Welcome Swallow #2

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Welcome Swallow #2
Photo Information
Copyright: Pam Russell (coasties) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4029 W: 529 N: 8227] (27488)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-05-08
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 10D, Sigma 80-400 OS, Digital Raw 1000, Hoya UV 77mm
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2005-05-29 5:08
Viewed: 989
Points: 20
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Welcome Swallow

The Welcome Swallow is metallic blue-black above, light grey below on the breast and belly, and rust on the forehead, throat and upper breast. It has a long forked tail, with a row of white spots on the individual feathers. Birds are about 15 cm long, including the outer tail feathers (streamers), which are slightly shorter in the female. The call is a mixture of twittering and soft warbling notes, and a sharp whistle in alarm. Young Welcome Swallows are buffy white, instead of rusty, on the forehead and throat, and have shorter tail streamers.

Swallows are often confused with the martins, of which there are two species in Australia: the Fairy Martin, H. ariel, and the Tree Martin, H. nigricans. Both species have shorter, more square tails, and white to buff rumps.

Swifts, of the family Apodidae, are somewhat similar in habits and appearance to the swallows, but have longer and more curved wings and differences in their flight. Swifts are rarely seen landing, while swallows are a common sight on wires, posts and other suitable perches.

Distribution and Habitat: Welcome Swallows are widespread in Australia, but are less common in the far north than in the south. They visit a wide variety of habitats with the exception of the more heavily forested regions and drier inland areas. Birds are partially migratory, moving around in response to food availability.

Food and Feeding: Swallows feed on a wide variety on insects. They catch prey in flight, using their acrobatic flying skills. The prey is guided into the bird's wide, open mouth with the help of short rictal bristles bordering the bill. These bristles also help protect the bird's eye. Where insects are in large supply, Welcome Swallows feed in large flocks.

The above obtained from http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/welcome_swallow.htm

You can see my first post here

IMAGE INFORMATION

Camera: Canon 10D
Time of day: 10:32 a.m.
Date: 8th May 2005
Weather conditions: Clear
Lens: Sigma 80-400mm OS
Filter: Hoya 77mm UV
Shutter Speed: 1/1000
F-Stop: F/7.1
Focal Length: 400mm
ISO: 400
Original file type: Digital Raw
twin, Janice, hummingbird24, chiliu, marhowie, PDP, Luc, dew77 has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • twin Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 268 W: 17 N: 504] (3247)
  • [2005-05-29 5:17]

Very clear... a great focus... beautiful sharpness, amazing details... very nice colors...
very well done Pam...
congratulations

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3082 W: 231 N: 5811] (19540)
  • [2005-05-29 5:52]

Wow, beautiful shot, Pam. The details on the swallow are super sharp. The colors are gorgeous in the light. Well done. TFS. : )

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3339 W: 144 N: 5643] (16725)
  • [2005-05-29 6:25]

Hey Pam, I think this one is the best swallows I've seen - the feathers look quite soft and not so plastered. By soft I don't mean unsharp, but more 'real'. And he's still - unusual for these little fellas. Excellent colours and pose. Very well done, thank you.

What a lovely bird, I had no idea that swallows were so colorful, Pam.
An excellent composition, with sharp detail, lighting, POV, and BG.
Thank you.

Wonderful picture,clear,sharpness,beautiful bird.TFS!

Excellent quality Pam! Very sharp and detailed with great colors and light..You have really shown this bird off in its best light. Thanks for the great note, Very well done!!!

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848] (11733)
  • [2005-05-29 9:55]

Beautiful capture Pam, I wish I could get close enough to a swallow. Lovely details and focus. Great shot. It's funny how cumbersome they look when standing compared to how graceful they are in flight. Thanks for sharing.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2058 W: 316 N: 4403] (14709)
  • [2005-05-29 22:18]

Hello Pam.
Personal assessment of the photo: wonderfull.
Very strong visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: complete.
Thank you very much for sharing and have a week with the same qualities of your image: colorfull and very well composed ;-)

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2005-05-30 2:12]

Hello Pam!
Wonderful work.Details,eye contact,colors and composition are excellent.TFS...:-)

  •      
  • hibou Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 194 W: 1 N: 345] (1509)
  • [2005-10-12 20:23]

This one is perfect !

I love the colour of this bird ... and your composition is perfect !

Well done Pam !

  • Great 
  • radz Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 609 W: 11 N: 598] (3157)
  • [2006-09-28 13:29]

Beautiful shot,lovley details and pov&compo all excellent!!

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