Thanks Wheezie - blimey you have done some stuff in the past.
As Billybuzz said it's easier when they are tied to a post.
Try that hue/sat adjustment, it's amazing the colours that appear. It can bugger up the greens a bit though.
The owl is a full portrait but I like to crop in on the head to get those eyes.

Beautiful pictures.
Love the unusual presentation - I might steal the idea.

Neither they are both rubbish - PUSH THE DARN BUTTON!
Sorry I had a funny turn there, what I meant was I did like the sepia best but the B&W makeover by Meives has just snuck into first place.
I'll go take my meds now.

The X100 does what you want if you can live with a fixed 35mm (equivalent) lens.
Aperture, shutter speed and over/under adjustments are all on knurled wheels.
Optical viewfinder, digital TTL viewfinder or digital rear screen.
One cute thing on the digital view finder is that it shows you in real time what your settings will produce - you don't actually have to take the picture and check it. You can set your photo up by what you see.
Yes I have just bought one - it took me 13 months to convince myself but hey, you are a long time looking at the lid!

Thanks Nikonian72. I read that these Orb Weavers are in the south of England now having spread from the Continent.

Sepia for me as I see the pump as the subject and the daffs as background. Try both - copy the layer, sepia tone it and then erase over the daffs to pop the colour. Nice photo.
Oops I just noticed that has already been done - I think I like it. Will read to the end next time before leaping in.

A relative? taken in Madeira on a Lumix compact. Love the detail on yours - like it's painted.

Thanks Billybuzz you are right, I don't pretend that they compare to wildlife shots - that is another level.
#1 owes its colours to Elements as it seemed a dull brown initially although I had seen colours at the time I took it. I duplicated the layer and applied 5% gaussian blur while changing the blending mode to 'colour'. I then applied a hue/sat adjustment linked to this layer. I could then wind the colour right up 30 or 40 without it blocking up. The colours then appeared as I had seen them. The same procedure brought out the owls eyes. Poor old Stig just stayed ugly.

A Bird of Prey Rescue Centre was flying some birds at a Garden Centre near me so I went along for a look. I found that I am not very good at panning - so here are some that are not flying.

Lizzie


Long Eared Owl


Stig

Crop right in - between the rails on #2 & #4.

I think #2 but I would crop into the arm as in #1 and feel it does need the glasses to tell the story. I would like to see it in B&W also. Nice shot.

Photo #3 is nearly there. Shallow depth of field gives it away. You could try focus stacking - never done it myself but someone here will put you (and me) right.

No arguing with those pictures Michael, brilliant!

I have the 100-400L and the 1.4x converter. You do lose the autofocus and it's not easy to get a sharp manual focus.
My 350D has the CMOS-C sensor so as well as the 1.4x I think I also have the 1.6x crop factor. This magnification on a lens this this size when it's fully extended makes it hard to keep steady and manually focus even on a tripod.

Lovely shots Heidi, they are right up my street. I particularly like the tourquoise colour reflected in the chrome of #2. More like this please.
We ought to have a 'guess the model' quiz. Is #2 a Thunderbird? (a guess based on the colour and the side stripe). I expect someone will put me right.