Chukar

Gallery: AvianPosted March 21, 2011318 views35 comments

I always enjoy seeing Chukars in the snow even though it often means the feet are hidden.

7D, 1/2500, f/8, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window on 3/8/11, cropped to 76% of original image, reduced highlights in ACR, sharpened bird and part of perch, no additional processing or adjustments, natural light, not set up or baited

Larger version provided

Comments/critique appreciated

Comments

35 comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on March 21, 2011 at 7:33 PM

Okay, so the feet are hidden by the snow, but that's the only thing wrong with the photo, and that's a mighty small nit. Perfect exposure under difficult conditions, classic head turn, crisp and even a handsome rock perch. Bravo, Ron!

Of course, Chukar are aliens, and may be displacing native species, but that's a criticism of the hunters who introduced them, not the photo.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on March 21, 2011 at 7:58 PM

Love the pose - a coy look!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 21, 2011 at 8:20 PM

Another beauty!
Love the colors, the head-turn, and the setting.
Tough exposure handled perfectly.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on March 21, 2011 at 8:28 PM

This is gorgeous. I think it's a perfect setting for this bird, since the snow and clouds echo the white highlights in the plumage.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on March 21, 2011 at 8:31 PM

Love it to pieces. All great all around. I think the bit of blue sky really balances the image.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on March 21, 2011 at 8:33 PM

Awesome shot here Ron. Love the head up look back toward the camera pose. Great perch and BG too. The white in the BG really makes this bird stand out. Not seeing the feet is not an issue for me. The great detail and DOF make this a special shot. The plumage patterns and the eye on this species are really wonderful and your images of them bring out the best. Well done.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Harris on March 21, 2011 at 9:04 PM

Ron, I really like this image. The contrast between the bird and the snow and clouds really sets off the Chukar. I also like the way the the BG goes from snow to clouds to blue sky. I also think the perch really sets up the Chukar also.

Registered on August 2, 2010, 169 Posts, 741 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on March 21, 2011 at 9:06 PM

Ron, Absolutely gorgeous across the board

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on March 21, 2011 at 9:09 PM

Excellent!!

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on March 21, 2011 at 9:09 PM

A real beauty. I love the soft colors, detail, and position.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on March 21, 2011 at 9:41 PM

I'll never tire of these birds... nice natural habitat and the snow on the rock is an added bonus. I wish there were either more blue or less blue... I'm not crazy about the sliver

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Marquart on March 21, 2011 at 9:58 PM

A real standout image. I like the birds posture and the whole setting. I'm wondering, would you call that fog or clouds in the background. In other words is this at a very high elevation?

Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on March 21, 2011 at 10:17 PM

Ron, I think the feet in the snow adds to the shot. Nice head turn and catchlight with the detail and color. We had a group of these guys north of GF a couple of years ago, but haven't seen any since then.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on March 21, 2011 at 10:47 PM

I'm wondering, would you call that fog or clouds in the background. In other words is this at a very high elevation?

Gary - actually most of the background here was a snowy hillside with blue sky at top. I know it looks so wispy as to appear as clouds or fog but it wasn't. Elevation was pretty low, perhaps only a hundred feet or so above the Great Salt Lake.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 21, 2011 at 11:14 PM

just beautiful, Ron. love the soft light and sweet snowy bg here. feet are not an issue for me. wonderful pose and comp too. very nice.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on March 21, 2011 at 11:53 PM

Yet another species Im totally unfamiliar with, which already makes this image alluring for me to see ;^) The detail you've captured is superb, as is that twinkle in the subject's eye, and there's something of a magical quality to this picture that has me appreciating it all the more, extremely well done Ron and thanks for sharing :^)

Kind regards,

Ashley

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on March 22, 2011 at 12:30 AM

Ron,
Perfectly captured image. Classic head turn, just the right angle, exposure is really well done and this is tack sharp. Your images inspire me to do better Ron. That is the comment that I have given to only a couple of people, and Ronnie Gauber was one of them. That is some impressive company Ron. Superb image in every regard and...the hidden feet don't bother me a all.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on March 22, 2011 at 12:44 AM

Way to cool, excellent detail on the larger image. There is something about these birds that make them interesting to me, I am not sure if it is a combination of name or the color patterns but this is one of the best chukar images I have ever seen. Way to go Ron.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on March 22, 2011 at 5:53 AM

Wonderful image quality Ron - love the eye contact and fine detail evident in the large image

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Christopher Dodds on March 22, 2011 at 6:54 AM

Fabulous image of this species, Ron. Terrific catch-light, quality of light and love the hint of blue sky on top.

Registered on October 14, 2010, 9 Posts, 46 Comments

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on March 22, 2011 at 8:19 AM

Perfect exposure job and amazing details on this- love the smooth BG- Bravo, Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on March 22, 2011 at 10:23 AM

What a beauty, Ron. Great heat turn, exquisite detail, beautiful color. Love the snow and the background. Super image.

Registered on January 4, 2008, 113 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Cloran on March 22, 2011 at 10:46 AM

Stellar

The pose and habitat account for the feet.Great work on the exposure.

Registered on April 6, 2004, 119 Posts, 1989 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on March 22, 2011 at 12:48 PM

We had one of these here while I was in Arizona. I would have loved to have seen it. I love the headturn and almost arogant pose. The details are spectacular as always in your images. The snow adds a very nice touch.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Mclean on March 22, 2011 at 3:05 PM

Well exposed,crisp and stunningly beautiful.

Phil.

Registered on March 16, 2010, 30 Posts, 153 Comments

Comment posted by Graham Brown on March 22, 2011 at 3:37 PM

That's a lovely looking bird beautifully captured. Really like the pose and detail is superb. Do you ever get out of that pickup? Graham

Registered on November 20, 2007, 275 Posts, 1365 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Jenkins on March 22, 2011 at 4:05 PM

Great lighting and feather detail on this species which is really good to eat too.

Registered on April 20, 2008, 307 Posts, 604 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on March 22, 2011 at 5:36 PM

Beautiful, Ron. The bird is of course the star, but I also really like the setting of rocks, lichen, and snow. I notice also that you post processing is quite good. I can't find any of the small artifacts that (some) other photos frequently have. You can email me your secret. I won't tell anyone.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on March 22, 2011 at 11:10 PM

Beautiful bird and beautifully captured! Perfect exposure on the chukar. The blue sky poking up over the white is heavenly. Take a bow, great work!

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Backlund on March 23, 2011 at 5:48 PM

I dont' see any way to improve on this!

Registered on September 29, 2005, 252 Posts, 3380 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on March 24, 2011 at 12:11 AM

Beautiful image. Nice soft lighting on this handsome bird. Great detail and sharpness at the eye. I like the strip of blue sky across the top of the background.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by John Blumenkamp on March 25, 2011 at 10:19 PM

Great detail and head turn Ron... I really like the background - the chukar really pops. Nice work!

Registered on February 26, 2011, 58 Posts, 313 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on March 27, 2011 at 8:50 PM

Just a quick thumbs up Ron..Two BIG thumbs up

Beautiful work!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 28, 2011 at 2:01 AM

Love the snowy perch, bg and the details here Ron

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Jay Levin on March 28, 2011 at 6:57 PM

What a spectacular shot. Exposure and details are superb, and the background is exquisite, as is the entire image.

Registered on April 24, 2009, 21 Posts, 184 Comments