Shrike

Nice head turn and pose. The large version shows good detail. I like how the background compliments the bird's coloration.

I didn't know a Shrike can look this cute. Very nice pose and head turn. The larger version shows better details on my screen. Thanks for sharing Sandy.

That is some difficult light but you were able to get everything in focus and exposed. Interesting bird. I've never seen one of these.

Nice head turn and a good job handling the light, Sandy.

Nice job with a tricky situation Sandy. The one straight vertical branch below the bird isn't very esthetically pleasing unfortunately, but the rest of the thorned branches tell a lot about this bird species. A fine head turn and good and sharp.

Nice job on handling the tough light Sandy. I might loose some of the room on both the top and bottom. With a BG that busy, I'm not sure why you chose to keep that much of it. I think it doesn't add anything and even takes away from the shot. With that said....this is NOT an easy subject to approach. I have been trying for several years now and still don't have a shot I am happy with....so also good job capturing him.

I think you did very well keeping the shrike sharp while diffusing the branches around it and also handling the light. I also like the thorny habitat that goes with this species. I might crop part of the bottom off.