Hutton's Vireo

Image Description

I’m fortunate to have a large natural area above my house with a nice path for (almost) daily walks. On this entire hillside this is the only tree with blossoms, so I’ve been staking it out waiting for a bird to show up. (yes, you’ll more shots of this tree). The Hutton’s Vireo looks an awful lot like a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but as I recently learned on an ABA podcast, the Vireo’s bill is stockier and has a slight hook to it. It’s also a larger bird when seen side by side.

Type of Critique Requested

  • Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.

  • Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.

Specific Feedback and Self-Critique

Your thoughts are always appreciated.

Technical Details

Canon R5; 100-500 at 500 mm; 1/1000 at f7.1, +2/3 EV; ISO 250

2 Likes

Hi Allen, I like this image with all the blossoms that conveys the start of spring. Nice exposure and sharpness on the bird. Given the upward shooting angle, I think it is optimal that the bird is looking down for us to have a connection with him/her. Given this, I really don’t mind the prominent branch curving through the middle of the image and bird. We still have a good look at the expression of the bird and feather detail. Looking forward to more images from this tree.

1 Like

Hello, This is a beautiful portrait! I like how the head of the bird is framed by the branches and I particularly love how blossoms under the bird are so sharp…my eye goes back and forth between them and the bird. You have also captured some perfect spring colours. Well done!

1 Like

A beautiful image, Allen. I’ll have to keep my eye out for this one. I don’t think I’ve ever photographed it. I do find the clump of buds half way into the bottom of the image a bit distracting, but that’s the only nit I can come up with. Excellent work.

1 Like

Gorgeous catch with perfect focus. What a lovely perch!! Could be fun to remove the buds at the bottom – I think it could be a nice touch.

1 Like