Northern Cardinal

What a pose. Don't think I've ever seen such a grand crest. I miss the cardinals. Had them when I grew up in NJ and saw them extend their range into Maine. But nary a one here in CA. So pretty. Nice pose, nice perch, and the BG is adequate. I only say that because the bokeh is a bit irritating to my eyes with the light colored pattern which is distracting. Otherwise, a really nice one that bring memories back to me.

These birds keep me interested - never seen one in my life. Wonderful pose and exposure. Background is very nice as well. Only nit would be the perch, with the broken-off tip. Otherwise a very fine image , Hans

Wonderful pose, very sharp and I love the red on green color combo. My eye keeps going back to the speckled background and wondering if it could be further blurred to make it less distracting? Thanks for posting.

Hey Tjie,
Outstanding pose that is very well captured with such a nice color combo and perfect framing.
Well done . . .

I like everything about this Tjie. The colors and the raised crest are outstanding. I don't mind the broken perch. Great shot.

Nice pose and head turn you managed in this one. The BG seems a bit "nervous" looking and pulls a bit of attention form the subject. I see this issue form time to time and think it's caused by a combination of DOF you choose, the distance form the subject to the BG and the pattern of the BG. I have heard of it referred to as a "nervous bokeh"
How far were you form the cardinal and how big of a crop is this? Asking because not sure you needed f/7.1. With this side view and wondering opening up to f/5.6 may have eliminated the pattern in the BG. Just a thought.

Thanks for your comment Kurt. I was about 20 feet from the bird and the leafy background was about 6-7 feet behind the bird. It was about 50% crop. Yes I agree an aperture of f/5.6 or even f/6.3 would yield a nicer bokeh.