Most of the time I hesitate to take photos of birds head-on, because the bills and other facial features can look distorted. However, I really like this image I captured of a jaunty little Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) during in visit in July to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are tiny songbirds, about four inches (10 cm) in length, and are only slightly larger than Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Their tails are really long and dark with white outer tail feathers. In this image, the tail is angled to the side—at first glance it almost looks like the green leaf behind the gnatcatcher’s head is the tail.
It is always hard to interpret the facial expressions of birds. At first I thought the expression in this photo was one of confrontation, but increasingly I have come to the conclusion that it more likely was one of curiosity.
In case you are curious, the gnatcatcher was in a shaded area, so I had to increase the exposure to try to pull the bird out of the shadows. The increased exposure caused the sky in the background to turn white.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice! I really like the white sky. It give kind of a minimalist look which sometimes compliments bird photos quite well. As it does in this case. I also love the expression on the face, which I agree seems to be curiosity. Nicely done!
Thanks so much for your detailed comments. I really appreciate when sometime takes the time to explain their reactions to a photo. It is a little hard for me to be completely objective when reviewing my own photos, because the experience of taking the photos sometimes colors my perceptions of the merits of the image.
I have a hard time being objective, too. I always doubt myself, especially the more I look at something and work on it.