Loggerhead Shrike

Mia, I like very much the bird (beautiful details), the soft BG and the rabbitbrush that really gives depht to the image! To me, the only very minor nit is the rabbitbrush on the far right that looks like a spot. I'd clone it out.
Mauro

All the important parts of the bird are crisp and clear.
I hesitate to be a little picky here because your postings are always of such great quality but the little vegitation just above your logo grabs my eye. It is amazing the things that the primitive mind is drawn to.

Dan

Hi Lia. I like how he/she is looking in the direction of the light, seems to give the impression that the Shrike is in contemplation. The bush in the foreground is sparse enough that we can still discern the details of the bird, so the bush with its color, textures provides some interesting habitat and is an asset. The tail appears to be pointed towards us, foreshortening the appearance of the bird and making it appear unusually stubby. Nothing you could have done about that of course. Someday, I hope, I'll be able to post a photo of a Shrike...

Very nice, Mia.
Excellent shadow control.

Neil

I love it! First all the muted colors blend perfectly and the black is just the punch that makes the image stand out. The background color, lighting, and composition is perfection.

Dottie

This works very well for me. I prefer the rabbitbrush to another "cleaner" perch for this species. It seems every time I see one they are on a brushy perch so it adds to the story. I love that silky smooth BG and agree with cleaning up the LRC.

Exposure & details look great Mia, and I agree with you on the rabbitbrush..
I'd clone out that veg bottom rt corner to finish it off
Well done

I love how well the black eye stands out against the black mask. Is that little bit of pink on the throat left over dinner? I like the inclusion of the rabbitbrush. I agree that it adds depth.

A solid image of a favorite species of mine.

An excellent presentation of this little marauder. No nits, except the aforementioned bit of brush/spot in the LRC (which I wouldn't have seen, except so many mentioned it! ).

Mia:
I like the BG, the head turn, catchlight, and sharpness of the image. As Gary stated, the rabbitbrush does not prevent an overall view of the bird's tail and, therefore, is not disruptive. My only suggestion is for a little more room on the left. The exposure seems perfect providing good detail in the dark and light regions.

Perfect for my tastes as posted Mia. I like the rabbitbrush. I frequently photograph it when there's not a bird in the way. (smile) Great pose on this little guy.

Pat

Really nice detail here Mia and I like the way the bird seems to be nestled in amongst all those rabbitbrush spikes. You met at least two large challenges very successfully here - getting a catchlight with the sun at the angle it is and still having the bird close to facing you and getting good exposure with the whites of the shrike facing the sun and the blacks at least partially shaded. Very nicely done. Aren't shrikes a blast?

I think this is great!

You nailed this one Mia, perhaps the best Loggerhead image I have seen. The pose, comp. BG and brush all working so well in color and presentation. Congratulations on such an exceptional image.

Beautiful, Mia. Was this the same Shrike that Ron posted a little while ago? I was just comparing the two compositions. Seems to me that either you were closer, or are just using better equipment. I like the surrounding brush too.

Wonderful Portrait of this cool species. I like the rabbitbrush

Hi Mia. I like it, the larger image is very nice, but I think that it needs just a bit more room on the bottom.....It seems a bit unbalanced to me.

Many thanks for the comments thus far on this image, they are appreciated.

David, Michael, I do have room on the left side and the bottom to add more to the image, thanks for the comments on that.

Charlie, this isn't the same Shrike that Ron posted awhile back, they were taken on different days in different locations. We were closer to this bird than the one he posted. On the day I took this one we had one shrike get so close I was not able to focus on it with the 200-400mm, I could not back up enough to get focus and then a noisy truck scared the shrike off!

The OOF vegetation on the lower right hand corner doesn't really distract me but I appreciate the comments on it because next time there is some thing like that in the view finder I will try harder to not include it in the frame.

Again, my thanks.

Sweet image, Mia. Great job on the exposure and I like the rabbitbrush.

Wow, you were close here Mia, great detail in the bird.

I love these little guys,,,,,,the light is really nice and the rabbitbrush gives it a sense of place.

Lovely detail Mia and the eye stands out nicely in the larger image.

cheers
Rob

lovely light, exposure, details. a good day with shrikes is a great day. I like the suggestion to add a little more on the bottom.

Awesome portrait Mia

Ken Archer

Hi Mia, I am late to see this and comment. Suffice it to say that I love it as posted.

Peter

Mia,
the entire image works for me as posted. Beautiful image!

Very nice image of this shrike. Because of their black eye band, it can be difficult to see the eye well, but your capture brings it out nicely.