Many of us have many times been out in harsh light like this but with good birds around. What can one do but take pictures? The light is harsh, but the bird is attractive and there is some nice detail here. Whenever I see a portrait like this, I always wonder about the bigger scene, the longer view? With your zoom lens I imagine you must have tried all sorts of things? Unless you just had a short second with this lovely bird? Last note: did you try any at iso800 with half the shutter speed?