I love them, always a joy seeing them.
I like the BG, perch and the open beak.
The image as a glassy look, maybe its the strong flash with the sharpening.
Good-looking specimen, eye contact, angle and BG. I might sharpen a bit less, give it a bit more room and it looks a bit overflashed as presented. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful shot.I like the open bill. Very good BG. Good sharpness. I agree with Axel on it looking a little bid overflashed. But only a tiny little bit.
You might try about -1/3 on the exposure overall, put the perch on an adjustment layer and with curves bring it down even further, painting in with a soft brush to taste. I tried it, seems more natural to me.
Thanks a lot for all your constructive comments! I really appreciate it.
I processed it again, considering most of your points (toned down with curves, a little less sharpening)
What about this one? Does it still look over-flashed?