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Spotless Crake

Spotless Crake (Image ID 39435)
Photographed byJim Schultz on Fri 12th Apr, 2019 and uploaded on Tue 3rd Mar, 2020 .
Resolution725x1050
Viewed569
ID39435
CommentSome time after dawn, the light still dull, this Spotless Crake ventured out looking for food. The species is a small member of the rail family, favouring wetlands with swamp and dense vegetation and freshwater lakes with mudbanks and reed beds along the shore. Under cover of vegetation it moves around in seclusion, being very shy, but is has a very shrill call, which readily gives it away. Where mudbanks are present and near reed beds, it may emerge to feed out in the open. It does so in leaps and bounds by probing the mud with its bill for small food items. If disturbed while in the open, it will dart away back into the reeds in a flash, only to re-appear when danger is over. An omnivorous bird, its diet is varied and includes vegetable matter, insects and molluscs as well as small crustaceans, worms and larvae. 2-5 eggs are laid and both parents participate in raising the chicks. The sexes are alike and near impossible to distinguish. Bibra Lake; GPS. Status (2012): Least Concern
EquipmentPlease note: This image spent quite a while in the ‘CRITIQUE’ Gallery, and all suggestions and comments were adhered to accordingly, to my best ability. In the end I settled for a vertical ‘Portrait’ crop to minimize clutter while still allowing for the bird to be seen in its environment and to be able to notice its foraging behaviour.
Nikon D800 (DX-sensor) camera body, Nikkor AF-S 500mm f4G ED VR lens, Gitzo GT3543XLS Tripod, Dietmar Nill gimbal tripod head Camera Settings: Shutter Priority 1/1600 sec, f4, EV +0.3 step & Auto ISO-2500. Centre Weighted Metering Mode, Focus Mode: Manual; AF Area Mode: Auto. Nikon ViewNX-i for viewing and selecting files; Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw/CC 2020 for post-processing; Topaz Pro plug-in DeNoise AI for noise control + some sharpening and 'recover original details', working on top of my original PSD file. I finished off with a slight selective sharpening of the bird’s face in Adobe Photoshop CC 2020. ‘Australian Bird Guide 2019’ for supplementary data and colour checks. Also checked against RAW file.
LocationBibra Lake; GPS, Western Australia
Keywordsfeeding/with prey, adult
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