I was hoping that by extending the challenge we would get a few more entries.. Still, the level of the entries was quite good so that makes up for it!
I'm not close to being a good photographer, there are many in this forum that could do a great job judging, so apologies if someone doesn't agree with the result. I do think that in bird photography, the level of interest that a picture causes on the reader is more important than the technical aspect (which is still important) - so I'm not going to attempt to break it down by the individual analysis criteria, and do the more simple ("good/bad") evaluation instead.
These are the entries we had:
GrimWolf - Now that is an interesting shot! That is a bird being a bird, and it does capture the attention of the viewer. The exposure is right on. I wish the focus was more on the front part of the bird, and there wasn't another bird's rear right there next to it, but this is the type of shot you have to take when it comes up, and the positives certainly win over these small details.
photolady95 - That is also a very interesting picture of birds just being birds. I like the composition and the focus point works very well. It tells a bit of a story, as you said, of the birds just doing what they want to do and ignoring each other. I wish you had better light to work with!
Vaskebjorn - The hebron in flight is a great picture! It's hard to get a good composition in an impromptu picture like this but you did well. The contrast between the darker water and the bird's grey color also helps it stand out in the picture as the main point of interest. The out of focus grass is right in front of the bird but doesn't seem to distract.
noelcmn - You went for cute and you got it - lots of it! The technical side of this picture is also well executed - unencumbered by distracting elements, the focus is perfect, and the colors are nice. There's a little bit of blown highlights but it's not a big deal.
SD_Bob - That is an impressive capture of a beautiful eagle in flight. The expression is great, and with some PP to overcome the lack of contrast and vibrancy in the picture, it would shine even more.
RollsUp - Very nice PP and the choice of aperture also makes for a very artistic picture. There is a lot to like. I just wish the bird stood out a bit more from the background as the clear subject of the picture.
The Winners
I'll go from 3rd to 1st...
3rd place goes to GrimWolf for the attention-grabbing headless bird
I know it is more artistic than technically perfect, but scomatic's guidelines state right at the beginning that a good picture needs to be interesting and not just a record - so apologies to others that had images that were a bit better technically.
2nd place goes to noelcmn's cute duckling. It was very hard to decide, this one really has my heart. I mean, how can you not love those eyes?
Finally, the winner is SD_Bob. Not only an eagle filling the picture, but a screaming eagle nonetheless. Just a majestic and fearsome bird.
Congratulations to all who entered, all pictures were very enjoyable!