Gambel's Quail

Attachment 131398

Taken locally here in Tucson, AZ. Quail are quite plentiful here in the desert but getting them to "pose" for the camera is not always easy. They are a very skittish bird (especially when they have young in tow). They prefer to stay on the ground most of the time although the males will infrequently find a low branch to hop up on when scouting the area. As such, they are very fast runners and tend to dart in several directions when they feel threatened (almost always, lol).

Olympus E5, 90-250 f2.8 + EC20 (500mm on 2X sensor)
f/6.3
1/500
ISO 200
Slight crop for composition and I removed a distracting "stick" going behind the bird's head.

Would love to hear comments to help me improve both my picture taking as well as processing.

Bruce,
Magnificent image of beautiful bird. I like the pose with crest, very nice environment,nice colors and composition.
Details are lacking in the black colors on the throat, would extract it if possible.I am not very through in processing.
Let's wait and see what others says.Seeing this bird for the first time. TFS.

Regards,
Satish.

Hi Bruce, getting down low has created a good shooting angle, and I like the inquisitive pose. Im glad you got him clear of the foliage, the the BG compliments the quail nicely. Adding a touch of contrast will make it pop even more, and agree, the blacks on the throat are a touch blocked.

Very nice, Bruce.
I love these guys and not a lot of photo's of them have been posted here.
They are tough to get in the open and get standing still.
Your comp and pose with eye contact is excellent.

It is always a treat for me to se an image of this bird. Nice pose and good exposure. Well done!!!

Great looking bird, nice light, pose and sharpness.

lovely portrait. love the pose, details & comp.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I think I'll go back and look at the blacks to see if there's any more detail I can bring out in the bird (especially in the neck area). I really appreciate the encouragement!