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Black-crowned Night Heron


Black-crowned Night Heron
Photo Information
Copyright: Peter van Zoest (PeterZ) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2010-05-15
Categories: Birds
Camera: Nikon D300, AF Nikkor 70-300mm f4-5.6 G, Digital RAW
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/250 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Just perfect!, Very well documented! [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2011-09-22 6:58
Viewed: 4467
Points: 60
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Only a few metres from the place where I’ve taken my previous photo of the crocodile stood, in a tree in the shadow of branches and leaves, this Night Heron. In the background a river. The heat was intense that day. Therefore the branches are a bit overexposed.

The Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax; Chinese: 夜鷺; pinyin: yèlù ) commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia (where replaced by the closely related Rufous Night Heron, with which it has hybridized in the area of contact).

Description
Adults are approximately 64 cm (25 in) long and weigh 800 g (28 oz). They have a black crown and back with the remainder of the body white or grey, red eyes, and short yellow legs. Young birds are brown, flecked with white and grey. These are short-necked and stout herons.

Distribution
The breeding habitat is fresh and salt-water wetlands throughout much of the world. The subspecies N. n. hoactli breeds in North and South America from Canada as far south as northern Argentina and Chile, N. n. obscurus in southernmost South America, N. n. falklandicus in the Falkland Islands, and the nominate race N. n. nycticorax in Europe, Asia and Africa. Black-crowned Night Herons nest in colonies on platforms of sticks in a group of trees, or on the ground in protected locations such as islands or reedbeds. Three to eight eggs are laid.

This heron is migratory in the northernmost part of its range, but otherwise resident (even in the cold Patagonia). The North American population winters in Mexico, the southern United States, Central America, and the West Indies, and the Old World birds winter in tropical Africa and southern Asia.

Behaviour
These birds stand still at the water's edge and wait to ambush prey, mainly at night or early morning. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals and small birds. During the day they rest in trees or bushes. N. n. hoactli is more gregarious outside the breeding season than the nominate race.

Etymology
The scientific name, Nycticorax, means "night raven", and refers to this species' nocturnal habits and harsh crow-like call.

Source: Wikipedia
paolo49, PaulLees, buscape, KOMSIS, Mamagolo2, jlinaresp, williewhistler, maurydv, vanni2009, siggi, marius-secan, BREARD, bungbing, kapildk, Pitoncle, cobra112, pierrefonds, anel, CeltickRanger has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

hallo Peter
Hij is mooi !!
super scherp en leuke pose
de kleuren en details zijn super
ze blijven toch prachtig deze soorten
bedankt groetjes lou

Excellent photo. good detail in the feathers and nice light. He does have a red eye! Nice to see all the fine colours of this bird. regards yiannis

Hi Peter
Great image! The composition is excellent, the colours are fantastic and the sharpness is spectacular.
Regards,
Paolo

Hi Peter, Splendid capture of this very shy bird, good sharpness with fine feather texture, very nice exposure control under the harsh lighting conditions, superb natural colours, great stuff here Peter and well done,
Best Regards,

Pauly.

Hello Peter,
Beautiful capture of this bird captured from a good POV with fine details and excellent sharpness. Colours and composition are also excellent. Well done!
Regards,
Mircea

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6595 W: 89 N: 15659] (65489)
  • [2011-09-22 9:01]

Hi Peter,beautiful pose and magnificent composition,no comment about the quality always at the top,i like it!Thanks for share,have a nice evening,Luciano

  • Great 
  • KOMSIS Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 820 W: 0 N: 2419] (10674)
  • [2011-09-22 9:03]

Hallo Peter,
Natural composition ..
A lovely capture of this Black-crowned Night Heron. Good sharp details, nice natural colours and a composition.
Best wishes,
Seyfi

Hello Peter,
great shot of this heron with good sharpness and a well chosen POV. I especially like the beautiful colours and the fine eye contact.
Best wishes,
Helmut

Lovely capture with fine moderate colors and good depth of field Peter! Hope you are OK?
Regards,
George Veltchev

Hello Peter,
WOW, what a beautiful image. Another one of your stunning bird photo's. Fantastic details. Stunning and tfs.
Regards
Natley

Hello Peter,
This photo looks majestically sharpness, and you handled the light superbly! ... It's a beautiful bird, very well photographed! TFS! Regards
Jesús

Peter, this is a great shot of this heron. You did a great job capturing it. It has good sharpness and deail. Also great bokeh.

Hello Peter,lovely plumage definition and perfect pose make a very good capture.
Regards Les.

Hallo Peter,
a superb capture of the Black-crowned Night Heron taken from an excellent point of view in a great posture, very good sharpness and bright colours, very well composed
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

Hello Peter,
Photograph of this extraordinary specimen of night heron, great sharpness and POV.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing
Hello Vanni

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3097 W: 109 N: 12399] (52850)
  • [2011-09-22 12:19]

Hello Peter,
Excellent close capture of the Night Heron in a fine pose. very good focus on the red eye and sharp details. Very fine composition too.Best regards Siggi

Hello Peter,
A lovely species of birds. very difficult to approach.
Very nice colors, perfect POV and fantastic sharpness.
Thanks for sharing!
Marius.

  • Great 
  • BREARD Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 106 W: 1 N: 419] (2141)
  • [2011-09-22 22:00]

Bonjour Peter,
Belle image de cet oiseau aux jolies couleurs.
Belle netteté et excellente composition
Amitiés
Serge

Beautiful photo Peter! Good composition, wonderful BG, nice colours and good sharpness.
Regards,
Christodoulos

Hello Peter,
A very nice shot of this Black-crowned Night Heron, lovely clarity and very good sharpness, beautiful colours and a very nice pleasing background,
Thanks for sharing and have a nice day,
Best Regards,
Bungbing.

Hi Peter,

Nice picture of the this beautiful heron with good details.
Perfect POV & great eye contact too. Well done & TFS.
Kapil

Bonjour Peter,
Agréable valorisation du sujet dans une belle posture et sous une bonne profondeur de champ.
A bientôt sur TN pour de nouvelles aventures.
Gérard

  • Great 
  • tuslaw Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2754 W: 282 N: 4931] (19883)
  • [2011-09-24 18:16]

Hello Peter,
You did an outstanding job of capturing this beautiful Night Heron on this very sunny day. Exceptional detail and gorgeous natural coloration. I have only seen Night Herons a few times, but have never gotten a shot of one.
Ron

Ciao Peter. Impressive DOF and stunning details with fascinating tender colours/tones. Lovely copmpo.

Roberto

Hi Peter,

The branches are framing well the bird. The point of view is showing the details and colors of the Black-crowned Night Heron. The afternoon light is enhancing the beauty of the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 3053 W: 3 N: 8715] (40574)
  • [2011-09-25 7:44]

Hello Peter,
A fine and natural picture of this special looking bird. You caught this Night Heron with an amazing pose just on one leg. Subtle colors and a well chosen vertical framing. I never have seen this bird in the wild, just in the zoo. Interesting note too.
Thanks!
Anne

Una imagen que roza la perfección tanto por la luz como por los colores.
Gran nitidez y realismo.
Saludos Peter: J. Ignasi.

Hi Peter,
the heat of that day is well to be seen here. Capturing portrait of Nycticorax patiently at rest, apparently taken from quite a close distance, delivering an almost intimate feeling of encounter. Nice to look into that rare bird's brilliantly red eye. Thank you!
With best regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2791 W: 0 N: 6696] (25839)
  • [2011-10-02 17:26]

Hello Peter,
very lively pose of the heron in good fine focused of the head. Exciting softness of the feather and very dramatic shallow focus of the scenery.
The branches offer a lively arts too.

Regards,
Foozi

Hello Peter

Excellent photo of the Black-crowned Night Heron,
with fine POV obtaining its eye-contact, beautiful light,
excellent focus, sharpness, and details, TFS

Asbed

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