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Brahminy Kite


Brahminy Kite
Photo Information
Copyright: Andy Cole (flagman) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 351 W: 44 N: 607] (2408)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-07-09
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Canon 70-200 f/4L, Hoya Super HMC Pro1 67mm Sky1B
Exposure: f/13.0, 1/800 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Travelogue: A day at Whipsnade [I]
Theme(s): Zoo animals [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-07-13 11:10
Viewed: 10502
Points: 22
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I'm not 100% sure of the ID, so perhaps you could confirm/correct me if I'm wrong.
I think it's a Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus). It was taken at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park during the 'birds of the world' show.

I really like the subject of the photo so I was determined to post it, but I've had a hard time getting a decent quality image. The focus was a little soft (as usual with RAW mode but perhaps a little OOF also) and there was a lot of noise. Add to that the problem of incorrect monitor calibration - it looks completely different on 2 different monitors - and it's taken me about 6 attempts at processing and saving this photo.
I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me how it looks on your screen, especially the exposure and the noise level.

Thanks!

Andy.

==================================
General info on the Brahminy Kite:
Brahminy Kites are more scavengers than hunters. But they also hunt for small prey (fish, crabs, shellfish, frogs, rodents, reptiles, even insects). They forage both over water and land, soaring 20-50m above the surface.

Prey on the water surface is snatched with their talons, Brahminy Kites don't dive into the water. They may even snatch swarming termites on the wing with their talons.

They scavenge from food scraps and garbage and are thus quite common at harbours and coastal fish/food processing sites.

But Brahminy Kites don't just passively forage. They flush shorebirds roosting on the mudflats into flight to identify the weak. They are attracted to fires to catch any fleeing animals. They may steal from other raptors including large ones like the White-bellied Fish Eagle. Their catch is eaten on the wing, to prevent theft. When several quarrel over a meal, they squeal.
carper, mogens-j, sAner, AndyB, chiliu, sam224, marhowie, christophe has marked this note useful
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To mogens-j: Thanks for the workshopflagman 1 07-15 04:02
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1973 W: 119 N: 2582] (8439)
  • [2005-07-13 11:12]

Fantastic capture Andy,
great to made sucj a shot in a flight, very good in pov, not easy to made, fantastic work,
gr. Jaap

I think you did a great job Andy. This one is really a difficult shot to get right - almost impossible because of the hard backlight from the sky and clouds. In such situation I always try to overexpose with 0.3-1.0 to get some light and details in the underside of the bird. The composition is very good and I really like the picture so I dared to make a ws to see if I could pic up a few more details from the wings.

Helo Andy!
Great shot! What wonderful details!!! fantastic shrapnes and just great POV!

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1455 W: 74 N: 1426] (4750)
  • [2005-07-13 13:22]

Hi Andy,

I was buys with an e-mail, but you already posted this picture so I shall comment here. :) This is a great picture and I really like the fact you rotated the original as this version gives a better look. Also cropping it gives more impact. Details are pretty clear underneath the wing, but on my monitor the noisylevel is pretty high. That's my only nit. It doesn't seem too bright here, maybe very slightly. The pose is awesome and I would have been very proud if I could have captured this beautiful bird. Well done & TFS!

Regards,
Pieter

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1366 W: 32 N: 1351] (3982)
  • [2005-07-13 14:33]

An excellent capture Andy,
Very good composition and nice detail.
It looks okay on my screen.
great work,well done.

TFS.

Yaaay, 2 more days and I'll be able to see these in the wild!

Well caught image, it looks sharp, and you have managed to bring out some of the under wing detail quite well, though the lightening looks a little un-natural on the left hand wing to me...

  • Great 
  • chiliu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1457 W: 0 N: 1176] (6526)
  • [2005-07-13 20:52]

Excellent capture, Andy!
Very nice composition, very good details sharpness, background. Beautiful wingspan.
Great shot!
TFS!

Nice in-flight Andy, This is well composed with an excellent POV. Some noise from over-sharp, but overall a great capture, Well done!

Hi Andy
Sharpness: 5/5
Color: 5/5
DOF: 5/5
POV: 5/5
Excellent shot
TFS
In a friendly way Christophe

Great capture Andy. The details are very sharp and the colours good. I have never seen such a bird here in Italy. Very good work!

Bonjour Andy , toutes mes felicitations pour ce magnifique cliché ....
Didou

Great job with that kind of background and not being a pro with Photoshop

using a flash with better beamer would help here with the shadows. sweet looking bird.

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