Loggerhead Shrike

[Amol Khedgikar]

I have been trying to get close this bird for a decent shot for almost 3 years now. 400mm is nearly not enough to get this bird large enough in the frame in an open field (at least for me).

I thought a crop would really make this suffer from low IQ but I gave it a try any way. As it turns out not as much as I thought.

Cleaning of minor leaves and small twigs, large crop, some sharpening. I am aware of some noise on the bird. Is that acceptable? The catch light is as is. Does it need work?

7D, 100-4--@ 400mm, 7.1, 1/1500, ISO 400, Handheld.

[Karl Egressy]

Nice finding and nice capture, Amol.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Amol, yes it is hard here in our town to get close to these fellas. I liked your composition, the perch and the way light is hitting the face. IQ seems OK to me...a bit soft though.

[PhilCook]

Liking the thorn bush perch and blue sky backdrop...congrats on finally getting a shot of this bird after trying so long.....I know the feeling.

The slight noise is something I constantly battle with using a 7D as well, rarely do I get an image noise free with this camera even at low ISO settings, most frustrating, but it's not overly bad in this one. I would maybe slightly darken the eye pupil as the strong light has made it a little opaque looking.

[Amol Khedgikar]

Amol, yes it is hard here in our town to get close to these fellas.

.

Yesterday one of my favorite and most productive and largest wild grassland patches was mowed to make way for new buildings in Las Colinas. Two bob cats flushed out along with a number of other mammals and birds. It was so heart breaking. I have never seen a Red tailed Hawk dive bomb a Human before. They usually just fly away. But I saw them defend a big tree yesterday. I guess winter will never be the same in las colinas again.

[Amol Khedgikar]

Liking the thorn bush perch and blue sky backdrop...congrats on finally getting a shot of this bird after trying so long.....I know the feeling.

The slight noise is something I constantly battle with using a 7D as well, rarely do I get an image noise free with this camera even at low ISO settings, most frustrating, but it's not overly bad in this one. .

Thanks Phil, I hear you about 7D. I have gotten noise at ISO 400 Consistently with this combination. But I noticed that if you have time to set the techs right and expose correctly, the noise at ISO is not too bad. but cant be sure of it either.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Great subject and perch, I love how one foot is holding on to a thorn. Head turned away a wee bit more than ideal. Techs look good, nice simple blue sky BG. I'd crop to just above the lowest thorn, and add that space back above.

There is prime farmland close to my place that is being encroached more and more by development, still not too bad yet but sad and scary to see as one day that spot will surely be all gone...