Song Sparrow (doing what they do)

http://www.pbase.com/mike_lentz/image/97700165.jpg

A bit windy on his backside....

Nikon D200 ~ Nikkor 300mm F/2.8 w/1.4x TC
ISO 400 ~ 1/1250 sec ~ F/6.3 with - 2 fill flash.

Mike,

I like the bird singing and the OOF green background, and the perch is great. The perch goes well with the bird and BG color-wise. I would like to see the perch not cut off at the bottom. If you cropped it, you can restore that part. If not it is not a big deal. I also like how the wind is blowing up the feathers.

Very beautiful composition and the singing pose you captured in this image is wonderful Mike. Excellent exposure and good detail. I too like the wind blown look. I agree with Robert about the crop at the bottom but still a awesome image !!! Thanks form sharing.

Well captured Mike. The BG is very nice and I'll echo the comment about the feathers.

Great work, Mike! I really like the composition as well as the background. To my eye it seems like the bird is missing critical focus... the pine cones seems so super sharp, and it appears your subject had to take a lot of unsharp mask to get it to a similar level of sharpness. Perhaps f/8 - f/10 would still have allowed for a smooth background, but enough DOF... I really do like this image.

Hi Mike its a stunning image !!!! Agree with Overlord on the point of focus. Would blur the pine cones just a little to take the edge and will make the bird's face the sharpest part. You got a winner !!!!!

Thanks gang! I agree with the sentiments! :D;)

What a fantastic image Mike! I like the ruffled feathers,the open mouth, the great background, and that awesome perch! beautifully done!