Willow flycatcher

[Dave Slaughter]

Usually I see these at a poor angle, up in a tree. This obliging fellow landed at head height just long enough for a few shots.
Canon Xti, sigma 170-500 mm lens at 500 mm.
ISO 400
1/800
f10
Thanks for looking.

[Desmond Chan]

Hey, interesting image. Before I opened up the thread, I saw in the thumbnail something attached to the head a bird. After I saw the bigger image, I realized it was the blurred branches and leaves in the background. So, I wonder then if it would be better to blur the background more and even adjust the colors of it. Did you use flash on this one? I think I would suggest removing the blurred branch at the lower right hand part of the photo (that one behind the bird), too.

[Anita Rakestraw]

Nice image of this little bird. What a vibrant blue sky! The OOF leaves in the bg don't bother me, but the little twig that looks like it is stabbing her in the belly does - I would try to take that out. Bird could maybe be a little sharper....?

[Doug Brown]

Like the vibrant colors in this one Dave! Eye contact is great, and the meal is a nice bonus. Good sharpness too. Here's a slight rework in which I did the following:

1. Brightened the head a little
2. Removed the twig in between its legs
3. Removed the twig behind the tail feathers
4. Sharpened a little more

I didn't do anything to the colors, but when I resaved it, the colors changed some. Nice work on this one!

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Dave,
I like your composition. No nits from me. Doug addressed all of the techs. with his repost...congrats, and keep them coming...:cool:

[Dave Slaughter]

Thanks, Doug. The repost looks great.

[Lance Peters]

Repost works for me - huge improvement - well done - nice base image.

[Oscar Zangroniz]

Nice image Dave. Your image is very sharp and as Doug mentioned, the head angle and eye contact works. The repost is great