Cheeky chappie!

[Gerald Kelberg]

Continuing my mini series on New Zealand Keas from a few years ago - this is another Kea photographed in the Southern Alps.

In some of the more frequently visited areas, the birds are quite habituated to humans, so if you are sitting quietly they will come close enough for a headshot, as is the case here. And they are constantly calling and vocalising among the family. They seem to roam around in family groups of eight or ten birds.

I really liked the cheeky look from this one and the open beak showing the tongue. The beak itself is the Kea's answer to the Swiss Army Knife!

The image was made with the Canon 1DX and EF 100-400 MkII at 371mm. Shutter speed was 1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1600.

Post process was in LrC with Enhance and resize, sharpening and final output from PS.

Comments and suggestions warmly welcomed.

Gerald

PS. Previously Brian asked about the ringing on these birds. The Kea is categorised as being "Threatened", so populations are closely monitored. I believe this is done by the Department of Conservation (DOC) in New Zealand.

 

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Gerald, super head shot, love the open jaw and framing, you wouldn't want to get your finger near that beak!!! The backdrop works well and ties in with the overall colour palette.

The eyes is obviously the focal point, but at 100% you need a little more USM, just brush it in in Lr. Personally with being so close I think you began to run out of DoF and so having more would help, especially in the feather detail around the bill. Having only seen this bird on Attenborough I would loose the blue, it dominates the image, but you were there. A simple adjustment and you can use the slider to get the desired effect if you choose, but personally I feel it looks cleaner and allows the other colours to come through, just my take.

TFS
Steve

 

[Brian Sump]

Gerald, you got some nice frames with this one!

So much to like here. Very nice dealing with the tones. The pose is nice, and man that is one big chomper haha.

The colors do seem super swayed to the cold, and I think you can definitely bring out detail and clarity cleaning that up.

Steve's note on sharpening was good. Bring out a little more in the eye/face and it will really suck the viewer in.

Also, interesting going with a pano crop on a portrait but actually works here. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Jonathan Ashton]

Intersting image, I like the colours, for me a little more DOF would have been better and a little more slective sharpening.

 

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Lovely portrait! We loved Keas when we visited in March last year.
In the old days, the Kiwis used pay money for every Kea shot. Go figure! We thought these guys were so endearing, cheeky as, and just spectacular against those snowy peaks.
We spent our last two days in Arthur's Pass, that's where we had them.

 

[Gerald Kelberg]

Hi Akos,

Nice to hear from you again. I hope that you had a wonderful time visiting New Zealand.

Your comment about the bounty on Kea sent me to Geoff Norman's "Birdstories - A History of the Birds of New Zealand". Much of the book makes for uncomfortable reading as it explains the destruction of many of the original species found there - with the different perspective on environment and science among Victorian settlers than views of today. He explains that the Kea supposedly acquired a taste for sheep fat and would land on the live sheep's back and surgically remove fat around the kidneys, usually resulting in the death of the sheep. He writes....

"Throughout the 188os there was a growing feeling that the Kea must be ex-terminated. Its numbers were increasing, and its acquired taste for sheep was said to be extending to cattle and horses. The rabbit menace was being tackled using introduced ferrets; decisive government-supported action was also needed for Kea.

In 1883 Buller (a local scientist) estimated that the bird killed between 15,000 and 20,000 sheep annually, and South Island farmers certainly felt that the birds were therefore acting 'contrary to the laws prescribed them by nature', and should be exterminated. Such sentiments persisted for the rest of the 19th century and well into the 20th.

By the 1940s, the total bounty per beak for kea was 7s 6d, made up of contributions from runholders, government and local body subsidies.

It was not until 1970 that the bounty was removed, and only in 1986 did Kea receive full protection.

By then an estimated 150,000 had been shot and it is thought that there are now about 5,000 birds left in the wild.

The Kea's intelligence and adaptability continue to get it into trouble. Visitors to New Zealand skifields often return to find the rubber window seals and wiper blades on their vehicles damaged or destroyed by marauding Kea.
Many trampers in the South Island mountains have learnt the hard way to secure food and equipment away from the determined birds. But generally the alpine parrot is regarded today as a smart and lovable rogue."

Regards,

Gerald