Red squirrel

[Jonathan Ashton]

Canon 7D canon 100-400L ISO 800 1/400 sec f5.6
I selectively increased levels on the squirrel to bring out the colour a little. This is our precious native squirrel, the large more grey squirrel has largely displaced this cute little chap from much of the UK. This has been largely due to the grey carrying a pox virus to which the red has not become immune. I appreciate the surroundings are not particularly clean but for all that I quite like it, this is often how you will see one of these cute little guys in the northern part of England. All comments welcome.

[Rachel Hollander]

Jonathan - Nice low pov and the pose is nice. I only wish the blade of grace in front of the face wasn't there and for a little bit more room to the rhs and below.

TFS,
Rachel

[Stan Cunningham]

Agree with Rachel, great pov and nice colors. But if it were mine I would get rid on the one green blade and some of the brown just above his head. Too bad about the disease issue, the introduction of exotic species is just a close second behind habitat destruction in the world's increased extinction rates.

[Jamie Douglas]

Jonathan - Nice low pov and the pose is nice. I only wish the blade of grace in front of the face wasn't there and for a little bit more room to the rhs and below.

TFS,
Rachel

Ditto to Rachel's comments

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Jonathan, main issue covered, however if you have it, I would move the whole crop down, a little top heavy I feel. Away so I'm unsure, but feel the saturation could come down a tad. Good sharpness where it counts. Was this taken around Formby?

TFS
Steve

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Jonathan,
besides the stuff stated above, i would say reducing the blues in the tail and on the head would be a slight improvement.

Squirrel is nicely framed by the foliage, just like it.

TFS Andreas

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for your comments everyone - as I ever I am pleased to read them, I agree with what you said. The site Steve is actually in Yorkshire these are the real McCoy not on a reserve, out in the middle of nowhere - well in someone's back garden actually!! The weather needless to say was lousy - rained all day apart from literally two five minute intervals.

[Steve Kaluski]

I guess Jon it's location with the 10 mile walk where these guys feed? Am up there in that County now :S3:

[Andrew Merwin]

I like the way the brown grass blades circle the squirrel's head, but I do think, as already mentioned, that the green blade in front of his face detracts from the image. I like the POV & the sharpness.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

I think I like this one better but that darn one blade of grass. Nature can be so cruel to us photographers LOL. Still I do like the way the squirrel is hidden in the greens with a nice peeking thru effect

[Morkel Erasmus]

Nice quirky pose and I like that the eye is in the clear. Does look a bit too saturated, but I have not physically seen these before :S3:.
"Pesky grass" is the main issue here :w3.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks again everyone, the apparent high saturation I think is due to the dull light and whilst I appreciate the point that it may look visually more acceptable less saturated, this is pretty much as I remember the scene.