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The King Of Fishers


The King Of Fishers
Photo Information
Copyright: Pam Russell (coasties) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3749 W: 483 N: 8155] (28054)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-01-20
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM, Digital RAW 200, Hoya UV 77mm
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Kingfishers II [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-02-17 0:43
Viewed: 5641
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 68
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Kingfishers

Kingfishers are birds of the three tismand Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers). There are about 90 species of kingfisher. All have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. They are found throughout the world.

The taxonomy of the three families is complex and rather controversial. Although commonly assigned to the order Coraciiformes, from this level down confusion sets in.

The kingfishers were traditionally treated as one family, Alcedinidae with three subfamilies, but following the 1990s revolution in bird taxonomy, the three former subfamilies are now usually elevated to familial level; a move supported by chromosome and DNA-DNA hybridisation studies, but challenged on the grounds that all three groups are monophyletic with respect to the other Coraciiformes; which leads to them being grouped as the suborder Alcedines.

The tree kingfishers have been previously given the familial name Dacelonidae but Halcyonidae has priority. This group derives from a very ancient divergence from the ancestral stock.

Kingfishers live in both woodland and wetland habitats. The Laughing Kookaburra, at 45 cm the world's largest kingfisher, is a woodland bird, while the European Kingfisher Alcedo atthis is always found near fresh water.

Kingfishers that live near water hunt small fish by diving. They also eat crayfish, frogs, and insects. Wood kingfishers eat reptiles. Kingfishers of all three families beat their prey to death, either by whipping it against a tree or by dropping it on a stone.

They are able to see well both in air and under water. To do this, their eyes have evolved an egg-shaped lense able to focus in the two different environments.

The above obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher

IMAGE INFORMATION

Camera: Canon 20D
Time of day: 15:50 p.m.
Date: 20th January 2007
Weather conditions: Clear
Lens: Canon 100-400mm L IS
Filter: Hoya 77mm UV
Shutter Speed: 1/100
F-Stop: F/7.1
Focal Length: 400mm
ISO: 200
Support: Hand Held
Original File: Digital RAW
pankajbajpai, shal, goutham_ramesh, jcoowanitwong, Tamrock, ramthakur, uleko, horia, jaycee, peter_stoeckl, garyfudge, stevkds, Adanac, star74, radz, RAP, marhowie, vanderschelden has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

hi pam,
beautiful shot,
well composed with fine pov,
lovely colours,
nice blurred bg,
well done,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • shal Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 256 W: 64 N: 481] (2140)
  • [2007-02-17 1:08]

Hi Pam,
brilliant details and an excellent composition,
I like the pose aswell with the beak slightly open - trying to tell you something,
Great Work :)
Cheers :D

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1772 W: 36 N: 5597] (18598)
  • [2007-02-17 1:53]

Hi Pam,
Wonderful shot. Nice colours and sharpness. Immaculate BG. Very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

Beautifully composed. This is an excellent photograph. While your note has a lot of useful information, you failed to tell us what kind of kingfisher this is. It looks like a Belted Kingfisher, but i am no expert.

Lars

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1659 W: 95 N: 2273] (8415)
  • [2007-02-17 2:26]

Hi Pam,
Perfect and very aesthetic capture: pose, composition, light, details, sharpness, pov and background are spot on!
TFS, José M.

As usual you have produced another brilliant masterpiece. expsoure is spot on. POV and bg are very good. TFS!

Bela foto meu amigo,gosto deste estilo do primeiro plano destacado em relação do segundo,imagem perfeita e cores suaves o meu gosto,parabéns.
Nilson

Hi Pam,
A beautiful picture, i like those eyes, curved perch, shape of the beak, colors and sharpness.
TFS
Goutham R

Hello Pam,
This one is colorful and beautiful. Sharp with fine details are clearly seen. Excellent exposure and color contrast. TFS this fine image.
JC

this is great pam!
sharp with nice pov and dof
very good composition and
lovely background
very well done!

Truly superb capture of this beautiful Kingfisher against the most befitting grey BG, Pam.
TFS and bye.

bonjour pam
j'aimerais bien savoir a qu'elle distance vous vous trouviez de l'oiseau pour avoir un aussi beau resultat,felicitations.
laurent

Nice one, Pam!
Pose, details and colors are really nice.
TFS
Ralf

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3396 W: 172 N: 3310] (10940)
  • [2007-02-17 6:48]

Hello Pam,
You must be pleased with this lovely shot of the Sacred Kingfisher. Very sharp details and wonderful colours. Very nice profile against the plain background. Escellent composition too.
Many thanks, Ulla

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2158 W: 224 N: 4749] (16656)
  • [2007-02-17 7:54]

Hi Pam

What a lovely capture! I've always liked these kingfishers for being so specialized and good at what they do...evolution at it's finest :)
The details and colors on this one are terrific and beautifully shown here.
I also like the pose with the turned head, the composition (with plenty of space in the direction of the bird's view) and that outstandingly blurred BG.
Great work!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

  • Great 
  • viv Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 292 W: 3 N: 653] (3317)
  • [2007-02-17 10:13]

Hi Pam,
What a composition Pam, but that is usual with you.
Great on every thing, colours, POV, BG, sharpness.
So perfect.
Vivian

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2454 W: 10 N: 8044] (25460)
  • [2007-02-17 11:13]

Hi Pam,

What a beautiful kingfisher. I love the pose with the beak slightly open. The colors are fantastic. Lovely shot.

Jane

Hello Pam,
very clear, with beautiful subdued colours of grey and blue, very elegantly composed, the branch in perfect harmony with the pose of the kingfisher. Great.
Thank you! Best regards,
Peter

Pam,

Yet another superb shot. Colours well saturated and focus pin sharp perfect.

Gary

Hi Pam,

excellent detail. Very pretty shot. I really love this pic, great photo. tfs. Stev

Hello Pam!
That photo is great. I like the colours a lot! Crisp details, focus spot on. Beautiful background and excellent composition. Very well done. TFS!

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1273 W: 1 N: 6188] (21378)
  • [2007-02-17 20:53]

Hello Pam,
Your capture is technically excellent, the composition is Fantastic and a cery good note. Thanks for your work Pam.
Rick

Hi Pam,
Wonderful shot full of details.
Beautiful colors.
The stand of the bird is superb.
Clarity and sharpness are beautiful.

G'day Pam
Another fine piece of photography, well done.
TFS Paul

Bonjour Pam
Excellente prise de vue de ce beau martin pêcheur posé sur sa branche,les couleurs sont magnifiques belle composition les détails sont superbes et beau BG .J,espère avoir la chance d'en photographier un un jour.
Bon week end et merci...JP

Hi Pam,
for me that birds are the kings of all birds, I love them so much. And it's so difficult to see or even catch them. You did it excellent, I love the pose and the good sharpness, what a noble bird. I never had the chance to see a single one in nature, but they are so rare here in Germany and living in protected areas where it's forbidden to walk through, good for the birds, so sad for me ;-)
So thanks and many greetings
Sabine - wishnugaruda

  • Great 
  • radz Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 598 W: 11 N: 72] (436)
  • [2007-02-19 4:25]

Fantastic shot with superb details..Lovely composition&POV!

Hi Pam,
Wonderful shot. Nice colours and sharpness.

Biswarup

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2007-02-19 15:24]

Nice catch Pam with great point of view and colors.

I like it a lot: composition, sharpness, POV, DOF, focus, lighting, colors, background, framing and notes.

I don't like it: nothing.

The location of the hanger collaborates with the aesthetics of the presentation.
Thanks and regards... Ricardo

This is a beautiful shot Pam,
Excellent colors and well exposed. Very good DOF, composition, BG, and detail/sharpness mf.
Very well done.

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1538 W: 5 N: 2240] (12636)
  • [2007-02-22 21:23]

SUPERBE!
Joseph.
Merci

Hi Pam
Beautiful shot with excellent composition, colours and pov very good.
Regards.
Jorge

  • Great 
  • pac Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 67 W: 13 N: 157] (1783)
  • [2007-04-13 13:08]

Also great. I must admit I'm impressed what you get out of the same equip that I use - I've a long way to go..

Hello Pam,
Beautiful Kingfisher you managed to capture.
Good BG and compo.
TFS
Annick

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