| Actual Image
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (12)
sandpiper2
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1835 W: 109 N: 4233]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (14036) | While visiting Cattai National Park in western suburbs of Sydney I came across a pair of Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) having an altercation under a low bush. I’m not sure if they were fighting over a tasty caterpillar or just having a fight, but this one seemed to come out the winner, with the other one flying off.
It was a very heavily overcast day and I was experimenting with my new cameras ISO settings. This one was taken at ISO 1600 and yes its noisy, but I wanted to see just what could be achieved at this high ISO. There is some loss of detail on the breast feather and I’ve worked on the shot in Photoshop, but I reasonably happy with the result.
Post-processing included; blurring the background, adjusting the levels a bit of colour saturation, sharpnening using USM at 100% and cropping the original by about 50%.
I’ve put two other shots is in the WORKSHOP showing the back view. In those views you can see the feathers have some chromatic aberration, but it also demonstrates that if your desperate for a shot in poor light, you can achieve a reasonable shot that’s worth keeping.
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is a common cuckoo of eastern and south-western Australia. They are a medium sized bird about 27cm long and, like all cuckoos lay their eggs in small passerine nests during spring and summer. They inhabit forest, woodland, urban parklands and heathlands. Despite its common name, the tail is only rarely fanned.
Thanks for looking. |
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