Common Cuckoo.

[Haim Ziv]

Mark II 600mm 1/125 f4 ISO400 first morning light.
I was waiting for BeeEater and suddenly this beautiful creature show up.

Thank yo for looking.
Appreciate all critique.

[Julie Kenward]

Beautiful! I like your composition and your eye contact. Your details are crisp and your BG is clean. Good shot! If there was anything negative, I'd say brighten the whites up just a tad. Other than that, wow!

[Krijn Trimbos]

Beautiful shot of this elusive species. A little more room on top and some more DOF would have been the icing on the cake for me. But seeing the conditions I think you couldn't have done it differently. Love it!!

[Chris van Rooyen]

These unexpected opportunities makes bird photography so exciting. Ditto comments below, still a great image!

[Alexander Koenders]

nice to look at and i wood be happy with such a surprice.

[Robert Amoruso]

Beautiful bird and I like the look of the head and eye. Subtle light makes the image. I agree with the comment to brighten up the whites a bit if that is true to the scene you saw. Composition looks good to me.

[Manos Papadomanolakis]

What a great eye contact,fantastic pose too!

[John Chardine]

I really like this image as-is. Cuckoos are very secretive birds so getting any image of this species must be tough. I am fixated on birds' eyes and this one takes the cake! Absolutely wonderful bright yellow eye with matching feet! The transition in the BG is fabulous and I like the overall mood of the image provided by the lighting. I think if you brightened things up you would lose this mood.

[Jody Melanson]

Awesome Haim! Only nit here would be for a little more DOF for the tail.....

[Philip Lombard]

Fantastic, everything is perfect but agree with JOdy on tail dof.

[Arthur Morris]

When I opened this, I gasped. Such a lovely bird, beautiful light, and so, so sharp on the eye. I would not have gone for any more d-o-f. For 25 years I have been working wide open (or close to it) and focusing on the eye. So far it has worked pretty good so why change now. I feel that the results are more impressionistic than having the whoe bird sharp; you have captured the essence of this creature. Mazel tov.

[Fabs Forns]

Impressive all around, the colors on the background really compliment the bird's. Plumage looks great and the eye is to die for :)

[Paul Pagano]

Haim, this is really a pleasure to view. Funny how we try hard to put things together and sometimes they just fly up and perch right there and pose...well done. The color and markings of this beauty is amazing.

[Johnny Bravo]

Wow, the Holy Land is still clearly blessed!! What an incredible bird, and image. Superb in all respects.

[richardn9876]

Beautiful image Haim! The light is to die for! Congratulations!

Richard Nowak
Palm Harbor, Florida

[Raul Quinones]

Love the picture. Congratulations on this great shots. I try to look at the complete picture, but the eye keep capturing my attention.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Just got back from Israel Haim and saw thiis image on Artie's newsletter. Awesome image and I love the pose and eye contact. Stunning work indeed. I would have loved to have seen more of your beautiful birds but was not possible this trip as we were constantlu on the move. Love your beautiful country and it was a thrill to be there.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Wonderful image in all respects, is amazing how the breast is almost identical to the black and white owl, it is good for a begginer photographer like me seen that even with wide apertures is possible to get this great images.

[Juan Aragonés]

Fantastic Haim. This birds are really shy, at least they are in Spain, and you was very lucky to have one of this in the perch of your bee-eaters. The plumage and the BG compliments very well and I love that yellow note of colour (eye and bill) in a mostly grey colour image. Excellent

[Haim Ziv]

I would like to thank everyone of you for your great comments. Appreciate very much.
Thank you Artie for mention this image on your newsletter, it's a great honor.
I will treasure all your warm words deep in my heart everytime I will be out in the field.

[Geurt Bloem]

I just want to add my "well done" to this image as well. I love subjects being large in the frame with nice colors whiles also being pin sharp and this image fits it a a T!!!