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Portrait of a friend with yellow feet


Portrait of a friend with yellow feet
Photo Information
Copyright: Bengt Falke (falke) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 158 W: 17 N: 443] (1590)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-07-02
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon 40 D, Canon EF 300/4 L IS USM
Exposure: f/4
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-07-15 5:59
Viewed: 415
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 24
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Intro:
This is a portrait of a Yellow-legged Gull (Laurus michahellis/Gulfotat trut). They are quite common in the eastern Mediterranean area and are expanding. Nowadays we can even spot them in Sweden a couple of times every year. It is very typical with the yellow eye with a red orbital ring and yellow feet. I did a lot of flight photo practice as you can see them almost any time. It's just like a good friend you spend a lot of time with.

Geographic info:
This is from the island Pasman in the Croatian archipelago to the west of the town Zadar on the main land. We could sit on our terrace and observe and admire the flying skills of these amazing birds.

Technical information:
As always, Canon 300/f4 lens on a Canon 40D body. I used Stabilizer mode 2 here I have just learned the value of that for flying birds.... ;o) It is in rawformat and I used Adobe Lightroom for some adjustments before the edit in Photoshop CS3.

Just crop, levels, white balance and a bit hue
Sharpening with Photokit capture sharpener

About the specie:
From Wikipedia:
The taxonomy of the Herring Gull/Lesser Black-backed Gull complex is very complicated. This group has a ring distribution around the northern hemisphere. Differences between adjacent forms in this ring are fairly small, but by the time the circuit is completed, the end members, Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull, are clearly different species. However, different authorities recognise up to eight species in this complex.
It is now generally accepted that the Yellow-legged Gull is a full species, but until recently there was much disagreement. For example, the BOU in Great Britain placed the Yellow-legged Gull as a subspecies of the Herring Gull, while British Birds magazine split Yellow-legged Gull from Herring Gull but included the Caspian Gull in the former. However, recent DNA research[citation needed] has shown that Caspian Gull is basal to the complex, and cannot be in the same grouping as the other form.
There are two subspecies of the Yellow-legged Gull: michahellis (named for the German zoologist Karl Michahelles), which breeds in the Mediterranean, and atlantis, of the adjacent Atlantic shores. Birds breeding in Portugal and the Atlantic coast of Galicia (and spreading north from there) are sometimes considered to be a third subspecies: lusitanius. Atlantic Ocean birds have darker wings and back by comparison, creating a more pronounced contrast to the white parts.

The breeding range is centred around the Mediterranean Sea. In North Africa it is common in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and increasing in places. Recent breeding has occurred in Libya and Egypt. In the Middle East a few breed in Israel and Syria with larger numbers in Cyprus and Turkey. In Europe there are colonies all along the Mediterranean coast and it also breeds on the west side of the Black Sea. Here it overlaps with the Caspian Gull but there is a difference in habitat with the Yellow-legged Gull choosing sea cliffs. In recent decades birds have spread north into central Europe and first bred in Britain in 1995. The Yellow-legged Gull is also common in Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, Madeira Islands and the Azores.
Many birds remain in the same area all year round but others migrate to spend the winter in mild areas of Western Europe or head south as far as Senegal, the Gambia and the Red Sea. It is reported as a vagrant to northeastern North America and Nigeria.
MMM, Argus, CatherineD, briddl, SelenE, maurydv, Luis52 has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

beautiful shot, great dof and pov. nice colours!
Tfs
Ilias

  • Great 
  • MMM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 755 W: 0 N: 1515] (6928)
  • [2008-07-15 6:38]

Hi Bengt
Excelelnt portrait.Sharp image and good plumage detail.Excellent text to.
TFS Michel

Hi Bengt
excelent focusing...
good compose as well...

well done my dear friend...

Regards
Arindam

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2611 W: 133 N: 7494] (23373)
  • [2008-07-15 7:41]

Hello Bengt,
I don't think I have seen such a close-up of a bird in flight before. The POV, fine sharpness and lighting of the head make it an excellent close portrait of the Yellow-legged Gull. Your panning was spot on to get this so well.
Thanks for sharing this beauty,
Ivan

Hello Bengt,
Very nice and artistic composition, with brillant colours well balanced. Not easy to do. Congratulations. Best regards,
Catherine

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1210 W: 68 N: 2509] (8277)
  • [2008-07-15 10:30]

Hello Bengt,
Excellent portrait of this Yellow-legged Gull in a great composition. Very sharp and good details. Beautiful contrasting colours against the black BG.
Regards,
Peter

Hi Bengt,
I've never seen such a perfect portrait of a flying bird before. It is astonishing how sharp the details are, the colours are clear. Wow!
Thanks for sharing.
Best regards,
Britta

  • Great 
  • skoya (50)
  • [2008-07-15 12:51]

Wow what a beautiful stop action, great clearity and color. I like the croping for close up, wonderful job. I'd give 5 points if the were available.

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2349 W: 61 N: 3802] (12200)
  • [2008-07-15 13:22]

Hi Bengt,
Very nice close-up portrait. I liked the POV, background colors, exposure control over the white plumage and the pose you captured. TFS
Greetings,
Selen

Spettacolare primo piano di gabbiano, ottima composizione, eccellente definizione dei dettagli nella zona a fuoco, perfetta esposizione con una resa super delle tonalità dei colori: Grazie e complimenti. Ciao Maurizio

  • Great 
  • Luis52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1022 W: 5 N: 2802] (10144)
  • [2008-07-15 18:00]

Hola Benget.
Hermosa foto. Muy bellos colores del plumaje, pico y los ojos de esta Gaviota.
Saludos
Luis52.

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1330 W: 107 N: 4804] (21334)
  • [2008-07-18 7:59]

Hello Bengt! Very nice close-up of this in flight bird, very sharp details and a perfect exposure, well done, thanks!

Mario

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