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On the Roof


On the Roof
Photo Information
Copyright: Jane Magen (jaycee) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2454 W: 10 N: 8044] (25460)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-04-14
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon PowerShot S5 IS, 1.5 Teleconverter
Exposure: f/4, 1/1250 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Joe's Favourites 2, CeltickRanger's favorite Bird photos [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-04-16 8:16
Viewed: 2831
Points: 70
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Gambel's Quail

Gambel’s quail are pear-shaped birds with short legs and roundish wings. Both sexes are gray above and buff below, with white-streaked russet sides. Males have a black throat and face and a head plume (called a "topknot"), a red cap and white headband. Females have a less prominent plume and lack black coloration and red head cap. The birds have a 14-inch wing span and average weight of six ounces.

The species’ range is focused in the Sonoran desert of Arizona and Mexico, but it extends into southern New Mexico, up and down the Rio Grande, up the Colorado River drainage into Utah’s canyon country, and west to California and southern Nevada.

Gambel’s quail eat seeds of forbs, grasses, shrubs, trees and cacti as well as herbaceous material, fruits and berries. They are ground feeders, generally seeking food in the morning and afternoon.

Gambel’s quail inhabit brushy and thorny vegetation of southwestern deserts. They are often closely associated with honey mesquite, although these plants are not essential to the birds’ survival. The birds range up to a mile, often along river valleys and drainages. They use shrubs and trees as a nighttime roost, resting a few inches to a few feet off the ground, a habit not typically found in other desert quail. They appear commonly in the suburbs.

These gregarious birds often join together in groups known as coveys, which may total 20 or more individuals in fall and winter. They produce a location or assembly call, "ka-KAA-ka-ka," to locate a mate or other covey members, issuing the call most often in midmorning or late afternoon. They emit a distinct "chip-chip-chip" when alarmed.

Natural predators include bobcats, Cooper’s and Harris’ hawks, cotton rats, king snakes and coachwhips, although the impact these species have on Gambel’s quail populations is not fully understood. Like other quail, Gambel’s quail commonly sprint into dense undergrowth rather than taking flight.

Humans are the Gambel’s quail’s most important predator. Hunting seasons last up to 125 days with individual hunter limits of up to 15 birds per day. The average estimated kill between 1993 and 1995 exceeded 1.2 million birds per year. Trapping in the 1800’s appears to have decimated populations, but the practice is now outlawed in the United States.

http://www.desertusa.com
Jamesp, Luis52, matatur, uleko, Hil, earthtraveler, Dis. Ac., gracious, goldyrs, eqshannon, boreocypriensis, fartash, zulfu, nglen, pekkavalo1, Juyona, marhowie, Proframe, Adanac, CeltickRanger, maurydv, haraprasan, gannu, Argus, SelenE has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1369 W: 9 N: 6334] (18906)
  • [2008-04-16 8:45]

Hi Jane

Great pose and eaxcellent POV - as always great colours and composition.

James

  • Great 
  • Luis52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1175 W: 8 N: 4240] (15809)
  • [2008-04-16 8:50]

Hola Prima.
Great image of this Quail. Beautiful Plume in head. Beautiful colors and lovly pose. I also like the blue sky.
Saludos Jane.
Luis52.

A fine capture of an interesting species from a favourable low viewpoint Jane, which cleared the BG and displayed the salient characteristics of the bird admirably. TFS my friend.
Cheers,
Mehmet

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3396 W: 172 N: 3310] (10940)
  • [2008-04-16 9:13]

Hi Jane,
What a splendid capture of this Quail! It's a lovely bird and your capture is spot-on, very sharp and the colours are very beautiful. I always imagined Quails being on the ground but this one is obviously a high flyer!!
Well done, Jane!
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

  • Great 
  • Hil Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 696 W: 13 N: 1407] (5035)
  • [2008-04-16 9:14]

Hi Jane

Great shot of the Quail, I think he looks like a 1920's flapper with his headband complete with Feather.
Nicely composd with a goos POV and excellent pose.
Good details, nice colours and lovely warm light.

Hil

Hi Jane,
What a fine catch of a marvelous bird! Lovely deatails well seen from your fine camera work. Beautiful Arizona deep blue sky. Nicely composed. Tfs Richard

Hello!
Excellent!
Great colours, details, and sharpness.
A very good composition.
Your comment is very interesting.
All the best!
Iulian

Hi Jane,

Good captured these bird, a lots of details on his feathers.
Beautiful colors and pov, also the BG are exellent.
I believe indeed that human's are the greatest predaters and mostly for the fun!
So 1,2 million of birds each year is unbelieveble but true i think!
Good note!

regards Gert

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2008-04-16 10:57]

Hello Jane,
Excellent photo in great clear and contrasting colours. Very good details in the feathers. Good composition and blue BG.
Regards,
Peter

Hello Jane
This Quail makes me giggle a little..I think Hilary summed it up quite well....That said this is a superb capture..The sharpness and the pose is perfect..I love the beak just open as I guess he is calling for a mate.
Perfect work Jane
Paul

Hello Jane,
I loved this posting of your with such a beautiful Quail in a fine pose!
supern sharpness, good colour and great details
well done, Jane!
best regards
Tony

I have not yet looked at my camera but I ran into a cousin of this one this morning on my walk...I don't think it came out though. This is just fine and besides mine was a California Quail. It appears we have quite a few here..I see them almost ever day....wonderful image Jane. I happen to like these birds...and the story goes on from there..
Bob

Dear Jane
Excellent shot of this Gambel's Quail,
Perfect details,composition and BG,
Welldone my friend.

Regards
Fartash

  • Great 
  • zulfu Gold Star Critiquer [C: 685 W: 0 N: 2] (43)
  • [2008-04-16 13:05]

Hello Jane,
Splendid shot of this beautiful bird! TFS.
Mehmet

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2883 W: 30 N: 9683] (36145)
  • [2008-04-16 13:08]

Hi jane. Great shot of the Quail. Its got fantastic head feathers. good detail and colours. with a nice POV. well done TFS.
Nick..

Hi Jane,

Great picture of this amazing bird! Have never seen one. Good pose and composition and great sharp details and colours. Great work.

Thanks for sharing

Pekka

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 2232 W: 10 N: 2971] (16891)
  • [2008-04-16 13:53]

Hola Jene,
bella captura,
pov y encuadre,
hermoso foco...
saludos

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1739 W: 224 N: 6872] (24909)
  • [2008-04-16 13:54]

Now this really is Excellent with a capital E!
This bird's plumage is stunning and you show it very, very well.
Brilliant sharpness with great detail.
Superb DOF and BG.
Very good composition.
Really well done Jane!!!

Joe

Hello Jane,

What a wonderful bird and that on the roof :)
Only birds sometimes landing on my roof are Sparrows, Magpies and Blackbirds, but not nearly wonderful ones like this.
Never seen an image of this species before.
Very good composition with great sharpness and exposure.
Feather details, colors, contrast and the catchlight in the eye of the bird are most wonderful.
The way the Quail does stand out against the blue sky is great.
Very well done and excellent note. TFS!!!

Kindest regards, Harry

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1273 W: 1 N: 6188] (21378)
  • [2008-04-16 18:43]

Ah My Friend,
This is an excellent image of this species, the colors and details you were able to capture are excellent. The sparkle in its eye and that Arizona sky, Darn thats poetic LOL. Thanks for sharing Jane.
Rick

hello Jane

i LOVE your Gambel's Quail image, what a lovely image,
i love your POV from down to up, in French they say
« en contre-plongé » if i translate « againts-diving»,
i love the way this lovely bird is framed on the image,
i love that wonderful Arizonian blue sky, excellent luminosity
of the image, great sharpness and details
with a lovely catch-light at the eye, TFS alot for this image Jane

Asbed

Bellissimo ritratto, ottimi POV e DOF, bellissima posa, eccellenti i dettagli del piumaggio e splendidi i colori. Grazie e complimenti. Ciao Maurizio

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1772 W: 36 N: 5597] (18598)
  • [2008-04-17 3:08]

Hi Jane,
Wonderful shot of this elegant ganbel's Quail sitting like a king on that roof. Very impressive colours and details on its plumage and great use of natural lighting. That blue sky again looks majestic as BG and presents a fine base of the subject to stand out. Excellent POV and composition. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

Hi Jane,
A nice capture of this beautiful quail. Excellent composition and sharp details. Thanks a lot for sharing.

I love clear blue skies!
And Jane, what a lovely bird!I love the plume (I hope that's what they call it) on its head is like a crown...I've heard of Quails being hunted, it happens in India as well.
I've never seen this variety of quails.The bird also looks sad to me, don't ask me why, but that's how I feel..
A lovely shot, Jane.
Thanks!
Goldy

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5038 W: 260 N: 15594] (50626)
  • [2008-04-17 7:54]

Hello Jane,
What a great capture! Technically excellent and esthetically pleasing shot of a Gambels Quail.
Fancy having these guys calling from your roof!
We can't hear it but this shot is a fine compensation!
Thanks for sharing it,
Ivan

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-04-17 8:16]

Hello Jane

A super shot of this beautiful quail.
The detail is incredible.
Excellent POV and DOF.
The plumage is wonderful,the colours are well saturated.
Superb eye contact,detail and catchlight.
Your best Gambel's Quail image so far.
Great camera work.
TFS

Rob

A superb shot of this Gambel's Quail my friend Jane.
Well done!
TFS.
Greetings from Cyp.
Bayram

Really nice detail, color and contrast on this quail... Very Arizona!

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 988 W: 4 N: 3277] (14761)
  • [2008-04-18 2:54]

Hello Jane, What a shot from the roof top. WOW. I like the view and the focus. Excellent one. Ganesh Hope you wont mind smiley tmrw

Morning Jane,
Great colors, detail, and exposure. I like the comp and POV from below..Shooting up to grab all that nice blue sky worked extremely well here :)
Nice shot!!
Howard

Hi Jane, lovely bird in great pose, splendid focus, fine details and wonderful sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

Beautiful details, fabulous angle and that brilliant blue sky. I love your work! :)

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2249 W: 65 N: 4205] (13972)
  • [2008-04-20 13:39]

Hi Jane,
What an interesting and good looking bird :o) Pose you captured and the catchlight in the eye are very nice. TFS
Best wishes,
Selen

  • Great 
  • izler Gold Star Critiquer [C: 1387 W: 3 N: 9] (44)
  • [2008-05-04 5:38]

hello Jane
good capture of this cute species while its giving nice pose to you
i like POV, BG, colours and details
TFS
greetings
izler
:)

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