Kestrel on a windy day

[Stephen Cunliffe]

In the Sulphur Springs Valley in SE AZ. Very windy, had difficulty with movement of both camera and subject, hence the settings.
Canon 30D on monopod. 70-200 f2.8 plus 1.4 TC, = 280mm
1/5000 @ f4.0
ISO 200

[Nonda Surratt]

Stephen,

There is something quite charming about this image. The colors are very nice and I just love that spiky bush on the left, could almost be an image all on its own. Then again it draws my eye too, and maybe a bit too much, I think the Kestrel gets a bit lost. They are small little guys aren't they, and hard to get up on too. I wonder if a crop would help bring the kestrel in a bit and take him out of the center?

[Alfred Forns]

So much going on that my eye does not know which way to go I would drop either the end of the branch or the other part The image does have a good feel particularly with the good bg Will post one crop possibility