Here's a Say's Phoebe I photographed last winter. The BG is a large field. I like the orientation of the light relative to the bird here, but the perch is what does it for me.
Canon 1D Mark III, 700mm, f/8, 1/800, ISO 400, no flash, hand held
Great details, eye contact, BG and I agree that the perch makes this image since it also shows the feet of the bird really well. It would have been great to have the sun in your back.
Hi Doug, I also agree with you about the perch, it looks like a 3D perch. The BG is wonderful, but I believe the eye needs a bit of sharpening, great image anyways.