A Good Friday

[PhilCook]

Took a stroll along a horse trail in the nearby Onkaparinga NP this morning, was hoping to capture a Mistletoe Bird and was using playback to try to attract one...but it wasn't to be.

However this lovely little Eastern Spinebill came down for a look which was just a pleasing as they are not overly common in my part of Australia, and he sat nicely for a few shots.

Sadly the dull light and overcast skies made birding difficult this morning trying to achieve good shutter speeds...but managed a few keepers just the same of this bird and a few others.

Canon 7D + 500 f4.....f5, 1/500, ISO 400, no flash, tripod mounted.....small cropped for composition, selective sharpen and noise reduction to backdrop

[Grace Scalzo]

Phil, sweet bird, background and pose. You did well in tough light. The stubby cut end of the perch is a distraction, but at least it is weatherworn. I might burn the perch some. Eye contact and depth of field look perfect.

[Sachin Saraf]

Phil, I wouldn't have come home disappointed if I had got this shot :-)...Sharp, well exposed...nice BG and Grace pointed out the issue with perch...The red eye really looks great.

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice pose and good details, I like the perch too.

[PhilCook]

Taa for looking....agree to a degree about the cut off section of the perch, but it was along with piles of pruned branches along the Horse trail carved into the bush, hard to avoid and I don't mind that much . The branch has been darkened substantially already, one thing in common with dead wood in my part of hot and dry Australia is a great deal of it is bleached very pale or white from being relentlessly sun baked.

[Frank Schauf]

Excellent details, love the perch, great pose, very nice background, and nice light.

[Karl Egressy]

Beautiful background, excellent composition and pose. IQ is great.
Happens to me too. On the other day.
I played the song of a Winer Wren, and a Pine Siskin popped up only half a meter from me.
It was too close unfortunately for picture taking.

[gail bisson]

Wow Phil, you nailed this one.
Love, love the BG colors and the diagonal line created by the perch.
Bird IQ is excellent. Perfect HA as well and that eye is crystal clear.
My only minor nit is the sawed off bit of the perch but I am being really picky.
Gail

[Marina Scarr]

This is an all around lovely capture, Phil. Nice pose, perch, BG and details.

[Jonathan Ashton]

An absolute gem of a shot Phil, love the position the perch and the background. The bird is pin sharp and beautifully exposed and just to cap it off a terrific pose - well done!!

[Sidharth Kodikal]

I don't know what I like more - the bg or the bird. They're both stunning and fortunately they complement each other.
The details are excellent, the comp is just right for me and I like the slanted perch too.
An all around great shot.

[Satish Ranadive]

Absolutely marvelous image.

Regards,
Satish.