Pallid Cuckoo

[PhilCook]

Another bird of the more arid regions of Australia, only my second encounter with this species. This one captured on camera bout 130 klms away from Adelaide, Sth Aust. in a small remnant piece of Mallee in the middle of open arm lands I sometimes visit. This is one of a pair I came across being very vocal, and agitatedly flying from tree to tree, an unmistakeable ear piercing screech sounding much like a referees whistle being blown at full volume.

I'm struggling a bit with sharpening of my images atm, I use both Elements 8 and/or Adobe CS4 and if I edit/sharpen in Elements and then open the same image in CS4 the difference is very noticeable. This image opened in Elements looks over sharp, but in CS4 it looks good......I'm confused ???



Canon 7D + 500 f4 + 1.4 x TC.....700mm, f6.3, 1/250, ISO 500, ext flash fired.....overcast skies, hand held on the move......cloned out a vertical twig intersecting with the perching branch, selective sharpen and noise reduction to background....not sure about the sharpening and angle of shot too high I think

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Phil - I think sharpening is something we all struggle with from time to time. I think people also have differing tastes when it comes to sharpening. This looks good to me. Good choice on dof and a nice bg too. I like the way the yellow of the eye pops.

TFS,
Rachel

[Karl Egressy]

If they are the same as ours, they are very hard to find in the open. Excellent finding and a nice image, Phil. Love the pose and background.

[Dennis Zaebst]

I like this image a lot...it's crystal clear and sharp, and the exposure and HA are great, plus the BG is very nice. I only wish I could see more of the feet and legs, but then, the cuckoo probably doesn't take direction well. Well done, Phil!

[PhilCook]

If they are the same as ours, they are very hard to find in the open. Excellent finding and a nice image, Phil. Love the pose and background.

Thanks Karl, I think you are right about them rarely coming out in the open, this one I think was driven out by some other annoyed Honeyeaters, Cuckoos don't make friends easily it seems

[Greg Oakley]

Very nice Phil - I love the pose and eye in this. Sweet b/g as well. As Karl mentioned, great work getting this species out in the open!
Cheers, Greg

[PhilCook]

Very nice Phil - I love the pose and eye in this. Sweet b/g as well. As Karl mentioned, great work getting this species out in the open!
Cheers, Greg

Cheers Greg, I was pleased and to get it on such a thin branch and almost no foliage clutter

[christopher galeski]

nice one Phil,like the BG,the birds sharp,love the eye,and a nice pose.thanks.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Phil, this fellow looks very similar to our Diedricks cuckoo, although their plumage is mostly green. Good eye contact, and I like the way the cuckoo is lazily posed across the length of the perch. Killer BG.

With regards to sharpening, Im not familiar with elements, but in theory, if the settings were the same in both programs, your result should be the same. I think sharpening is a fine art, that needs your trained eye to judge how far you go with regards to the amount. You can usually see when an image is turning 'crispy'.