Captured this image the other day in my back yard. After the snowstorm these sparrows were dining on the fresh blossoms of the forsythia shrubs. There were several females accompanying this male, all of which have lived under the eaves of my house for years. C&C welcome.
D4S, Nikon 200-500mm @ 500mm, 1/1250s, f 6.3, ISO 400, HH.
Very nice Geoffrey. You have brought out lovely feather detail on the bird. I like the pose you captured and the BG shows the bird real well. I also like the crop. House Sparrows here in Scotland have declined significantly, for some unknown reason. They are not as common as they were when I was a kid.
These guys' chirps are so cheerful during the warm months. I like the pose you got this one in, and the grip its got on the perch is pretty neat. Vertical was a good choice, but I feel the subject would have been better lower in the frame.
Always nice when you make a common bird look good. I agree with all that has been said above. Bird looks great against a nice background and I like the vertical crop. Also agree that I would prefer the bird a little lower in the frame. If mine I would clone out the branch sticking up and dissecting the tail.
These are quite handsome little commoners, and you caught him in decent light with a good pose and lovely BG. I agree about the comp, but personally don't mind the second branch.