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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The Blackstart is also called Cercomela melanura, 14-16 cm, 13-18 g, wingspan 23-27 cm. Small, rather long-billed and noticeably slim chat with rather uniform grey plumage relieved by black rump and tail. Tail flicked open constantly. Sexes similar, no seasonal variation.
Habitat
Breeds in warm arid lower latitudes, temperate, subtropical, and tropical. Occurs on arid rocky hills and mountains where there is some scattered scrub but keeping mainly to rocks. Shows preference for thorny bushes in rocky ravines.
Food and Feeding
Mainly insectes, and seeds, also takes ants.
Feeds mainly by perching on rocks, trees, and bushes, dropping on to prey on ground. Also by searching vegetation and occasionally in brief hover or aerial-pursuit.
Breeding.
Mar-Jun in S Sahara, similar in Egypt and Israel, Feb-Sep in Oman. Nest site, crevice in rock. Nest, cup of grass stems and leaves, lined with hair and finer vegetation.
3-4 eggs, sub-elliptical, smooth and fairly glossy, very pale blue, finely speckled red to red-brown, speckles sometimes concentrated at broad end.
Movements.
Resident or even sedentary throughout range. In general, however, virtual absence of records anywhere outside breeding range suggests little long-distance movement occurs.
Status and Conservation
Not globally threatened. No reported changes in range.
Israel.
In Israel subspecies C. m. melanura very common resident in desert regions of Negev, Arava and Judean Deserts.
Taken from: http://my.ort.org.il/
This picture was taken on trip to the negev, I did a very big crop that you can see the birds' details, because it was very small one. |
ellis49, Callie, nwoehnl, mogens-j has marked this note useful
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Very good with nice colors
I like it.
Good note
Well done
- Callie
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1252 W: 106 N: 2657]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(7477) - [2004-08-10 14:16]
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Elroyie
A sweet little LBJ with good definition in the feather texture. What distract a bit are all the twigs criss-crossing & cutting across the body & the POV. He has a nice expression, though. Just a tiny highlight in the eye
Very nice shot, Elroyie, in which we can see this beautiful chap embedded into the pattern of branches. Nice pattern and details in the plumage, and good colors. Interesting notes that leave no question open.
Nice capture of this little fellow Elroyie. Plenty of details in the plumage but I have to agree with Callie about the branches - well you cannot always have the you want with these little fellows ;-). Colours are nice as well as the composition.
- Fisher
(8915)
- [2005-02-16 9:27]
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Well done on this capture.
It would have been better not shoot up the backside, not a pleasent view. The branches cuts the bird in half.
Mike
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- livios
(16848)
- [2005-03-01 10:21]
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Elroyie, the bird is nice, I like the picture. Despite the big cropping, the picture is sharp enough. Great job.
![Gold Star Critiquer [C: 191 W: 0 N: 9]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-n.gif)
(28)![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 833 W: 135 N: 3]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-n.gif)
(14)