

As you said, the birds from this family are very difficult to approach! Your picture is wondeful and I even like the sign because it shares the same bird's colors! Details are awesome and exposition is at his best! Great bg enhancing the bird...

Great post and TFS,

Michel

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2233 W: 188 N: 1929] (8127)
  • [2007-01-31 17:16]

Hi Pam,
this one is excellent. I love the pose and the fabulous details. Great sharpness and excellent colors. Very nice diagonal composition.
Sky

A beautiful photo of a gorgeous bird.
Nice presentation too.

Gary

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