As I’m sure that you you have already noticed, backyard birds has been a main subject of this blog lately. Mostly because when I tried to walk into one of my favorite Otter spots last week I was in snow that was easily over my knees!! Even with my snowshoes on it was a heart attack waiting to happen so I will wait for the snow to settle a little before I go back and try again.
So I was out in my backyard again this afternoon trying for a perfect shot of a male Cardinal. Bird photographers call these “bird on a stick” shots because most often the bird in the shot is perched on a branch or a strategically placed landing area. I have hundreds of bird on a stick pics but I am always looking for that “perfect” shot. Well the male Cardinal just totally snubbed me but the female was in the mood for some pics! Please look at the three images below and give me your input on which you like best but more importantly, why you like one over the other. I have my own favorite but I’m interested in what others think.

I like the first one just because it is a nice composition with good light. But she has some food stuck in her teeth so there goes perfection!
The second one I like just because it’s a different look than the normal. Fortunately there was a catchlight in her eye so that helps see the eye. But I wish her head was tilted ever so slightly to her right. With more of her eye visible the composition would have been stronger. Definitely not perfect.
She finally got it together with the third shot. There’s not much difference between the first and third shot except for a slight head tilt forward and toward me. And to me it makes all the difference. I’m not sure if I like the crop yet or not but I do like the image. Not perfect mind you, but I hope I never get to “perfect”. Because then what do you aim for???
The rest of the images below were just icing on the cake. Hope you enjoy them!