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Male Marico
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Male Marico

by Ashley Vincent

Gallery: AvianPosted September 17, 2011159 views16 comments
Canon EOS 7D, EF 500mm f/4L IS USM, Aperture Priority @ f/8 (1/500 sec), +1/3 EV, ISO 640, Tripod, JPEG from RAW, Cropped about 20% from Full Frame

As often is the case, some of the most exquisitely coloured birds I've come across on my photography trips are found closest to the accommodation I'm staying in, which often has me wondering whether I might be best off just staying at base camp instead of going out in search for interesting things to shoot ;^)

Like most Sunbirds, the Marico male is far more striking in colour than it's female counterpart who is usually quite drab and plain, as you can see by example of the female Marico Sunbird I posted a couple of day ago compared to this handsome little chappy.

Above and beyond the generally accepted in post-processing, I cloned out one vertical twig that, for me, was far too distracting.

Comments and critique always welcome.

Comments

16 comments
Comment posted by Rob Drummond on September 17, 2011 at 8:38 AM
Now that's special Ashley - well done. Love the contrast between the colours of the bird and the brown of the foliage

cheers
Rob
Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments
Comment posted by John Robinson on September 17, 2011 at 8:42 AM
That,s very nice indeed.
Great looking bird.
JohnR
Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments
Comment posted by KC Choo on September 17, 2011 at 8:50 AM
A good look at a very beautiful Sunbird, Ashley!
Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments
Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on September 17, 2011 at 11:35 AM
Very nice look at this beautiful sunbird, Ashley. Very nice detail in the bird. I feel the background is a bit busy, but it is it's natural environment. Great shot.
Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments
Comment posted by John Tobias on September 17, 2011 at 2:22 PM
Ashley, very colorful bird. Good sharpness and detail. The larger image looks very good. Thanks for sharing.
Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on September 17, 2011 at 4:35 PM
What gorgeous colours! I love these guys, and all the great sunbirds (and other incredible birds)on your website, from this trip. looking forward to seeing them posted here.
The BG and surrounding areas are kind of messy here, but it's clearly what the BIRD likes.
Really nice image!
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on September 17, 2011 at 11:31 PM
Thank you for your kind words and comments Rob, John R, KC, Matt, John T, and Sandy :^)
Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments
Comment posted by keith mitchell on September 18, 2011 at 2:07 PM
Hello Ashley.
This is a beautiful bird super detail and colours.

Keith. :smile:
Registered on July 12, 2008, 127 Posts, 1735 Comments
Comment posted by May Haga on September 18, 2011 at 2:57 PM
Very nice Ashley. That is one colorful bird. Excellent color and feather detail.
May
Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments
Comment posted by Ray Whitt on September 18, 2011 at 4:32 PM
Love the colors Ashley, excellent details too. Welcome back,

Ray
Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments
Comment posted by Sally King on September 18, 2011 at 6:45 PM
You have captured the colors brillantly and the feather detail is quite good. I am not bothered at all by the busy surroundings as this bird stands out quite well anyway.
Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments
Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on September 19, 2011 at 12:30 AM
Thanks for sharing your appreciative thoughts Keith, May, Ray, and Sally :^)
Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on September 19, 2011 at 11:17 PM
Good job on the detail and nice job getting this species Ashley. The surroundings are a bit busy, but it is the birds habitat and I think you handled them okay. My only nit, is to emit looks a bit over saturated...especially the greens.
Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments
Comment posted by Max Waugh on September 20, 2011 at 12:27 AM
One of my favorite birds from my trip last year. I think the saturation's fine, and you captured the plumage quite well... but I'm seeing the "washed out" look (as when shadows are brought up too much using shadow/highlight) that I mentioned with some of your previous images earlier in the year.

Max
Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments
Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on September 20, 2011 at 10:52 PM
Asley this is great.Love the perch and how he pops out from it with just enough dof to not be a busy bg.
Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments
Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on September 20, 2011 at 11:20 PM
Thank you for your thoughts and comments Kurt, Max, and Cheryl :^)
Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments