Tockus leucomelas [African Hornbill]

With their long curved bills and jaunty disposition, hornbills are among the most

conspicuous of African birds, and also among the most interesting. Although not brightly

coloured - most have black, white or grey plumage - many species have colourful bills or

bare facial skin, and all are striking birds. All hornbills are hole-nesters, and it is fairly

well-known that the female typically seals herself into the nesting cavity once her clutch of

eggs has been laid. She cements herself in with mud and excreta, leaving just a tiny slit

through which food can be passed. Once safely ensconced, she undergoes a complete

moult of her flight feathers - a "make-over", if you will - and becomes reliant upon her

mate who is tasked with the job of keeping his partner fed during the several weeks of

incubation. Such responsibility could hardly be expected of a less committed partner! For

the male, his own genetic investment is vested with his mate and it is therefore important

that he sees her through this tricky but secure phase of the breeding cycle.

This photograph is of the same bird after he had flown to an adjacent bush.

 

I was wondering if this second photograph was worth posting in it's own right? - Not being very experienced in wildlife photography, I would value your opinions.

 

Regards, Nick.

Hi Nick, I'm just now regaining conciousness after fainting. A bird shot by Nick Price!

 

I have to say, the posted shot is not my favorite. With birds shots, typically focus is critical and I struggled to reach a "comfort level", for lack of a better term, with that shot.

 

On the other hand, the second shot I really like. I think it celebrates the beautiful bird nicely.

 

Looks like you just went to Africa? If so, you are one lucky man. All the best.

Thanks Jamie

 

I too am a little shell shocked! Bird shots, and wildlife shots are not my forte, but when on safari....

 

I could actually get a passion for this type of photography, it is all in the chase, even though the final result may be rather dull. I agree that I am not really very good at it, but what my recent trip has taught me is some better respect for those amongst us who have mastered wildlife photography, and in particular, bird shots.

 

I thought that I would load my photographs from my trip to S. Africa slowly and with discrimination, as it is taking me some time to decide which among the 540 shots that I took are the best! I thought that I would begin with the birds, and move slowly through the antelope, and on to the big game.

 

Thanks for looking, and more respect to bird photographers everywhere!

 

I value your advice, and will post the second image for critique!

 

Best wishes, Nick.

Nick, I sure hope I didn't come across as suggesting that you aren't "...very good at it...". Quite the contrary. I always enjoy your efforts and interpretation of things.

No, Jamie not at all. Your posting made me laugh out loud! - always good to hear from you, and I'm always being too humble about my work - an English thing I think?

 

Have you lost your English reserve yet, living over the pond for so long?

 

Beat wishes, Nick.

I don't think you ever lose the English reserve completely. Although I'm not sure how much I had to begin with.

 

Really looking forward to seeing your other safari pictures

Hi Nicholas, I think its a nice picture and an interesting bird. I do wish it were sharper and If it was mine I think I might crop it a bit Different too but I would have to see the full size first and for someone that does not take bird pictures its a good start. Sounds like you had a nice trip maybe one day I will go too, but that is a big maybe as I have not gone on many trips in my life time so far. Take care.

 

DK.

Thanks Dave. Encouragement indeed from one who is so accomplished in this field. Having had a sustained attempt a wildlife photography, I have nothing but respect and awe for your art!

 

Kind regards, Nick.

Nicholas if you start to like taking pictures of birds and wildlife get yourself a nice Prime 300mmF4L IS (the 300mm is good for many types of pictures) or 400mmF5.6L (Both Canon, You have Canon right) and your pictures will look better and better as you do more of it. :o)

Your Words above were very nice "so accomplished in this field" but I just started last winter and so far I am ok, I want to get better and better but I am a slow learner.

 

Take care and all the best to you, I hope you had a great time on your trip too.

 

DK.

 

P.s. I took a Duck picture a few days ago with the 400mm (So you can see what the 400mm can do for a Duck) I will post it in the near future hope you will like it, I really like the Background in it. Anyway Have fun and enjoy it thats number 1. :o)

The introduction was so interesting.. really pleased to read about this bird and then look at it too.. never seen it before and s/he is a beauty! The photo -to be honest- looks like a crop of a crop, very strange detail, it is interesting, difficult to describe.. (i hope it's not the initial shock finding a bird in your portfolio! :-)

Thanks again David, thanks Christos.

 

Here is the full frame shot, if anyone wants to have a go at cropping it differently.

 

Regards, Nick.

Hey Nick, This almost looks like a drawing, which, from a photographers standpoint is hard to do, intentionally or not! Cool shot, Cool bird,

Be well my friend, Todd

Hello Nick, forgive me for coming in with comments late in the day, my safari was in the south of France, and I didn't even get one bird shot.

 

I'm going to agree with the folks who say the second shot is better than the first, in that it has a more even tone and a clear view of the eye, the window of the soul.

 

The interesting thing about the mother blocking herself in with the eggs, is that the fledglings are driven to destroy the blockage. She repairs it as they chip away at it. The competing drives means that when a chick is big enough to break out, it's also big enough to survive outside. Only one chick is at that stage in development at one time.

 

It's a very big camera in your new self portrait, is that the EOS3?

 

Best regards. P

Thanks Pete, I always value your observations. I like this shot because of the blue, but I admit that the other is a better photograph (although neither are great compared to many bird shots on this site). Antilope to follow!

 

Sorry you saw no birds in France, but I bet you got some great shots none-the-less!

 

Yes thats the EOS3, with motor wind and the mighty 28-300mm super zoom! - a whealdy beast compared to the elegance of your digital EOS, but fun if you have a large 4 wheel drive game vehicle to lug it around in - hence the self-portrait taken in the rear view mirror!

 

Did you see the match yesterday? - I looked for you in the crowd - what a match it was - do you go to grounds other than Lords?

 

Looking forward to your French shots, Nick.

Thanks Todd, great to hear from you - it was all do to luck I'm afraid - I am a real novice with the nature shot, but I like this one none-the-less!

 

Regards, Nick.

Hi Nick. So here starts your adventurous incursion into wildlife photography, a seemingly pretty difficult speciality which I look at with certain awe from a safe distance! I like your crop here, which makes for a balanced composition, and the spark of colour provided by the bird's beak. Sharpness is another matter. To begin with, perhaps the choice of ISO 400 film was not the best for the detail this kind of shots call for; I think I would have gone for the 160VC, in spite of the stop lost, to still benefit from the negative film's latitude allowing to shoot quickly on auto-exposure most of the time. Even with the ISO 400, though, DOF looks shallow and the bird's head looks slightly blurred. It may have moved it precisely when you shot, rotten luck, but I surmise with that lighting you could have shot at not less than about 1/500 f8 for a reasonable compromise between speed and DOF, even if handholding at the long end of your lens ... (?)

 

I just don't think that lens does your camera justice. This photo is not sharp. It certainly could be sharp around 1/500th of a second (or slower since you used a slow I.S. lens) but it is impossible to tell since no data was supplied.