One of my good friends who's been a nature photographer for decades has always told me that when it comes to bird photos the subject needs to be doing something. It doesn't have to be anything super compelling, just something that shows a little bit of what it's like to be them. A bird with a bug in its bill, while simple, is usually better than a bird staring at the camera or looking away. This is not a new idea or anything, just something an experienced photographer says to a newbie.
Since I started taking pictures a couple of years ago, I've had some decent opportunities to photograph birds in action. Some are in flight -nighthawks for instance. Others are actively feeding like a group of cormorants I saw one day at a pond chasing and feeding on fish. None of these opportunities turned out a picture as good as the attached photo of a pair of male Gila Woodpeckers fighting for the attention of a nearby female.
The female was perched on top of a Saguaro watching as her chosen male was "Challenged" by a rival. As someone new to photography I didn't really know how to get a good shot. I was lucky to find myself only 15-20' from the action, plenty close enough for my D850 and 500mm pf. As they say, I just sprayed and prayed that my camera settings would capture something interesting. The episode lasted about 2 minutes and ended with the rival banished from the territory. Hope you enjoy.
Very nice shot! Yes, pictures of birds (and of course other animals, too) are always more interesting if they show some behaviour, habitat or something else that kind of tells a story.
Way, way better than "Bird-on-a-stick".