Tri-Colored Heron with enviroment

[IraRunyan]

Many bird photographers (possibility most) try to isolate the bird subject from their surroundings so that you see only the bird and not the "distracting" or "busy" background. Some go to great lengths to clone out or blur the background so that you only have the bird on a plain bland background or one with "nice Broken".

Personally, I like to include some of the environment in which I find the bird, as in this shot of a Tri-Colored Heron.

http://i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss319/irunyan/TriColoredHeron_6410.jpg

I know that it's a matter of personal preference, but what do you prefer?

[Eia]

For me, it depends on what I am after. I like to see wildlife in their environment. Gives me a sense of their habitat and shows me their home. Isolating the subject with blurred background reminds me of a formal portrait; nothing wrong with that either. Just depends on what you want to show...