First Bluebird of Spring-NOT

Actually, we have a flock of Western Bluebirds that usually comes to visit a couple of times a day during the winter. The real sign of spring here is that we started feeding mealworms a few days ago and instead of the flock we’re down to a single pair, apparently getting ready for breeding season. This is the male.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

Anything.

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Anything.

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

Sony a6500, Sony FE200-600 @ 600 mm, tripod with ballhead and Sidekick, f/8, 1/320, iso 2000, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Noise reduction with Neat Image and feather enhancement using Topaz Detail 3. Global and local adjustments to exposure and saturation. Cropped to 5348x3864 pixels. Taken this morning at 7:52 am.

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Dennis, the colors of the bird look great. The details and the worm also show very well.

What a perky guy! Their coloration is so pretty and you captured it well, as well as those delicate details in the feathers. My husband put up several nesting boxes in our yard this year, but no one’s taken up residence in them yet - he’s so disappointed.

Excellent capture of this Bluebird, Dennis! Colors and clarity are great and you did a fine job with the post processing. If I was shooting bird photos this time of year they would have a white background! You’ve been getting some great photos with that 200-600 lens. I’ve found mine to be a lot of ‘bang for the buck’.

A classic image, Dennis - no frills, sharp and caught at a nice moment.

Beautiful bluebird portrait Dennis. Great blurred background which sets him off nicely. Really sharp with lots of detail even magnified. The branch makes a perfect non-intrusive prop too. We had about a half dozen visit our feeder about a month ago but haven’t seen them since. Must try the mealy worms :smiley:.