Mammals Beware

[Badcast]

This was taken at Moody Gardens in Texas. Its known for floral and Butterflies. I don't think they have a rodent problem with birds like this Its not as sharp as I'd like and my P.P. skills are lacking but its an interesting shot. Haven't a clue what kind of bird it is but I want a few for my barn! Any comments welcome.


Randy

[JohnC]

No, I don't think there'd be a rodent problem. I've tried several sources to see what this bird is including 'birds at Moody Gardens' but nothing shows. I wonder if portrait mode would have been better ,it would have got the whole of the bird in.Sometimes though it's a matter of a quick shot. There's a lot of greenery infront of it that I'd be cropping out but I like the shot. Maybe someone will know what it is.

[Badcast]

No, I don't think there'd be a rodent problem. I've tried several sources to see what this bird is including 'birds at Moody Gardens' but nothing shows. I wonder if portrait mode would have been better ,it would have got the whole of the bird in.Sometimes though it's a matter of a quick shot. There's a lot of greenery in front of it that I'd be cropping out but I like the shot. Maybe someone will know what it is.

Thanks John, I was setup to shoot some flowers when I saw this fella hopping up a log with a large blob in his mouth. He was jerking his head around trying to swallow it. I got my camera on him long enough for 2 quick shots. I cropped a little already and was afraid to do any more.

[Geoff F]

You can still crop to portrait size, Randy, and lose a lot of that unnecessary greenery form the background.

A 4 x 5 crop will probably mean chopping off a little of the bird's back, but seeing as the tail is missing I think it would probably be an improvement. And it will probably make the bird appear sharper.

You are a little high on the highlights so I would knock them back a little. Also remove that 'hot spot' on the leaf beside the bird's beak.

If you get unwanted brightness problems by reducing the highlights you may have to work on a layer and edited mask but it will adjust OK. But try just using Curves or Levels first and see what happens.

[Badcast]

You can still crop to portrait size, Randy, and lose a lot of that unnecessary greenery form the background.

A 4 x 5 crop will probably mean chopping off a little of the bird's back, but seeing as the tail is missing I think it would probably be an improvement. And it will probably make the bird appear sharper.

You are a little high on the highlights so I would knock them back a little. Also remove that 'hot spot' on the leaf beside the bird's beak.

If you get unwanted brightness problems by reducing the highlights you may have to work on a layer and edited mask but it will adjust OK. But try just using Curves or Levels first and see what happens.

Thanks Geoff, I didn't even see the hot spot. I'll work on the highlights.
Randy