BH and RWBB

Was thinking that it was of no use to take the camera when I entered the Deer creek natural area in Fort Collins on the way back from work. Well, something is better than nothing [:)]
Got a window of opportunity when for a few seconds the sun came out from the clouds and saw the Blue heron taking off, unfortunately missed the feet of the BH and part of it's wing
then obviously the Blackbirds were posing just before sunset ...
C&C highly appreciated as always ...

#1

#2

#3

Nice set--the heron is terrific!

No need to tell you what you already said about the BH shot, but it's still really cool. The second RWBB shot is my fave. I could make a case for selection everything but the bird and pushing it more out of focus, so that the bird stands out more. Same with the first one.

BTW, what shutter speed was used on the heron?

Thanks for your comments.

@Todd - I used 1/320 for the heron.

I think that the heron image is excellent. The missing feet and wing don't bother me one little bit for some reason.
That and the slight motion blur on its wings seem to give this a lot of action compared to a more posed 'portrait' type of shot.
Good work with the blackbird shots, too. These are all really good, Soubhik!

#2 is my favorite: great post and framing with a catchlight in the eye! The first image with its crop and blurring doesn't bother me either and I think the simple reason is the eye is in good focus. Seems this is a common theme whether shooting wildlife, sports or even portraits: most of the time the "eyes have it."

Nice series! To heck with the rules, the Heron shot just works. Maybe it's because it's an action shot.

Great pose in the RWBB in the second image. Like the fact you can see his eye and the nice color in the background.

Great shot in #1. The missing feet and wing cutoff doesn't bother me. The way it's framed and it's continued flight path makes it work. The Black Birds are nice images as well.