Young Scarlet Ibis, a photo from Gauteng, East

Photographer's Note

Last posting from my recent visit to the Monte Casino Bird Gardens...

The scarlet ibis is a vivid scarlet bird (50 cm) with a curved bill.

The red ibises live in large groups and fly in V-formation from their roosts to their feeding grounds. Between the normal green color of the landscape they contrast splendidly. The young are brown with a white rump and belly.

The ibises feed in shallow waters along the coast, in the mud flats and in the lagoons. As is known from the zoo, they have to eat a lot of shrimps to retain their color. They sleep in large groups in the mangrove trees along the coast, together with herons.

The ibises breed in young mangroves and if not enough of these trees are found in Suriname, the birds fly away to breed on the coast of Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana or Brazil. In Trinidad they are protected as the the national bird of that island, but they did not breed there for the last 30 years.

This a young bird getting its adult colors. The adults are bright red in color, I may post one later when I get a good enough shot of it.

Galeota, jhm, elroyie, carper, jhonny_blue, jrj, Jeppe, nwoehnl, avigur_11 has marked this note useful

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Galeota (10352) 2004-06-23 2:19

Another very good one with, once again, a well managed DOF and background. Slightly less sharpened than your previous shots though.

jhm (211738) 2004-06-23 2:24

Henry, wath great bird again, very beautiful of colours, one word LOVELY.

Zanni (6108) 2004-06-23 2:32

Great bird's portarit with special colours and reflections. Very well done, Henry

iamxa (3103) 2004-06-23 2:39

Nice nature portrait, very well framed and composed. I like very much, colors, tones, light... very well done.

elroyie (2750) 2004-06-23 2:47

Very good, excellent catch with very good colours and sharp frame. DOF is very good.

cdewet (0) 2004-06-23 3:23

Hi Henry
Nice, and nice note too. They do breed on Tobago, sister island to Trinidad. As soon as I am mobile again, I will have to go to Monte Casino! Every thing here looks great.

carper (96) 2004-06-23 3:34

Het is weer prachtig Henry,
Zoals jij deze mooie vogel in beeld zet. Mooie compositie, met een goede diepte, and een fantastische kleuren, erg goed werk

cecile (4193) 2004-06-23 3:40

j'aime beaucoup cete netteté parfait sur la tete de l'oiseau! superbe prise

jhonny_blue (4956) 2004-06-23 4:57

Wonderful Henrye !
One more perfect picture.
Very well done.

jrj (34843) 2004-06-23 5:22

You are sure in to some powerful shots of birds right now. I like very much these pixes with all the details so well displayed and in the colourful setting the total impression is the best. And the rings in the water even more makes this a 'top shot'. Very very good Henry

gepall (1838) 2004-06-23 6:50

Wonderful moment to capture.
Excellent color and clarity,very well done

Jeppe (18654) 2004-06-23 9:21

Great to watch this change of colours - the details of the feathers nicely captured and the pose just excellent - thanks Henry. I must visit our local zoo soon :-)

manny (22032) 2004-06-23 10:30

The key lighting is good. Nicely composed and the colors are just so distinct/wonderful. This is a great shot Henry. The partial reflection leaves us a lot to the imagination.

nwoehnl (122) 2004-06-23 12:03

What a coincidence Henry that on the same day I'm posting a mature ibis, you are posting a young one :-) Again you managed a stunnin crispness in your photo, with a fine posing by the bird and a great effect of the water reflections and the concentric ripples around the beak. The details of the plumage are very well rendered, too. Great work.

cmartos (242) 2004-06-23 19:36

Very good composition and superb colours. The sharpness is really at the top and you had a very good timing here by shooting while hhe had the beak in water. A fine nature catch!

avigur_11 (22553) 2004-06-23 22:30

THe angle you have chosen here is great, Henry. It shows the amazing long beak and the red feathers on his back. I like the reflection, the excellent crop and the dof. Wonderful.

joseelias (0) 2004-06-24 7:59

Very nice composition with the bird in a good position. The detail of the water ripples is very nice. Great color contrast and clarity.

maciekda (19895) 2004-06-25 5:44

wow, it is a nice shot, good technically, great focus, nice shallow DOF.. wonderful colors and great moment, good stuff

A-la-N (2025) 2004-07-13 17:23

Exellent Shot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lively colors. very good compo and quality .VERY WELL DONE

dsidwell (9783) 2004-09-14 9:36

Not only are the tones and colors here exqisite, your point of view is interesting and fresh. It is so fascinating to learn of so many lovely birds!

sergecross (3438) 2005-06-30 14:25

Henry, sharply taken. The colors are nice and the bird contains too much. The speed was strong to catch the water as i like and i only can said: Cogratulations!!
Try to make critiques to me...
Sergio

artsoul (4) 2006-07-18 10:11

wow this is beautiful