Grebe

[Chataignier]

Not my best ever bird shot, but I had to share it because it is the most distant I've ever attempted. 600mm lens with 1.4x multiplier on an APS body, so close to 1300mm focal length - and then I cropped in to it.

[Geoff F]

Birds frequently appear at the wrong light angle and you can't do much about it. In this case, a little bit of selective light adjustment would help. More shadow brightness and less highlights on the tail?

I tried adding a 1.4x to my 150-600 Sigma Sport lens but found auto focus became unreliable. Your image is nicely focused.

[Chataignier]

Autofocus at that sort of range is asking a lot. There is enough contrast in the water to compete with the subject. I dont rely on auto for this type of shot, I use focus peaking in manual mode.

[Round Tuit]

Impressive.