One of very few records ever in Massachusetts, this Harris's Sparrow was extremely hard to get unobstructed this evening; however, it was in some seriously great light.
I selectively sharpened the bird and selectively used some noise reduction on the background only.
To my eyes the background just doesn't work as it distracts my attention from the bird. The oof branch on the right is another disctraction. If it were mine I would try a vertical crop to lose some ot the background and the oof branch.
On the contrary, I think the background compliments the bird nicely, mainly in colour. It is a busy photo, and it's a shame that he isn't completely clear of obstruction, but we all know that that's one of the hardest things to achieve! Personally, I like slightly more environment shots like this, though close ups have an important place too.
Congrats on getting this species. I've struggled with other shy sparrow species, but have never even seen these guys. I do like the habitat and comp, but do find the right hand oof branch distracting. This is probably already too large a crop to come in tighter and eliminate it. In any event, nicely done.
Nice! I like the habitat, including the branch at right. Just a pity the tail is obstructed, and I would eliminate the OOF stem that is almost touching the bird's chin. Perfect head turn, and nice warm light.