|
|
|
Royal Spoonbill - Over Exposed :-(
 |
|
| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
On our way back from Farewell Spit, we stopped again at Takaka. We travelled back out to the little forest area where I photographed the Black Fantail hoping to get a few more shots before leaving the area. This again was successful. The area has a river mouth running to the sea and as we were leaving I saw some very large white birds feeding in the low waters. I thought they were White Heron, of which we have now seen many. I looked through my camera lens, as they were some distance away, and I could not belive my eyes! Here were a group of about 5 Royal Spoonbill. I knew the light was all wrong but I was not about to pass up the opportunity to photograph them as these were the only group seen.
So, put on your sunglasses to cut down the glare, cos here is the Royal Spoonbill, badly over exposed on the bright white plumage and too far away to get a crisp, clear, sharp shot. But I wanted to share thi find with you. Thanks for looking.
Royal Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.
All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly-opened bill from side to side.
The moment any small aquatic creature touches the inside of the bill—an insect, crustacean, or tiny fish—it is snapped shut.
Spoonbills generally prefer fresh water to salt but are found in both environments. They need to feed many hours each day.
Spoonbills are monogamous, but, so far as is known, only for one season at a time. Most species nest in trees or reed-beds, often with ibises or herons. The male gathers nesting material—mostly sticks and reeds, sometimes taken from an old nest—the female weaves it into a large, shallow bowl or platform which varies in its shape and structural integrity according to species.
The female lays a clutch of about 3 smooth, oval, white eggs and both parents incubate; chicks hatch one at a time rather than all together. The newly-hatched young are blind and cannot care for themselves immediately; both parents feed them by partial regurgitation. Chicks' bills are short and straight, and only gain the characteristic spoonbill shape as the they mature. Their feeding continues for a few weeks longer after the family leaves the nest. The primary cause of brood failure appears not to be predation but starvation.
The above obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoonbill
IMAGE INFORMATION
Camera: Canon 10D
Time of day: 4:58 p.m.
Date: 20th August 2005
Weather conditions: Clear
Lens: Canon 100-400mm L IS
Filter: Hoya 77mm UV
Shutter Speed: 1/250
F-Stop: F/5.6
Focal Length: 400mm
ISO: 100
Original file type: Digital Raw |
scottevers7, sway has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes. |
|
|
| Discussions |
| None | | You must be logged in to start a discussion. |
|
Hi Pam,
Hey, you got a good shot here. Yes the light is harsh, but sometimes you have to make do with the conditions you have in the short amount of time to get a shot. Any other color besides white and you would have been able to do more to bring detail back post processing. It is a good composition with the two, and well framed. Great notes. I like it
Scott
- sway
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 303 W: 85 N: 308]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(1224) - [2005-08-21 3:37]
-
HI Pam,
Nice shot. I agree with Scott, SOmetimes you just have to do it.
Great that you got to see these birds. I lokks like you have had, are having a great time, and have seen many things.
The composition is great I like the 2 birds together.
:)
Hi Pam.. sorry I don't know enough to help with glare.. too much of a newbie LOL. Yet the bright light gives is a very graphic element. It looks like a BW photo. Agree with the other posts... moments just have to be captured best they can :-) Thanks for sharing these interesting birds.
-
- ckuh55
![Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 32 W: 12 N: 12]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/s-s-s.gif)
(458) - [2005-08-30 19:54]
-
difficult shot with black bill and black rocks in background..A for effort..thanks for sharing
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2431 W: 3 N: 3882]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(12267)