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Brahminy Kite


Brahminy Kite
Photo Information
Copyright: Richard Cridland (rcrick) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 716 W: 37 N: 1555] (5005)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-04-06
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon 5D, Canon EF100-400 F4.5-5.6L IS USM, SanDisk Ext. III 1GB, Hoya 77mm Pro1 DMC UV LPF
Exposure: f/11, 1/400 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Map: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Port of Brisbane Wetlands, CeltickRanger's favorite Bird of Prey photos [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-04-07 14:51
Viewed: 1027
Points: 46
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Scientific name: Haliastur indus
Family: Accipitridae
Order: Falconiformes

My wife and I paid a visit to the Port of Brisbane on Sunday morning; it has set aside a large area of wetlands for native wildlife and has a purpose-built roosting site for migratory birds, with two hides so you can get up close to observe them in secret. Entry is free and definitely worth more visits.

The Brahminy Kite is one of the medium-sized raptors (birds of prey), with a white head and breast. The rest of its body is a striking chestnut brown. The very tip of its tail is white. The wings are broad, with dark 'fingered' wing tips and the tail is short. The legs are short and not feathered, the eye is dark and the lemon yellow coloured bill is strongly hooked. It sails on level wings along shorelines and mudflats.

It is widespread across northern Australia, mainly along the coastline from Western Australia to northern New South Wales, and is more common in the north of its range. It is widespread throughout tropical Asia.

The Brahminy Kite is a bird of the coast, particularly mangrove swamps and estuaries. It is sometimes seen over forests and along rivers. It feeds on carrion (dead animals), insects and fish. It swoops low over water, the ground or tree tops and snatches live prey or carrion from the surface. It also steals from fish-hunting birds, snatching prey in flight. It harries or bothers other birds such as gulls, Whistling Kites, Osprey or Australian White Ibis.

The nest of the Brahminy Kite is built in living trees near water, often mangrove trees. it is large, made from sticks, seaweed or driftwood and lined with a variety of materials such as lichens, bones, seaweed and even paper. Both parents incubate the eggs and the young are fed bill to bill with small pieces of food.

Brahminy Kites are secure in Australia. Being scavengers, they benefit from waste at tips, on roadsides and in harbours.

Link; http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=227

Details, Shot Raw converted to Jpeg tweaked Digital Exposure Compensation by +0.3 in Canon Zoom Browser, cropped and sharpened, soft edge added prior to posting.

Camera Model Canon EOS 5D
Shooting Date/Time 6/04/2008 8:15:36 AM
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/400
Av( Aperture Value ) 11.0
Metering Mode Center-Weighted Average Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
Digital Exposure Compensation +0.3
ISO Speed 200
Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Focal Length 400.0 mm
Image Size 635x635
Image Quality Superfine
Flash Off
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Focus AF
Picture Style Neutral
Sharpness 5
Contrast 2
Saturation 2
Color tone 1
Color Space sRGB
Noise Reduction On
File Size 64 KB
Custom Function C.Fn:00-0
Drive Mode Continuous shooting
pekkavalo1, kmr13777, goldyrs, Finland_in_Eton, Necipp, CeltickRanger, cam, SelenE, uleko, inked, smitha has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To inked: Brahminy Kitercrick 1 04-26 01:50
To lawbert: Brahminy Kitercrick 1 04-15 15:57
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Richard,

Very good capture of Kite in flight. Good sharpness of detail, composition, lighting and colours.

Thanks for sharing

Peka

great in flight capture!nice composition ,beautiful colors and nice detail!

Hi Richard,
Nice clean shot u've got there. Great POV and a nice clean BG. There is very little but some noise there in the BG that could be taken care of through some PP. Great exposure and very fine details captured.

TFS
Kirti

Hello Richard,

Great in flight capture of this lovely bird of prey.
Love the pose of the kite and the beautiful color contrast.
Great work on composition, sharpness and exposure due to wich all feather details, even the whites, are wonderfully and clearly visible.
Great note also.
Excellent work. TFS!!!

Best regards, Harry

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1575 W: 5 N: 2181] (12250)
  • [2008-04-07 18:06]

Bonsoir Richard,

Superbe oiseau. Bravo pour la pose de l'oiseau en plein action.
Merci.
joseph

Hello Richard , good sharpness and good POV of this hovering raptor , TFS .

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2008-04-08 2:30]

Hi Rich,my best compliments for this perfect work and for the very interesting note,great work! Thanks for share,Luciano

Hi Rick
Great inflight action shot
Nice color and detail
tfs jon

A beauty of a bird, Richard...captured very beautifully in motion....
Very well done, indeed!
Cheers!
Goldy

Fantastic ! I love the way the bird is looking down. Crisp, clean detail... excellent exposure, stunning colors. POV couldn't be better.

Well done, and TFS, Mish

Hello Richard, I thought this was a nice pose caught with the wings in a good pose showing detail. It looks sharp, nicely placed in the frame. Tfs rgds Necip

Hi,
This is a wonderful flight shot. The blue BG makes the bird stand out.
TFS
Goutham

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2392 W: 94 N: 5536] (17620)
  • [2008-04-08 12:49]

Hello Richard,
Excellent timing in this photo of the Brahminy Kite. Very good sharpness, details in the feathers and natural colours. Beautiful BG. Great composition and POV.
Regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3067 W: 231 N: 6160] (21052)
  • [2008-04-08 21:19]

Hi Richard,
A beautiful pose you have caught on this kite.
I really like the pose with the wings pulled back and the head down.
Really nice details and colors.
The white under the wings is slightly overexposed, but no big deal.
The subject shows off nicely against the blue sky.
TFS. : )

hello Richard

excellent shot of this Kite that has spoted a prey on ground,
fine POV and vertical framing, lovely luminosity of the image,
great sharpness and details and you shoot the image
at the good flight pose, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • cam Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 87 W: 0 N: 78] (360)
  • [2008-04-09 10:35]

Hello Richard
Good capture of this bird of prey, as the details are clear and sharp, with the light falling at the right place on the head and the underwing, for good detail viewwing.

Is he looking at your hat? :-)
Charles

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2405 W: 63 N: 4227] (13822)
  • [2008-04-09 13:34]

Hi Richard,
Nice in-flight of this brahminy kite. I liked the contrast and the composition. TFS
Greetings,
Selen

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2993 W: 162 N: 961] (2823)
  • [2008-04-10 8:19]

Hello RIck,
Superb capture of this Brahminy Kite! I didn't know you find them in Autralia. I've seen them in India though and they are very beautiful birds! You've captured this one in a lovely pose looking down for prey on the ground and in beautiful light. Great sharpness and lovely colours too. Well done!
TFS and cheers, Ulla

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2233 W: 188 N: 1929] (8127)
  • [2008-04-11 6:30]

Hello Richard,
great inflight shot of this kite, seems to be searching for some prey.
You did excellent, the details and sharpness are Very good. Very nice exposure, even the white plumage shows a lot of detail.
Very well done.
Sky

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-04-14 20:02]

Hello Richard

A lovely in flight capture of this beauty.
The colours and contrast are very good.
Lovely lighting.The details show well.
The POV is well done.
TFS

Rob

Hello Rick
This is a superb capture..Lovely sharp details..Even at f11 the near wing is slightly out..Shows the wingspan of these wonderful birds..an absolute corker of a pose.
All the Best
Paul
(have you tried using ai servo..it does seem to work quite well?)

  • Great 
  • inked Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 142 W: 0 N: 248] (769)
  • [2008-04-25 23:24]
  • [+]

hi Richard,
awesome! gotta love these guys.. i've been trying to get a worthwhile shot of one for a while now with no luck. But even taking bad shots of em is fun. Really nice POV, great lighting, very well captured. nice work! tfs
Gethin
ps.. i will have to check out the Port!

Hello Richard,
I never knew Brahmini Kites were found in Australia.they are very common in India, especially Kerala and is a sure sight along the coastal line.
This is an excellent in flight shot with the bird obviously looking for food.The wing position captured helps to show off its white under parts. Beautiful lighting and the blue sky provides a good contrast.
TFS,
Smitha.

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