Long-tailed shrike

[Gerhard Weldhagen]

This image of a female Long-tailed Shrike was created in Mabalingwe nature reserve, South Africa, during the dry of winter with bleak washed-out skies. Canon 1DIV, EF 300 IS II + 1.4TCIII, f8, 1/500, ISO 100, lens rested on car window, PP in CS6. Comments welcome.

[Ihtisham Kabir]

Gerhard, This is a very different looking bird than what goes for long-tailed shrike around here. Other than the obvious interference of the branches, it is a sharp, well-exposed image to me. I like the texture on the black feathers which have come out nicely. Ihtisham

[Randy Stout]

Gerhard:

I like the open bill, impressive tail. The clutter around and behind the head is a bit distracting.

The blacks show nice detail, but the whites seem a bit gray to my eye, perhaps bump them up just a bit.

Cheers

Randy

[Marina Scarr]

Lovely new bird for me, and looks to be well exposed with nice details. I like the fact that the eye has a catch light. That said, the twigs across and around the head are a deal breaker for me.

Do you generally photograph your birds at ISO 100 with this camera? My "go to" ISO on the same body is 800. With bird photography, I find it's always good to be ready for action. You would have had a tough time getting enough shutter speed for this dark bird taking off from its perch with an ISO 100.

[Gerhard Weldhagen]

Lovely new bird for me, and looks to be well exposed with nice details. I like the fact that the eye has a catch light. That said, the twigs across and around the head are a deal breaker for me.

Do you generally photograph your birds at ISO 100 with this camera? My "go to" ISO on the same body is 800. With bird photography, I find it's always good to be ready for action. You would have had a tough time getting enough shutter speed for this dark bird taking off from its perch with an ISO 100.
Thanks for your comments. Thorny bush is typical habitat for this species, getting one in the open is exceptional. ISO 100 is obviously not ideal for action but that was not the intention at the time as it would have dived down into even more dense twigs to follow prey or seek cover. Understanding one's subject helps a lot to dictate settings.

[Colin Driscoll]

I don't mind the twigs as they convey a natural setting and don't really detract from viewing the bird. Definitely a shot that is better to get than not.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Neat bird and good composition. Well exposed, and it looks like you had nice light. Artistically the many twigs are unfortunate. I would also have preferred the head angled more towards us. As for the ISO, the 1DIV has awesome IQ, so keeping the ISO up higher gives you the benefit of maintain good image quality plus giving you enough shutter speeds for potential and unexpected action.

[Arthur Morris]

Ditto Dan. I'd be fine with all the twigs but for the one just below the eye... a

[Gerhard Weldhagen]

Thanks everyone for your comments, much appreciated and helpful as always.