Chrysolophus amherstiae (Lady Amherst's pheasant)

Chrysolophus amherstiae (Lady Amherst's pheasant)

Written by Webmaster Thursday, 29 May 2003 00:00

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"It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary.” David Bailey  

 

 

 

 

Chrysolophus amherstiae (common name: Lady Amherst's pheasant)

I was nicely surprised to see this small pheasant next to its mother. I had the opportunity to watch the display of the male a couple of weeks ago with Johnny and we were wondering if the pair would be able to lay eggs in captivity. Of course, the sheer size of the cage (almost 1.000 sq. meters) and the dense vegetation looked to us as a nice environment. Two weeks later, this young was exploring the world under the close surveillance of its mother.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/125 sec - f/8, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: saturation and levels adjusted in PS CS, USM added.

 

 

 

Chrysolophus amherstiae (common name: Lady Amherst's pheasant)

I had seen this bird many times and I always wondered what those white feathers, forming a kind of necklace, are used for. During one of my visits I noticed the male displaying to its female (seen at the left low corner) and my question was answered. The male used this feather formation to display to its female by bringing it forward, hiding its eye while at the same time it expanded the feathers of the tail. He would do it again and again, chasing the female all over the place. Since both birds were moving really fast, getting a good picture of them was not very easy since not only did the birds had to be in focus but also displaying. Finally, one of the shots turned out the way I wanted it to.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/250 sec - f/8, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Images: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and resized. 

 

 

These photographs were taken at the Attica Zoological Park. They are the property of MCH Portal and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

 

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