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Sabyasachi Patra
13-07-2009, 02:26 PM
Created this image of an adult male Shikra in Bandhavgarh National Park. There were lots of worms in the ground below the mahua trees and were attracting lots of insectivorous and also a few raptors.

I am quoting from Grimmett and Inskipp:

Scientific name: Accipiter badius Height: 30-36cm

Adults paler than Besra and Eurasian Sparrowhawk. Underwing pale, with fine barring on remiges, and slightly darker wing-tips.

Male has pale blue-grey upperparts, indistinct grey gular stripe, fine brownish-orange barring on underparts, unbarred white thighs, and unbarred or only lightly barred central tail feathers.

Upperparts of female are more brownish grey. Juvenile has pale brown upperparts, more prominent gular stripe, and streaked underparts; distinguished from juvenile Besra by paler upper parts and narrower tail barring, and from Eurasian Sparrowhawk by streaked underparts.

The subspecies A.b. badius, which occurs in Kerala, is darker grey above, and underparts are more heavily barred with rufous, and is therefore more similar in appearance to Besra (less pronounced gular stripe, absence of streaking on breast, plainer upper tail, and less heavily barred underwing are still useful features separating it from that species).

Habitat: Open woods and groves.

Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon EF 400mm f2.8 L IS USM, EF 2x II ie. at 800mm, f8, 1/320, ISO 200.

Let me know your thoughts on this.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

AB Apana
13-07-2009, 04:56 PM
I think its fine, but I would darken it a bit with a levels adjustment. Compositionally I think it works as it is a very different image.

Apana

Sagar Patil
13-07-2009, 05:38 PM
Great perspective. I think landscape frame would also work and would give same feel..!!

Rahul Parekh
13-07-2009, 06:51 PM
impressive expression and beautiful BG :) lovely information too.......

Though grass in FG near tail is distracting....otherwise excellent composition :)

Bibhav Behera
13-07-2009, 07:28 PM
the light is lovely... excellent composition...
No nits.. :)

Kartikeya Puri
14-07-2009, 09:22 AM
Good one Sabyasachi. The light is lovely in this capture.

From what I see on my screen, it seems some details on the legs on the rhs can be recovered. Just a little darkening would do for this image, I feel.

Cheers,
Kartik

Kiran Ghadge
14-07-2009, 12:45 PM
thats lovely frame...agree with Apana regarding levels....