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Kookaburra


Kookaburra
Photo Information
Copyright: Pam Russell (coasties) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3790 W: 499 N: 8120] (27794)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-09-11
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 10D, Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM, Hoya UV 77mm
Exposure: f/6.7, 1/60 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2005-09-15 4:06
Viewed: 1781
Points: 38
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Taken at Auckland Zoo. Unfortunately the light was wrong for this shot, but in my opinion it is still worth sharing. The Kookaburra carried his 'prize' around and often would make on heck of a noise and draw attention to the mouse in his beak. He was proud of his capture. Thanks for looking.

Kookaburra

Kookaburras, known as the Laughing Jackasses of Australia, are from the family Kingfishers. Similar to other kingfishers, Kookaburras have a stout and compact body, short neck, rather long and pointed bill and short legs.

Kookaburras are 17 inches in height, the upper parts dark brown, the wings spotted gray-blue. A white band separates the head from the body. There is a dark stripe through the eye, and the under parts are white. The strong bill is black.

BEHAVIOR: The Kookaburra's rolling, laughing call is one of the best-known sounds in the animal world. The birds raise a wild chorus of crazy laughter as they go to roost in the treetops at dusk, and again wake everyone within hearing just as dawn breaks, so regularly that in the hinterlands of Australia they are know as the "bushman's clock."

Australians value the Kookaburra, not only as an intriguing member of the strange fauna, but for its habit of feeding on snakes and lizards. The Kookaburra seizes snakes behind the head and kills them by dropping them from a height, or else carries them to a perch and batters them senseless with its big bill before swallowing them.

Less welcome is the Kookaburra's fondness for the young of other birds, and its occasional raids on farmyards for ducklings and baby chicks.

DIET: In the wild, Kookaburras are known to be partial to the young of other birds and snakes, as well as insects and small reptiles. In the Zoo they are fed commercially prepared Bird of Prey mix and dead baby chicks.

GENERAL INFO: The Australian aborigines have a legend about the Kookaburra. When the sun rose for the first time, the god Bayame ordered the kookaburra to utter its loud, almost human laughter in order to wake up mankind so that they should not miss the wonderful sunrise. The aborigines also believed that any child who insulted a kookaburra would grow an extra slanting tooth.

The above obtained from http://www.honoluluzoo.org/kookaburra.htm

IMAGE INFORMATION

Camera: Canon 10D
Time of day: 11:56 a.m.
Date: 11th September 2005
Weather conditions: Clear
Lens: Canon 100-400mm L IS
Filter: Hoya 77mm UV
Shutter Speed: 1/60
F-Stop: F/6.7
Focal Length: 109mm
ISO: 100
Original file type: Digital Raw
dew77, Janice, sway, liquidsunshine, Gudule, wgreis, marhowie, Luc, Alan_Kolnik, twin, cedryk, samos, mlines has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4635 W: 248 N: 4025] (13237)
  • [2005-09-15 4:17]

Hello Pam!
Amazing capture.Moment you caught,crisp clear details,POV,lighting and composition are great.Excellent work!TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • Lia Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 58 W: 17 N: 135] (952)
  • [2005-09-15 4:49]

Hi Pam what a splendid prerecording of a wonderful bird. This way already concerning mice life dominating you have fraai set up him particular. Beautiful work Groetjes Lia

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3294 W: 148 N: 6148] (18768)
  • [2005-09-15 5:50]

Hey Pam, did you know it had the mouse in his mouth at the time? I never saw it at all.
Amazing catch, and the cage wires don't show at all. Bravo!

  • Great 
  • sway Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 303 W: 85 N: 308] (1224)
  • [2005-09-15 6:06]

HI Pam.
Great shot. I love the bird mouth full. He looks weary of you, you might take his lunch.
Great shot,
:)

Hi Pam,
Very nice portrait of this Kookaburra.
It's time to lunch.
TFS.
Nico.

Great shot Pam,
This shot is well worth sharing, it's very well captured.
The light isn't perfect, but it's not that bad either. The details are very clear and sharp. Exposure is good as is the composition and POV.
Thanks for posting.

  • Great 
  • Gudule Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 248 W: 11 N: 288] (1204)
  • [2005-09-15 16:37]

You had a good shot, Pam, and did well to present it.
There is anxiety in his eye and seems that someone will steel its mice. TFS.
JN.

Hi Pam,
very, very good. It's really a "decisive moment". Contrast and focus perfect.
Note excelent too.
Congratulations,
Wagner.

Very nice Pam, Not so nice for the mouse :-(
Thank You!

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1862 W: 304 N: 4302] (14735)
  • [2005-09-15 20:36]

Good work, Pam. Thank you.
Luc

  • Great 
  • optic Gold Star Critiquer [C: 322 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2005-09-15 22:22]

Hello Pam,
Great action shot very well done, sharpness Dof& pov are superb.

TFS & have a nice week-end!
Greetings from Canada,
Christian

  • Great 
  • twin Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 252 W: 17 N: 494] (3255)
  • [2005-09-16 0:53]

very beautiful capture Pam...
an amazing pic really...
I love the details..

congrats...

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3113 W: 233 N: 6452] (22131)
  • [2005-09-16 1:57]

Wow, Pam, that is quite a catch, both for you and for the kookaburra. Sharp details and great POV. Well done and TFS. : )

  • Great 
  • Graal Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 752 W: 31 N: 20] (5072)
  • [2005-09-16 3:39]

Excellent shot, Pam. Good capture. I like the composition, colours and DOF. Well done.
Rgs, Aleksander

An amazing fish for a kingfisher, Pam :-) Yes, it's worth sharing. In fact the only thing here that could be avoided is the white space above the object's head. Otherwise a great photo :-) TFS! Michal

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2152 W: 324 N: 4260] (16920)
  • [2005-09-16 13:28]

Pam, no doubt this is worthwhile posting.

Excellent sharpness and composition to show us this great moment - that's how life goes one.

The catchlight in the eye is an excellent "bonus".

Congratulations.

  • Great 
  • klemmg Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 302 W: 40 N: 484] (1719)
  • [2005-09-16 18:23]

Excellent, both timing and this shot! Nothing more to add to previous comments.
Gabi

Wonderful capture, if a bit disturbing to look at! I remember the unique sound of those when we were in Australia, they are positively spooky!

Thanks for sharing this wonderful portrait.

Alli

  • Great 
  • mlines Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 555 W: 26 N: 635] (3052)
  • [2006-12-18 23:23]

Hi Pam. Magnificent close-up of this bird. Your clarity is beyond my comprehension. Back to my camera controls booklet again!. Great work. Murray.

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