Highland cattle in the park Photo

Photographer’s Note

I took this picture at the 22-th of december, when everything was white because of the frost. I went to the Vogelenzangpark (English: Birdsong park), a nature park in Spijkenisse. There are a lot of these highland cattle in the park and it's just fun to see them doing there cattle things. This one was looking my way, so I could make this portrait.

About Highland cattle:

Scottish highland cattle have handlebar shaped horns and long, thick, shaggy coats.
Shoulder height: 0.9-1.1 m (2.95-3.6 ft.).
Males (bulls) grow larger than females (cows).
Weight: 450-1,000 kg (992-2,204 lb.).
Diet: Mainly grazes on grasses.
Gestation: Mating occurs throughout the year. Gestation lasts approximately 277-290 days. A single calf is most common, although occasionally twins are born.
Sexual maturity: At about 18 months.
Life span: May be more than 20 years.
Range: Originally native to Scotland. Now quite popular in the United States.
Habitat: Originally rough and rocky terrain.
Population: Global.

Fun Facts:

- Scottish highland cattle are an ancient, Celtic breed of cattle.

- Cattle consume as much as 70 kg (150 lb.) of grass and graze about eight hours each day.

pablominto, AROBN54, alvaraalto, dareco, mikeo, Tue, serp2000, norenastramus06 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

BLO (180) 2007-12-29 8:53

isn't he beauty?
actually i would try to crop ~1/3 from bottom of the picture. Try it! I could be wrong, but that is worth to try, because he is soooooooooooooooooooo beautiful. TFS

AROBN54 (10777) 2007-12-29 10:19

Hi, Nel!
Oh, this is simply wonderful!! I love those highland cows and you have done a great job with this shot. The light is perfect and the colors are awesome. I love that frosty bush in the foreground corner and the ones so nicely blurred in the back. Beautifully framed and balanced. This is just outstanding!! Thanks and have a great New Year!!
Shelly

alvaraalto (5231) 2007-12-29 13:52

Hallo Nel,

Je ziet deze hooglander tegenwoordig overal in de Hollandse duinen. Je heb de kop in prachtig winters zonlicht gevangen en de berijpte voor en achtergrond maken er een schitterend plaatje van.

de beste wensen voor 2008
groet Rob

dareco (17104) 2007-12-29 16:07

It looks like a teddy bear!! A very beautiful picture with a great 'pose'. TFS

captainsgirl (3448) 2007-12-29 17:13

Hi Nel,
ohhh a face only a Mother could love, but wait.....where IS his face? hee hee! I hope there was a fence between you and him those are big horns!! TFS
Donna:o)

bracasha75 (22139) 2007-12-29 23:04

Hello Nel
Very nice presenting...
Good work
TFS
Cheers,Braca

mikeo (12117) 2007-12-30 4:19

Hi Nelly!

What a great shot! Wonderful POV with great sharpness of foreground and great blur on background! Nice sunlight makes great colours!

greetings,

Michal

Tue (25608) 2007-12-31 4:21

Hej Nel,
Kan het zijn dat je gisteren een foto had geüpload die later verdween? Dit is in ieder geval weer een prachtige foto van die heerlijke winterdag vorige week. Het licht is heel prettig en zijn roodbruine vacht contrasteert mooi met de witte omgeving.
Fijne jaarwisseling en alvast de beste wensen voor een goed en gezond 2008!
Groeten,
Lars

pablominto (40788) 2008-01-02 3:51

Hello Nel,
They are most likely peaceful and friendly animals, but the for sure look impressive!
This is a well framed portrait of this fellow, posing among frosty vegetation...
Greetings,
Pablo -

bigboroboy (1009) 2008-01-04 20:01

This is wonderful. The bold colours of the fur stand out very well against the white back and foregrounds. A very well executed image and very seasonal too.

PHIL

sadeik (3159) 2008-01-05 12:45

This is great, the frosty white background really shows off the excellant colouring of the highland cow, an excellant image

Simon

serp2000 (9553) 2008-01-08 1:59

Privet, Nelly,

Very interesting shot and a note.Good POV and compo.How long a distance from you to cattle? I hope it was dangerless.

Withe the best NewYear wishes,
Serghei

THY (1656) 2008-01-11 20:56

I like this cattle.
A very good work. Thanks.

THY

norenastramus06 (1224) 2008-01-13 11:43

Hi Nel,
A very beautiful portrait with a great 'pose.
Well done.TFS.
Greetings
H.Ayhan

bazal (7898) 2008-02-01 5:15

Hello, Nel.
Nicely managed picture with this highland cow standing in the cold weather. It appears particularly adapter for these kind of weather conditions, anyway!
like the choice of crop and the effect given by the frost.
Thanks for sharing.