I was at a local garden when I happened to hear this bird singing. My bird identification skills are so weak at this point that I won’t even hazard a guess about what kind of bird he is (I seem to be wrong more than I am right, with the exception of really common birds like robins and cardinals). His song was pleasant, however, and his brown eyes were captivating. He was perched up high enough that the sky provided a clear background and the green leaves and bright red berries added some interest and color in the foreground, although they partially hide his body. I like the way the shot turned out and it required only a minimum amount of cropping.
I finally managed to get a decent bird image in relatively good focus. What happened? I’m learning that I need plenty of light with the camera and lenses that I have to get an optimal image and I need to avoid the extreme end of my telephoto zoom and aperture range too. Most of all, I need to be really lucky.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great shot, Mike! Really sharp capture of the bird and nice setting with the blue sky and red berries!
I’m going to guess Mockingbird, based on the white pattern in the wings and the song. Most species will have stopped singing now, but mockingbirds sing pretty much all year in some parts of the country. Did it have a fairly long tail? Mockingbirds are a little grayer than this one, so I am not sure of the ID.
Yes, it had a fairly long tail (not all of it is included in the photo). I appreciate your help in identifying the bird (I don’t photograph birds very much).
It’s a mocking bird, very nice indeed!
Definitely Mockingbird. We have 2 pairs that frequent our yard. They have a cool little territorial dance that the do.
Thanks for help with the identification. I really need to learn my birds better (and I hope to see the territorial dance).