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Thread: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

  1. #1
    Markvetnz's Avatar
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    Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    These albatross shots were taken using a 400mm lens with a 2x converter on a 1.3x sensor (from quite a long way off). Not the best quality but how often do you get to take photos of an albatross?

    Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Wood Pidgeon

    Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

  2. #2
    botspur's Avatar
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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Hi Mark, too right about the chances to get an Albatross (which one) and you did very well under the circumstances. Great detail and colour on the Pidgeon.

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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Who would not be happy with these? Not me certainly. Well captured.

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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    To photograph an albatross!

    If I ever saw one, I think I'd be too excited to hold the camera.

    Glorious. You have made two wonderful images of the experience. Images, I think, to be very, very proud of.
    Last edited by Donald; 19th July 2012 at 06:20 AM.

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    Markvetnz's Avatar
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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Quote Originally Posted by botspur View Post
    Hi Mark, too right about the chances to get an Albatross (which one) and you did very well under the circumstances. Great detail and colour on the Pidgeon.
    Clive

    I'm pretty sure this bird is a Grey Headed Mollymawk. Diomedea chrysostoma.
    Another possibility would be a Buller's Mollymawk, but the pattern under the wing makes me think the former more likely. The photos were taken at 46deg south, listed as a locally common native, ranging widely through the Southern Oceans with a few visiting NZ coastal waters especially in winter. ref Field Guide to Birds of New Zealand (Heather, Robertson - Penguin, 2005)

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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Could also be a Buller's Albatross, Thalassarche bulleri which has one of the nesting sites at Three Kings Island. [ref Their world, their ways, albatross (Tui de Roy, Mark Jones, Julian Fitter, published by Bateman 2009]

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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Nicely caught Mark, that has got to be the best fed Pidgeon I have seen!

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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Thanks Mark and Ken for the possible ID. These birds amaze and fascinate me and long for the day to see one.

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    Markvetnz's Avatar
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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Thanks Ken

    The Bullers Albatross and the Bullers Mollymawk are one and the same. Just different nomenclature. The Grey headed variety has a broad band on the leading edge of the underwing and a narrow band on the trailing edge. The Bullers has narrow bands on both edges. That's the only reason I think these are the Grey Headed variety but I'm no expert. My brother is a bird fundi. I'll ask him to check it out. These shots were taken at Bluff last week. There was a pair of them scavenging off a local fisherman. I was hoping they would come closer. I took all these shots hand held with about 10kg of camera and lens. Needless to say my arms were pretty tired.

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    Markvetnz's Avatar
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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Paul

    These are wild wood pidgeons. They occur all over New Zealand. They feed on berries and fruit of our local native flora.

  11. #11
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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Thanks Mark, we have a large pidgeon here that is considered a woods pidgeon...called a ringneck I believe. They are twice the size of our city Pidgeons which are actually a rock dove I believe. Although none of ours have the girth that this bird has.

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    Tringa's Avatar
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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    All excellent photos, Mark, but the albatross ones are superb. I've often seen advice to avoid 2x tele-converters as they degrade the quality of the image. Your photos show that this advice is not always correct.

    Dave

  13. #13
    Markvetnz's Avatar
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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Quote Originally Posted by Tringa View Post
    All excellent photos, Mark, but the albatross ones are superb. I've often seen advice to avoid 2x tele-converters as they degrade the quality of the image. Your photos show that this advice is not always correct.

    Dave
    I only use the converter if I have to. These are practically 100% crops. The quality is not what I'd normally like it to be, but you either get the shot or you don't sometimes. I haven't noticed a lot of image degradation with the 2X III Canon converter.
    The pidgeon was taken with a 70 - 200 from about 20 feet away.

  14. #14
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    Re: Albatross and Wood Pidgeon

    Three beautiful images, Mark. I think I may be seeing a sharpening white halo around the dark edges of the wings in the first two - or maybe I need to look again when I am more wide awake. If it is a halo it can easily be fixed with the Clone Tool. Nice set!

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