This one is a lot better....than my last.
When ever I check some of the posted pix here I feel humbled, I still have lots to learn.

My feeble attempt at take off...

Absolutely a steep learning curve with this lense. and yes these pix were shot handheld. I have learned that the higher the SS the crisper the image is and hence i am learning how high i can push my iso and maintain IQ. Any kind of motion is amplified a lot. But i keep trying, hard to shoot BIF on a tripod!!!

Yup, I have also succumbed to the alluring siren song of the sigma monster zoom.
Works pretty well, I am happy with the investment.

Thanks for the comments, as for using the eagle as an avatar ..well I am too fat to soar like an eagle!! :-D
The back focus issue has been noticed and as soon as I figure out how to fix that properly I will.

I just purchased the 150-500 sigma and here are a couple of my captures. Spring is a little later this year and these Canadian geese have little choice for open water giving me the chance to photograph them. I also have a spot where I can view Bald Eagles regularly.

I edited out the can, as for different angles it was 30 below zero that day and I wasn't up to venturing too far from my vehicle. Perhaps in a month or so I will venture out that way again and try some more shots,hopefully after a fresh snow to cover some tracks...

Thanks, I will look into those programs.

I am using the HDR tool that is part of Canon's DPP, uses 3 exposures.
What other tools are available?

Handicap is too high to be bragging about, one of the reasons I got back into photography.

Hi UHHers, have been checking out your newsletters for a while and finally decided to register. This weeks photo contest was the clincher,and I submitted an image.
I consider myself an avid but amateurish photog but I do get a lucky shot every now and then. I just recently took the plunge into PP in a bigger way, got PSE 11, and am having fun experimenting, learning and screwing up(but thats part of learning right).

me on right