Vigilant

Sony A77II
Sony 70-400G @ 250mm
ISO 1600, 1/320 @ f6.3
This was one of a small flock of Stellar Jays hanging around our campsite hoping for handouts from my grandkids. It was hard to get them to understand that feeding wild birds is not good for them. One of my rare forays into Avian so all comments will be most appreciated. >=))>

You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.

Bill,

I love stellar jays especially when I go on hikes. You have handled the blacks really well here, Bill. I only think that the composition is a little too tight all around especially on the left and top sides of the frame but perhaps there are distracting elements there that cause you to choose this crop.

Nice shot! I’ve gotten quite a few shots of these rascals but I’ve never encountered one with the white facial markings. I’ve see them with blue where yours is white. Very cool. If it was my shot and I had the room I’d add a little to the left of the frame, if possible. Still a “stellar” shot :wink:

Beautiful shot, Bill. The colors and the details are really nice. My first thought when I viewed it was as Adhika and Dave said, more room to the left was needed. But the more I view it, the less that bothers me, as the bird is looking downwards, and plenty of room in front of his face. Not sure that is right, just what I came away with feeling.

Nice detail in the Jay, Bill and I love the typical inquisitive head turn. I’m not sure where this was taken, but the blues look just a bit off on my monitor like they’re a touch on the cyan side, but that could be a regional variation as most birds out here on the wet side of the mountains are a bit darker. I agree with Shirley that the downward gaze helps with the tightness of the framing, but I do think just a bit looser would have been nice. That’s a very common trait with people who don’t do much bird photography. Just the ability to fill the frame with a bird makes us want to do it. It takes a while to get over that and give the bird a bit more freedom in the frame.

Excellent color, detail, perch and pose. My only suggestion is the crop is a little tight and could probably use some more room on the left side. Otherwise a well-done exposure and comp.