Grey Sunbird

[Richard Flack]

Grey Sunbird - Cyanomitra veroxii

This is a photograph of a very territorial, grey sunbird, which we captured at Umngazi River Bungalows (Eastern Cape, South Africa). We had a lot of fun watching and photographing this beautiful bird with its red pectoral tufts and blue-green wash to its crown, back and wing coverts.
I never realized how aggressive these little chaps are and the lengths to which they are willing to go to protect their local patch. This particular bird was on guard throughout the day and would terrorise any bird that stepped into his turf, serenading them and us with his loud and somewhat harsh song. This specific photograph shows him in his typical Strelitzia habitat. He remained “king of his castle” throughout our stay.

Date taken: 11 September 2013
Photo details:
Canon EOS 7D
400mm f2.8
ISO 800
Shutter speed 1/400
F-stop 4
Exposure bias 0

[gail bisson]

The bird is terrific and IQ is excellent with awesome feather detail. I like how glossy the bill is.
The BG does distract,especially the white leaf that intersects with the bill.
In hindsight, it would have been a stronger image if you had moved to the left to move the white area behind the bird.
You could also change the color in PP by painting the area with the color tool and brush,
Gail

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Richard,

I agree with Gail's comments. The IQ of the bird itself is top notch. Feather detail is great throughout. The bg, however, leaves a bit to be desired. Not much you could have done it seems.

Miguel

[Tim King]

I really like the abstract BG, it really gives a sense of habitat. I like the contour of the bird and perch. Fine job.

[hennieloots]

Hi Richard - The IQ and details on the bird is superb. I like the position, comp and HA. I do agree with Gail on the Bg.
TFS
Hennie

[Richard Flack]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I really appreciate them as I am on a steep learning curve. I am pretty torn regarding the BG. In some regards I like it because it typifies the habitat of this particular species but it could definitely be less distracting. I will post a photograph of an olive sunbird in the next day or two where the BG is much better. (Fortunately he favoured a better perch :)), I look forward to your comments!

[Satish Ranadive]

Superb image, tack sharp bird, nice perch,great IQ and nice composition.
Love the blue green colors and details.

Regards,
Satish.