Red-tailed Hawk

[Joseph Przybyla]

I captured this image this morning along Black Point Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. I am not sure the species, any help would be appreciated. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D7000
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 400mm (600mm FFE)
1/2000 F/5.6 Matrix Metering 0 EV ISO 500 AWB
Post processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC, removed out of focus vegetation below the bird
Cropped for composition and presentation

[Colin Driscoll]

Superb shot Joseph. If it were mine I would probably have cloned out a bit of the foliage near the foot to create more separation.

[David Salem]

Beautiful take-off shot of this first year, juvenile, Red-tailed Hawk. The pose looks great and I like the green of the tree as it adds that nice pop of color that a solid sky shot lacks. Details and exposure look good too.
The only suggestion would be to sharpen the head only and clean up the catch light in the eye as it will make the eye look sharper.
One of your best captures Joe. Well done.

[Lorant Voros]

Nice take off pose indeed and I also like the eye and love the talons. Good suggestions from David to make it better. Nice work, Joe.

[Michael Thompson]

It is a red tailed Hawk,among other things the harrier has a disc like shape to it's face, almost like an owl. Very nice close take off shot!

[keith mitchell]

I was interested in the ID Joe so that is sorted,fine shot taken against the sky,very well done.

Keith.

[Bill Dix]

An excellent shot of this Red Tail, Joe. Great take-off pose, and I like the foliage as presented. Yes to just a touch of sharpening on the head.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Thanks everyone for viewing, commenting, and suggesting improvements. Very much appreciated...