To try to add a positive slant to my agreement with this.
"hard times make hard people, hard people make good times." (paraphrasing as I haven't found time to dig out the original quote)
We are the parents shaping the people who save the world.
I really appreciate the offer, but at the moment I am focusing on feedback and advice, rather than demonstration. Being at such an early stage I would like to see my own editting progression (as advised elsewhere, I plan on putting this image to the side until I am more confident with subtle editing on such an image).
It was shot in RAW, but I am incredibly new to editing in software not on my phone. Another comment mentioned curves and levels which seems to be the route to go, but it is very daunting going that route for the first time. I intend to do a little research and have a go at lifting the shadows just enough to ideally see more of the face (as they are the lighter feathers anyway).
Oh, a lot here definitely have the forked tails here. But typically when they are less 'fanned-out' as in this picture.
Edit: I just looked at some of the other pictures and most do have the wide fanned tail, maybe because they were flying slowly, scanning the ground for something (there must have been something interesting nearby as there were a few around).
If you are looking at the onyx boox leaf range, I think a new one is being announced in the next week or so... May be worth holding out if you can.