Hi Tom When I first looked at it I thought it was flash as main !!!! I like the direct eye contact Would tone down the light on the perch Very moody and different !!!!
Looks a lot like the Florida Scrub Jay. Light is very contrasty but you did well handling the exposure. I would recommend a reverse s-curve to tone down the contrast and bring down the brightness of the perch.
I would suggest that a bit lower perspective would have been better here as you are looking down at the bird.
Beautiful bird, eye contact and details. The light looks very harsh, I agree that you could try S/H or curves. Fill flash might have helped in this situation.