Lesser Redpoll (Acantis cabaret)

[Jonathan Ashton]

• OM Digital Solutions OM-1
• OLYMPUS M.150-400mm F4.5
• ƒ/4.5
• 400mm
• 1/1250s
• ISO 3200
• Flash not fired
• Mon, 30 December 2024 9:44 AM
• Version 1.7

The name of the species shown above is probably the one most people would adopt for this bird, until recently it has been the accepted practice to acknowledge therr different species of Redpoll, more recent genetic study has shown they are probably all one and the same and the plumage variations are due to geographic distribution. This one has of course the red patch on the head but also a red sheen to the back.
The image was captured from my back garden hide. I used Adobe NR as opposed to DxO

 

[Andreas Liedmann]

• Adobe Photoshop 2025 Macintosh

Sweet image Jon ... you managed a tricky lighting to get something decent , would love to shoot the species .
Love the perch and the head turn is perfect , nice tones and good details

Overall a touch too dark for my taste .
Color is looking off to me

TFS Andreas

Here is my vision from the color POV , WDYT ?

 

[Jonathan Ashton]

Andreas, yes I get it, I like your version - especially for all the surroundings, which i do think look better, however the subject does have a reddish almost magenta cast over the plumage and that has been lost in your version. I think your version with a mask on the bird would be just about right.

 

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Jon ... I would agree about the red/magenta in the plumage , but they only appear in the lighter parts of the plumage ( as far as my experience goes ) .
In your version there is the magenta / red component across the subject plus the perch and it is more on the " blue " side of the spectrum , well this is for sure subjective and just my personal view .
As long as you are good with your plumage coloring ... fine .
Cheers Andreas