To me, the two things which could have improved it were a better head turn and cloning out the one piece of what appears to be spent tall stuff coming out of the very end of it's tail.
Hey Raymond, I can appreciate this image as this is usually about the closest I can get to one of these with nice surroundings. Only time I can get closer is from the car, and with the bird on an ugly fence post!! Terrific depiction of the habitat, I love it! I agree with a bit better HA though.
The head angle doesn't bother me for the simple fact that the subject is looking out over his territory. That would be the story, not I would say him giving "us" his attention directly. So that's fine I feel. The total shot looks great with the environment included. What I see that might help is to get more interest going in that environment. Maybe a contrast boost, some sat work here and there, but mostly a tonal gradation between the top area and the bottom area. I would say to try a slight darkening form the mid way point to the bottom in a very subtle graduated way and a very subtle lightening of the top half at the same time. The idea would be to get some oppositon going. Rather than cloning out stuff by his tail perhaps just cover it with a little faded opacity bg layer selected on a mask. It adds realism and the fact that it is higher than the subject sort of gives a wall that that subject is backed up to, or in other words a slope from it's height to the, lower, birds head which is then a diagonal which creates dynamic movement forward from the bird into the scene where the eye then bounces around the field with the other adjustments. All in all I really can appreciate the shot!
Eastern Meadowlark
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