Kestrel w/re-post

Excellent, Sandy! Good detail and a nice perch. Ron

I'd say you can put a big black line through this species on your list.

Beautiful pose, colors, perch, complementary background - and I like the crop. Is that blood on the beak?

The only possible "improvement" might be dealing with the thin twig that mirrors the angle of the tail, but that's a minor, personal thing.

Congratulations!

Hi Sandy,

Nice lighting, color, and a very cooperative subject. Well done !...........................Jim

Great color, detail and setting!!

Nice pose and perch. I'd prefer a litte more space (width) to the composition, or a little more off the top if you wanted to stay with a tight crop. I'd also like a bit more sharpness/detail so I assume this is a big crop.

Really like the pose and the natural perch. The head angle and the eye contact are perfect. I agree with Richard that it does appear just a wee bit soft. Still, nice capture and this species is not easy! There are a pair of these that hang out right across the street from me here in Cuenca, high up in the Eucalyptus trees mostly. They only come down for brief grabs at some prey. I have been trying to shoot them for 4 months and absolutely no luck! Too far away even for my 500. Very frustrating!! So, this species is still on my list.

Excellent head turn and perch and the pose really displays the coloration well. I'm still waiting for the day I can cross the Kestrel off my list Sandy. Its my favorite raptor and I have yet to get a close up of one of these beautiful but skittish birds. Well done Sandy!

I was actually pretty close - maybe it just needs a bit more sharpening.
That doagonal branch is now gone too - I was undecided about it originally.

For LARGE version, please see the post in the BIRD forum (can't post a second large image in this thread)

Sandy

sweet work, love them, well done

Very nice. Like it much better without the stick. Congratulations on the catch.

A great job Sandy!!! The pose and setting really work but it is the nice soft light revealing the beautiful colors that make this image special to me. Chet

Beautiful capture Sandy. Love the head turn, the pose and the vertical crop. Well done !

Nice job with a tough subject, Sandy. I like the head turn and for some reason really notice (in a good way) the matching reds in both bird and perch. I agree with Rich's comp suggestion.

Nice one, sandy. These have been elusive for me, as well. The repost does look a lot sharper.

Another beautiful shot Sandy! I would probably take out the spare branch by his tail but would love to have one like that in my gallery. If I can ask, why did you do a +1 EV. I usually do a -.7?? What am I missing?