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A bit of a different cross bill image which was kinda tough as the bird was partially in shadow and I didn't have the flash with me.
The one thing which does bother me is that there is no way to define the bill against the tree as a background.
As a different type of cross bill shot, I'm sorta happy with it.
This is a good one to really pick at, so please have at it :)
Nikon D300, 500 AFSVR, F5.6, ISO 500, +.7 EV compensation
Details and head angle look great, I also like the unusual perch. I'm wondering if it would work as vertical crop, too.
P.S.: Did you visit the Ivory Gull?
I did try it as a vertical Axel but unfortunately, it was shot rather tight as a horizontal.
I think it would have worked nicely in a vertical format.
Jim, I think your biggest challenge here is to play with the exposure a bit. I'd darken the front of the tree and lighten the BG a bit to separate the two from looking so much alike. The bottom left corner of the frame seems to be a bit overexposed and the upper right of the BG seems to be a bit under exposed. I'd play around with those two areas a bit and see if you can find a better balance.
It is ashame about the bill being over the bark - I tried to dodge it but it's so close to the same colors it just won't really come out any better. Such a lovely bird! I wish I had some in my yard.
