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Weka


Weka
Photo Information
Copyright: Pam Russell (coasties) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3816 W: 505 N: 8098] (27718)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-08-22
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 10D, Tamron 28-300XR, Digital RAW 100, Hoya UV 62mm
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Travelogue: South Island Winter Holiday 2005
Date Submitted: 2005-08-23 2:13
Viewed: 1654
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Today we walked over the longest swing bridge in New Zealand. This was just out of Murchison and crosses the Bullar Gorge. Once acros there is a lovely walk through bush. Not long after we entered the walks area, a Weka came out of the underbush and started to look for food. We were very excited and I quickly took photos before it had the opportunity to run back in under cover. As we learnt, this was not to happen. The Weka was so friendly I had to change from my Canon 10-400mm lens to the Tamron 28-300mm as the Wela was so close. In fact I have a shot of the Weka pecking at the lens. He followed us all the way back to the swing bridge.

As we left I spoke to the guy at the counter who said the Weka's name is Bruiser, and he is very friendly and we were lucky we didn't take our lunch with us as Bruiser would just help himself. After the swing bridge we stopped at a rest area to view the scenery and here we were greeted by another Weka. He too was very friendly and was very keen on the bread we threw. Another thing I have learnt this trip. Weka are very friendly birds.

Weka

Wekas, or woodhens, are members of the rail family which are mainly aquatic birds, all capable of swimming well. Apart from the Pukeko and Weka, rails are secretive birds, usually found skulking in freshwater swamps and estuarine mangroves and reedbeds. Rails have slim bodies that help them move through dense vegetation, moderately long powerful legs with long unwebbed toes that help them walk through wetlands, and a short tail which is flicked up and down as they walk or swim. The rails are ground based birds that seem unwilling to fly and some, like the Weka and the Takahe, have the lost the ability to fly at all.
The Weka can be both inquisitive and pugnacious and in spite of being cooked and eaten by both Maori and the Pakeha settlers, the species seemed well able to resist the advent of man and his associated pests and remained abundant in many areas, only to vanish suddenly, between 1915 and 1940, from most of the North Island and parts of the South Island. It was abundant in the wider Gisborne region, its one remaining North Island habitat, until the early 1980s when it declined drastically from a population estimated to be approximately 88,000.

The above obtained from http://nzbirds.com/Weka.html

IMAGE INFORMATION

Lens: Tamron 28-300mm XR
Filter: Hoya 62mm UV
Shutter Speed: 1/60
F-Stop: F/4.5
Focal Length: 70mm
ISO: 100
External Flash: Canon 580EX
dew77, Luc, sway, Janice, sAner, marhowie, sandpiper2, slrnovice2, red45, Eko, janhendrik, liquidsunshine has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hey Pam,

Nice shot. This is really nice and sharp. You must have been really close to this old boy as the DOF appears to be very narrow. Nice shot. Your focal point is perfect.

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3067 W: 231 N: 6160] (21052)
  • [2005-08-23 3:54]

Whoa, Pam. That is a sharp one. Incredibly crisp details and wonderful colors. Great POV and composition. I like it very much. Well done and TFS. : )

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2005-08-23 3:59]

Hello Pam!
Wonderful capture.Clear details,sharpness,lighting,POV and composition are excellent.TFS...:-)

Hi Pam,
Brilliant shot!
Very sharp and very clear image, excellent framed.
TFS!

  • Great 
  • sway Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 303 W: 85 N: 308] (1224)
  • [2005-08-23 5:44]

HI Pam,
Fantastic shot. Sounds like the bird is very friendly.
Great details.
Nice clear focus.
:)

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
  • [2005-08-23 6:13]

HI Bruiser! Excellent capture Pam, he's a beauty. And so close too. It is very interesting to see him like this. Good colours and sharp details.
I saw one on Kawau Island this year, but he ran fast once he saw us. So i'm pleased to finally get close to Bruiser. Thanks!

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1490 W: 72 N: 1427] (4744)
  • [2005-08-23 6:43]

Excellent capture Pam! I have these birds in my portfolio aswell and I loved them. As I had never been to NZ before 2004 I saw them for the first time last October and I thought they were so funny and so prehistoric. Your picture is great. Really sharp and great POV. Well exposed and good DOF. Well done & TFS!

Regards,
Pieter

Excellent profile portrait Pam. An excellent POV with very good sharpness, DOF, colors and use of flash to bring out the details. Very good work!

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1575 W: 5 N: 2181] (12250)
  • [2005-08-23 7:29]

Superbe portrait, la netteté et l'exposition sont excellents. Jaime bien l'oeil rouge de l'oiseau.

Félicitations !

Lucky you, what a great close up. Hope you post another one of the whole bird.

Great portrait, good details, well done.

Hi Pam, Bruiser is a beauty :), I bet he is a softie at heart. This is wonderfully sharp and detailed, I almost feel like I can just reach out and touch him. Excellent capture :)

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2005-08-23 9:30]

Very good Pam! Smart eye, big beak, nice pose. Pity that these friendly Wekas don't live in Europe...

Wow Pam,

What a nice picture. You used the fill-in flash to great effect here. The focus is crisp and the picture is very sharp. Thanks for sharing another great picture.

Jan-Hendrik

Hi Pam... this is new bird for me. Great closeup... it is something with the wildlife is too close :-)
The details are super sharp and the eye coloring is amazing. Beautifully done! Thanks again for sharing your holiday :-)

Great shot Pam,
Good detail and great POV. Well composed. Good colours & notes. Hectic week = rushed critique
Well captured, thanks for posting

  • Great 
  • Eko Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 187 W: 10 N: 38] (121)
  • [2005-08-25 9:04]

Hi Pam!
Perfect portrait.I liked sharpness,POV,details and composition very much.Thanks for posting.

  • Great 
  • sela Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 45 W: 0 N: 39] (704)
  • [2005-08-25 13:28]

Perfect portrait Bravo!

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