As I'm still new to taking photos of birds, I'm still not sure about Hand Angle, cropping, etc. Your comments are welcome, but explanations would go a long way to help. I photographed this image with my Canon 40D, ISO200, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, Sigma 80-400mm 400mm, Evaluative Metering, Auto Exposure, Auto WB, No Flash.
Head angle wise is good Birds looking away just don't look attractive and if the head is parallel to the film plane having it just a little toward you will have the tip of the bill and eye at the same plane. Both will be sharp even with the limited dof when shooting wide open.
Crop is a matter of taste but a few things can help out. Like in any other type of photography if you have something worth including don't clip it. Here I would have like to see more room at the bottom for the neck feathers or would go for a tighter crop. Cut deliberately but don't clip.
From a tech point of view do try to photograph wide open if the bg is close and you wan to lessen its impact, also try focusing on the eye. By having the eye sharp usually the rest of the image looks fine.
As presented would like a little more room up front in the direction he is looking. Would not crop from the back which would have a similar effect, those black shoulder feathers look good and like to see them intact.
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