Mudlark

[ucci]

We stopped for a picnic lunch at a recreational area and I was wandering around looking for suitable subjects. This little chap came up and tried to bustle me on. It would seem I was on his patch and he wanted to move me on. Not the first time in my life that a bird has given me the push!

[FrankMi]

Ken, you seem to have a knack for finding a wide variety of birds and you seem to know them all on a first name basis! I really like # 1 but would be tempted to tone down the distracting brown thingys in the background.

[ucci]

Ken, you seem to have a knack for finding a wide variety of birds and you seem to know them all on a first name basis! I really like # 1 but would be tempted to tone down the distracting brown thingys in the background.

Hi Frank
Thanks for viewing and posting critique. Much appreciated. The brown things are a distraction and should be removed as you suggest. They are actually dead leaves from nearby gum trees. We are most lucky here in that we have abundant and varied bird life and one doesn't have to venture far to see them.
Cheers
Ken

[KeithH]

Cocky little fella isn't he, hope you didn't keep him waiting too long

[jamn4ex]

Well its number 3 for me. Somthing about the way he has his head cocked and seems to be looking right at you. thanks for sharing.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Ken,

I wish I had a penny for everytime I took a shot that has the problem(s) you have here; They're at least a stop over exposed (black and white birds like this are the bain of any metering system, especially if you don't have the opportunity to review the histogram or blinkies and apply -EC)
They're not too sharp either, focusing on a fast moving bird against this kind of background is a nightmare, I'd go for the black/white patterns on the neck (for a slightly less mobile target), rather than the eye/head/beak. Single point, continuous focus mode helps.

Don't feel bad, you have joined a club, that's all
I take hundreds like this

Getting this kind of opportunity right is largely luck, more experience helps, but there's still luck in there.

The compositions are good, but I felt duty bound to offer hints/advice on dealing with the other problems, even though that has meant being fairly negative overall. Since we're here to learn, I hope you're ok with my critique.

UPDATE: A further thought Ken, over exposure doesn't help with good sharpness either, the highlights bloom over the edges.

Best regards,