Fan-tailed Cuckoo/2

[Colin Driscoll]

After my previous poor effort I had a closer look at the shots that I took in heavy shade and oblique sunlight where I first saw this bird.
Still a big crop and some softness but at least it shows it off better.
1DXII 600mm F/4L III 1.4x III 840mm HH
1/320 f8 iso800 +0.3ev
Removed a small branch, toned down some darker patches in the BG, S&H, light sharpen PS2019

[Dorian Anderson]

Super cool bird, but the IQ just doesn't hold up, particularly with the side lighting. It's a shame there isn't more detail/sharpness on the bird because the background is fantastic.

[Alex Becker]

Sweet bird and BG. Lighting was tough with the side light. What is your workflow like / how big is a big crop? Just wondering if there are some tweaks folks could suggest. TFS