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Spoonbill


Spoonbill
Photo Information
Copyright: Pekka Valo (pekkavalo1) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 453 W: 58 N: 2111] (6749)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-07-02
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 40D, Sigma EX 500mm f4.5 APO HSM, RAW ISO 800, Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 DG 1.4x
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/400 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-07-03 2:51
Viewed: 654
Points: 36
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
A juvenile Spoonbill at Cley Marshes nature reserve. Spoonbills do not breed in the UK but non-breeding birds are occasionally seen in wetland areas. This bird was with another juvenile and two adults.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The Common Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) is a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, breeding in southern Eurasia from Spain to Japan, and also in North Africa. Most birds migrate to the tropics in winter, with European breeders mainly going to Africa, but a few remaining in mild winter areas of western Europe north to the United Kingdom.

This species is almost unmistakable in most of its range. The breeding bird is all white except for its dark legs, black bill with a yellow tip, and a yellow breast patch like a pelican. It has a crest in the breeding season. Non-breeders lack the crest and breast patch, and immature birds have a pale bill and black tips to the primary flight feathers. Unlike herons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched.
The Common Spoonbill differs from the African Spoonbill with which in overlaps in winter, in that the latter species has a red face and legs, and no crest.

There are three subspecies:
• P. l. leucorodia, the nominate race, occupies all the range except as below.
• P. l. balsaci. Islands off the Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania.
• P. l. archeri. The coasts of the Red Sea and Somalia.
Birds in Asia are sometimes separated as P. l. major
Habitat and behaviour

The Common Spoonbill occurs in marshy wetlands with some open shallow water, nesting in colonies in trees or reedbeds. It does not usually share colonies with storks or herons.

The Common Spoonbill usually lays four eggs. It feeds on various fish, frogs and other water creatures.
The Common Spoonbill is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
JORAPAVI, elizabeth, uleko, CeltickRanger, Maite, Royaldevon, Gert-Paassen, jaycee, goldyrs has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Jamesp: Distancepekkavalo1 1 07-04 00:17
To Gert-Paassen: Reflectionpekkavalo1 1 07-03 14:24
To elizabeth: Thanks for your commentpekkavalo1 1 07-03 09:31
To joey: Thanks for your commentpekkavalo1 1 07-03 03:59
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2008-07-03 2:54]
  • [+]

Congratulations!! You got your Spoonbill shot :-)))
And what a great photo it is too!
The POV is perfect and we can see that weird bill very clearly.
Excellent low-down POV.
Superb composition.
Very sharp and crisp.
How big was it? I always think of it as a Heron sized bird but someone told me it was much smaller.

Very well done, Pekka!

Cheers,
Joe

Hola Pekka,
Excelente captura con bonita pose, buena definición, excelente iluminación, buena nota informativa, TFS. Saludos
José Ramón

Hello Pekka,

Excellent picture of bird, as usual :-)
Cheers,
Mariki

Good shot with excellent detail. Interesting to note the bill colour; the ones in our neck of the woods have totally black bills.
TFS
Elizabeth

Hi Pekka

Excellent POV and exposure
Great sharpness and composition.
A great spoonbill shot.

Chris

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1381 W: 126 N: 5246] (23469)
  • [2008-07-03 6:59]

Hello Pekka, very nice composition in this capture, the sharpness is fantastic and the exposure is perfectly done, good work, thanks!

Mario

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2997 W: 162 N: 968] (2839)
  • [2008-07-03 8:59]

Hello Pekka,
I can't imagine finding Spoonbills in Norfolk but this is a very fine specimen and well captured. I like its pose, the low POV, the sharp details and the fine colours.
TFS and cheers, Ulla

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2395 W: 94 N: 5542] (17634)
  • [2008-07-03 11:42]

Hello Pekka,
What a fantastic POV and composition. Great sharp focus on the head. Beautiful natural colours, BG and DOF.
I've seen them in Holland too. There are about 1000 breeding-pairs.
Regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • Maite Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1007 W: 64 N: 1266] (5195)
  • [2008-07-03 12:53]

Hello Pekka
You show in this magnificent shot a curious and very interesting bird. I like a lot the POV, DOF and the excellent sharpness and composition. I like a lot the details on the plumage and the water.
A superb job.
Congratulations and thank you very much for sharing.
Best wishes
Maite

Hello Pekka,

Wow! I did not realise that these birds were wild in this country! I have only ever seen them at zoos or wildlife parks.

A very good capture! Lovely textural details of the plummage and no oe which often happens when photographing white! Good pose and composition.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

Hi Pekka,

Another great good captured picture and composition.
A pity his reflection holds up beneath the picture.

Gert

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2008-07-03 17:17]

Hi Pekka,

You've been turning out wonderful posts day after day. This Spoonbill is superb with marvelous details of his face and plummage. He has an interesting look on his face. Beautiful natural colors. The reflection makes him look like he is on stilts.

Jane

A lovely shot, Pekka, you've got a sharp shot and beautiful POV that brings out all the details!
Goldy

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16522)
  • [2008-07-03 23:02]
  • [+]

Hi Pekka

It looks like I must pay a visit to Cley (I am a member of NWT anyway). Excellent shot - great detail and exposure (always difficult in a white bird). How close were you?

James

Hi Pekka, splendid portrait of lovely bird with fantastic details and great sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1169 W: 4 N: 3262] (14691)
  • [2008-07-04 10:07]

Hello Pekka, Brilliant shot and superb one. Nice focus and sharp picture. Ganesh

hello Pekka

excellent shot of the Spoonbill, with fine POV, DOF
and appropriate to that bird vertical framing,
excellent sharpness and details, i love his eye-contact with you,

TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-07-04 22:22]

Hello Pekka

The pov is very good for this shot.
Excellent focus and detail.
I like the eye contact.
Nicely composed in the frame.
TFS

Rob

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