I very much like what you did, but I'm even more interested in hearing how you did it - if you feel like sharing. The color hue in particular is very eye catching.

Wonderful series. Several great keepers there. I especially like #1 and #8.

Wonderful image of a magnificent bird. The pilings make for a great composition. Well done!

Great capture. Everything is nice and sharp, with a pleasing bokeh. The orange eyes in particular are mesmerizing.

I've lived in Santa Cruz for over 30 years and NEVER have seen a hawk this close on the beach. Consider yourself extremely privileged to have had such an experience, and a photo to prove it!

Overall, I like the angle you've taken with this image. I think it shows good compositional skills and everything is nicely exposed and sharp. What I'm going to say next is strictly a matter of personal taste/opinion and artistic choice. There's no "right" or "wrong" or "better" here, and many here obviously already like your picture as it is ---- but I am asking myself if the single upright pole and extraneous birds really add anything to the power of the image. You've got such a nice curved line with the perched birds . . . I wonder what the image would look like if you cropped out the right portion up to and including the pole with the two birds, and cloned out the horizontal white pipes - just leaving the curved line of perched birds - which after copping/cloning would create a nice diagonal sweep for one's eye to follow, almost from the bottom right to top left? Just something to consider.

Because of the way you've framed the elements in your image, I'm not so sure I would say that the composition is "good". Like others have said, there are too many competing elements (the other colorful bird in the lower right, and the busy background itself is too distinct - i.e., not blurry enough to fade into unrecognition) which distract from a very interesting main subject. Perhaps this is because of where you positioned yourself when you took the shot. You may not have had control over this, but getting as close to your subject as possible and using the largest aperture possible (still keeping proper exposure) will produce a much more pleasing bokeh - but some lenses are better at this than others. It would also be more helpful if you check "store original" when you submit a photo so we can see your EXIF data.

Great use of the fisheye lens - and it looks HDR processed. I like it.

Thanks everyone for looking and the kind replies. However, don't be afraid to also offer any critiques, if you have them. I can take it!

The horizon is so level (less than 1/16 of an inch difference), if you're seeing a lean, its more likely an optical illusion.

Sounds like you've been here before, Texcaster - LOL!

Nikon D7100, with my Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 lens, coupled with a Nikon TC-17E II teleconverter. Even with the teleconverter, I can still get pretty sharp pictures at 340mm.

I don't post many photos here, but I just felt these need to be seen. I live in Santa Cruz, CA., where surfing is a popular sport. Today was exceptional in that some huge waves moved in ("triple overhead") so I took my trusty telephoto out the what is called "Steamers Lane", where the biggest waves and the best local surfers play.

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Sweet shot; great composition. I agree that a tiny bit more contrast would just put this into the ribbon-winning category.

Some of the finest bird shots I have seen. Well done, Indrajeet! Please tell us what camera and lens were you using. Amazing sharpness!