Beautiful bird! Straps suggest it is used for Falconry (?) It is very big for that purpose though, if is used that way!

Any calibrator is better than none, and the Spyder2 works reasonably well. There are newer and better units out there - I use a Pulse Color Elite, though the Spyder is still around here someplace. None are truly cheap.

None yet are perfect though. There are too many exogenous factors, like the light on the monitor and the light on the final print when viewed. The human eye is adaptable to light in ways color profiles still can't quite match.

If you have the longer lens available, greater distance is usually better to keep the subject in focus while blurring the unwanted background.

'Too many simplistic replies.
1. If unsure in any situation, bracket.
2. Expose for your primary subject or intent (ie. if you want a backlit silhouette, expose for the background; if you want the subject primarily, expose for the subject - probably need to spotmeter.
3. Your exposures have to be somewhat close, even with RAW files.
4. Overexposure loses unrecoverable detail in the highlights.
5. With digital, photos are free. Practice by taking lots of pictures, with deliberate over and under exposure of each. Study them to learn when and where to use modified exposure as one more tool.

Been there, done that. The lens you have is adequate, though at times a longer lens is nice though not necessary. A monopod and a beanbag served me well; most of the time I had no place to have used a tripod, and the monopod is much lighter to transport.

The Canon 5D costs $600 more than the 7D. Are there any significant differences except 2 megapixels (18 vs 20), and one stop faster shutter speed?

I have shot many Hunt Tests, AKC, UKC, NAHTR, NADKC, etc. The type of test determines the lens needed. For Pointing Dog tests, you can get fairly close to the action, depending on the whims of the judges. For Retriever tests the dogs often are working hundreds of yards from the nearest permitted human, and a 400mm or 500mm fast lens (read expensive) on a tripod is needed for prime work. For horseback Field Trials, the shorter lens might work occasionally if the judges are helpful, but they are properly preoccupied with avoiding interference with the dog work. No single lens will do for all situations, and I find it best to carry two cameras with different lenses, and a tripod for all retriever tests.