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Good Looking


Good Looking
Photo Information
Copyright: Geoff Taylor (geoffash26) Silver Note Writer [C: 5 W: 0 N: 45] (283)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon 20D, canon 300 f4 is
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-03-09 19:54
Viewed: 4159
Points: 28
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Taken at Liberty's Raptor centre

With their keen eyesight, sharp talons and strong beak, kestrels are well adapted to catching small agile prey. Kestrels are masters of stationary flight, and hover-hunt extensively. They also hunt from perches, altering their hunting method to suit prey type, weather conditions and energy requirements. On farmland kestrels have learned to watch farming operations, waiting for the tractors to flush prey.

Voles are by far the most important food for kestrels, although they regularly take other small mammals such as woodmice and shrews, small birds, insects and earthworms. In towns they take birds more frequently because of lower availability of small mammals.

A kestrel is capable of locating its prey at remarkable distances it can see and catch a beetle 50 m from its perch. Kestrels need to eat 4-8 voles a day, depending on the time of the year and the amount of energy-consuming hover-hunting they do. They have a habit of catching several voles in succession and cacheing some for later.

The stored food is usually eaten the same day just before dusk. This reduces the risk that the bird would have to go to roost on an empty stomach.
ScottKY, Janice, ALIRIZA, coasties, PDP, MikeGray has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Great color and detail in this shot.

Great job,
Scott

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3277 W: 148 N: 6163] (18832)
  • [2006-03-09 23:19]

Excellent portrait Geoff of this beautiful bird. And I can see you in his eye. Very good sharp details and colours. I like this very much, TFS
Janice

Exceptional detail, beautiful profile shot, the color and exposure does not get much better then this.

Greg

Excellent shot!
Very sharp and detailed, nice colours and good background.
TFS!

Geoff:
Nice portrait, but this is a Red Kite, not as Kestrel as described in your note ;)
Regards, Nigel.

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-03-10 5:23]

Hi Geoff,
Lovely profile portrait, superb detail and excellent textures in the feathers. Nice colours and the background has worked really well here.
Regards,
Adrian

Perfect portrair Geoff, great light!!!

Hi Geoff!
Marvelous and great portrait. Good details, nice colors and framing. I like POV and sharpness too. Congratulations...
Well done.
Ali Rıza

Nice detail and colour Geoff.

very sharp and powerful
good eye and feather textures..colour is vivid and true..

Hi Geoff

You have a beautiful model. Love the POV here. Good light and exposure. Nice close details with good depth of colour. Nice one!

I think I can even see the photographer reflected in the bird's eye - superb detail overall, with each feather very clearly deliniated.

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2006-03-23 3:08]

Hi Geoff, great close up of this kestrel..I'm not sure I've seen one as close. Lovley focus and very good details. Well done.

Nice to meet you too!

Very nice Geoff bet you are proud of this one.
Mike

Gorgous Photo of a Stunning Bird. You've got a Red Kite there.

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