Love the Bg and perch...The focus looks like it was on the perch and feet though...The bird is a little soft....smaller aperture might have helped here
Composition: I think it works. I could see leaving a little more room under the perch and a pinch less on top.
Pose: Great eye contact. I'm a sucker for the field guide pose where you can see more of the bird including wings and tail but this works at times as well
Exposure. Nice job against the dark background. A few areas on the perch look a little overexposed but probably could be burned in a bit in photoshop.
Hi Chris. I love the perch detail, but it does look like the focus is there, leaving the head a bit soft. I like the composition, and for the most part the background is not distracting. BTW, I think this is a house finch. Purple finches do not have streaked belly/flanks-unless it is a female. Maybe someone with more expertise will weigh-in on this.:)