I watched this bird for half an hour or so under cloudy skies. I snapped a few frames as it assumed interesting poses and/or passed across clean backgrounds but nothing all that interesting. Patience finally paid off as the evening sun popped out briefly AND the breeze dropped off AND the bird walked across a clean, shaded BG. The trifecta
There's just no substitute for good lighting.
Nikon D500, 200-500mm @500mm, handheld
1/1600s, f5.6, ISO200