I hardly ever see one of these birds in the open, and apologize for the cluttered background, but their habitat defines "clutter". Hopefully the bug in its beak makes up for the harsh lighting. Pretty significant crop, as I have trouble getting close to these birds. Canon Xti, sigma 170-500 lens at 500 mm
1/200
ISO 400
f9
20mm extension tube
I know what you mean about catbirds being difficult to photograph; they make it worse with all the chatter/song that tells you they are right there behind all those branches and leaves.
I wonder if the light is a bit harsh? The front of the bird looks almost too bright. Sharp image, like the food carrying. Too bad it didn't raise its head a bit.
Also wonder if increasing the aperture even to full open would help?
There are things you can do to make this image better. At the time of making it try to get in sun angle. The bird is well lit in the front but not the back. You can also look for the least number of branches merging with the head/boy and wait for a good head angle. Also exposing wide open will minimize the bg detail.
After the shutter has been pressed you can try selectively lightening the dark areas, smoothing the bg branches and just sharpening the bird. I understand this is were they live but doesn't make it any easier.
catbird
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