Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Merops persicus

(Above) Irkayya Farm, Qatar, 26 October 2012 (EOS 7D, 300mm f2.8 + 2x Extender)

This dramatic image has been cropped and reduced in size from its original RAW dimensions. Other than this, no other processing has been applied. The naturally flat neutral grey background provides dramatic relief for the sun-lit colours and irridescence of the plumage. The dark greens and 'hard' feather edges of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater make it a very hard bird to photograph well; it always looks more beautiful in the field than onscreen. However, I think the above image goes to close to doing justice to a fabulous bird!