Melissa's photo on the side-lit Eastern Towhee: Why did you shoot at F/7.1 instead of keeping it wide open and dropping down the ISO? Wouldn't that have created a better quality image (less noise from higher ISO)? I was just curious because I always try to shoot wide open unless I want to increase depth of field to capture multiple birds or for maybe a habitat shot.
The rule of thirds is a new concept to me. It makes a lot of sense but I always centered the bird. That is the one big thing I learned in this course and I really like how you positioned the dove in this photo. I think it looks better than had you centered it.