Blue Jay

I think the cropped version is a little too intense, making the blue jay a bit intimidating; the version with the "orange stuff" balances the shot IMHO, placing the jay in just enough background (for context) and keeping the jay cute and curious.

Excellent bird capture, a very nice pose from the bird as well. thanks for sharing, best regards!

I love how the bird is so sharp and that both eyes are lit. The tilt of the head is just so expressive. I think it works having the out of focus orange object in the the background with the bird tilting his (her?) head away from it.

Great capture! Amazing razor-sharp detail and great color. The face-to-face perspective makes this photo all the more effective.

Dr. Bird bears a very characteristic look, I love it.

Regards...Mahen

Karl, Jerry, Angus, Rafik, Kosta, Alex, Tutku, and Mahen -- thank you so much for your comments!

Hello, I just wanted to say I found this in a major magazine. So congratulations on this image, you have yourself a great capture.

Congrats on the photo being printed in OP. Way to go!

Derek and Mathew, thank you! And thanks to OP people who decided to print it :)