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Pelican


Pelican
Photo Information
Copyright: Eduardo Balogh (Ketaka) Silver Note Writer [C: 2 W: 3 N: 47] (571)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2000-06
Categories: Nature
Camera: Nikon F70, Nikkor AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 D ED, Kodak E100VS
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Animals portraits I., Budapest ZOO Animals, My Portraits [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-02-15 3:03
Viewed: 528
Points: 16
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Budapest ZOO 2000 June.

A pelican is any of several very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under the beak belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae.

Along with the darters, cormorants, gannets, boobies, frigatebirds, and tropicbirds, pelicans make up the order Pelecaniformes. Modern pelicans are found on all continents except Antarctica. They occur mostly in warm regions, though breeding ranges reach 45° south (Australian Pelican, P. conspicillatus) and 60° North (American White Pelicans, P. erythrorhynchos, in western Canada). Birds of inland and coastal waters, they are absent from polar regions, the deep ocean, oceanic islands, and inland South America.

An Australian Pelican seemingly forcing its beak inside out, Lakes Entrance, VictoriaPelicans are large birds with enormous, pouched bills. The smallest is the Brown Pelican (P. occidentalis), small individuals of which can be as little as 2.75 kg (6 lb), 106 cm (42 in) long and can have a wingspan of as little as 1.83 m (6 ft). The largest is believed to be the Dalmatian Pelican (P. crispus), at up to 15 kg (33 lb), 183 cm (72 in) long, with a maximum wingspan of nearly 3.5 m (11.5 ft). The Australian Pelican has the longest bill of any bird[1].

Pelicans swim well with their short, strong legs and their feet with all four toes webbed (as in all birds placed in the order Pelecaniformes). The tail is short and square, with 20 to 24 feathers. The wings are long and have the unusually large number of 30 to 35 secondary flight feathers. A layer of special fibers deep in the breast muscles can hold the wings rigidly horizontal for gliding and soaring. Thus they can exploit thermals to commute over 150 km (100 miles) to feeding areas.

Pelicans rub the backs of their heads on their preen glands to pick up its oily secretion, which they transfer to their plumage to waterproof it.
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • t0bs Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 67 W: 39 N: 35] (147)
  • [2008-02-15 3:16]

Hi Eduardo

Great shot. Nice tight composition. Beautiful neutral colour tone.
I wonder what it was thinking at that time. If it has the same mind with us, perhaps it was giving a "nasty" look to someone who didn't give enough food to it. Perhaps =)

Cheers
Toby

Hi Eduardo,
Beautiful portrait of this great pelican. Great colours and sharpness. Well framed.
Greetings Fran

  • Great 
  • kiks Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 585 W: 113 N: 456] (3435)
  • [2008-02-15 3:31]

Hi Eduado, i love the detail definition on this image. The way the light falls at the pelican is also beautiful and the unsharp dark bg works very good.
TFS
KIKs

Beautiful colors and that gaze.. awesome!

Jolies couleurs ,bonne netteté et présentation soignée.
Bonne journée.
Pascal

  • Great 
  • MikiM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 398 W: 94 N: 391] (1831)
  • [2008-02-17 12:48]

HI Eduardo,

Very nice shoot. I like the nice colors very much. The frame was a good choice also!
Congrats and TFS,

Miklós

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 547 W: 9 N: 104] (1590)
  • [2008-02-26 1:23]

beautiful shot! great portrait and composition. the colors are splendid. i like his "expression"!

Great image for film quality. I admit I'm a lover of digital photography, but I admire photographers who use film because they are not so reckless clicking and clicking but they wait for the appropriate timing to take the shot knowing that mistakes would appear if they're careless.

Great colour and exposure tones, the DOF is amazing and quite easy for your 70-300 ultra zoom lens, did you use an external flash for this one here? the lighting is too good to be true!

Regards
Stelios

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