| Actual Image
Striated Pardalote (18)
rcrick
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 647 W: 42 N: 1198]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif) (3854) | I thought I would spear you all another posting of a Brahminy Kite, I’ll save it for a rainy day, in stead I drive you nuts with a couple of shots of a Striated Pardalote, we have a local dog park near our home were we take our dogs for a run most days, it backs onto the Brisbane River.
We were down their this morning and I found this Striated Pardalote darting in and out of her nest which she had built into the bank, and was furnishing with some small twigs.
They are more common than people usually think, with its call the first indication of the presence of this brightly coloured little bird. There is considerable variation in plumage characteristics across the range of this species. All birds have white eyebrows with a yellow spot in front of the eye, olive-grey backs and a white stripe in the wing. In different parts of the country, the wing stripe may be narrow or wide, the coloured spot at the front end of this stripe may be red or yellow, and the black crown may have or lack fine white stripes. Both male and female are similar in plumage. Young birds also resemble the adults, but are notably paler, particularly on the crown and face.
They feed in the foliage in the tops of trees, although occasionally coming close to the ground in low shrubs. They eat a wide variety of insects and their larvae, which are usually captured by picking them from the surfaces of leaves. Feeding takes place in small groups and birds maintain contact with soft trills.
During breeding season, Striated Pardalotes form pairs or small groups of up to six birds. The nest is constructed close to the ground, usually in a tree hollow or tunnel, excavated in an earthen bank; small openings in human-made objects are frequently used. The birds display regularly at the entrance to the nesting chamber, and vigorously guard the vicinity against other pardalotes. Both sexes incubate and care for the young birds. Other members of the group may also help with the feeding of the young.
Some Small Facts to Ponder:
Minimum Size: 8cm
Maximum Size: 10cm
Average Size: 9cm
Average Weight: 11g
Breading Season: June to January
Clutch Size: 3 to 5
Audio Link
Details; Shot Raw converted to Jpeg, cropped and resized, sharpened slightly for posting, I’ve also run this though “Neat Image” to reduce some of the digital noise.
File Name IMG_0438_filtered.jpg
Camera Model Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Shooting Date/Time 1/07/2008 10:58:11 AM
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/320
Av( Aperture Value ) 3.2
Metering Mode Partial Metering
Exposure Compensation -1/3
Digital Exposure Compensation +0.3
ISO Speed 250
Lens EF400mm f/2.8L IS USM
Focal Length 400.0 mm
Image Size 800x787
Image Quality Superfine
Flash Off
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Servo AF
Picture Style Neutral
Sharpness 7
Contrast 2
Saturation 1
Color tone 1
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction, 2: Enable
High ISO speed noise reduction, 1: Enable
Highlight tone priority 0: Disable
File Size 142 KB
Drive Mode Low-speed continuous shooting |
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