Post your best bird shots!

[HDNitehawk]

For the issue of what everyone thinks is acceptable, what about cloning out a small distraction? For example, do you feel it is reasonable for the tip of a branch intruding on the edge of a photo to be cloned out to sky?

I think it is whatever floats your boat.

Some go to great length making the picture just right.
I prefer mine to be natural and will only crop to take a distraction out. If a bird is in a bush and a branch is in the way so be it, I would not correct it. Birds live in bushes, it is part of the natural habitat.

To that point, wouldn't this eagle have been better if the background wasn't blown out and a new background put in?
1C8A4484.jpg by hdnitehawk01, on Flickr

But this is how it was taken and for me it is good enough. There is no right or wrong way.