C&C on 7D and 100-400 lens.

Okay, have a field day with these. One problem that I was having was the camera kept getting confused with the bird and the background, which was about 200 yards back. I was using spot focus with no expansion, center point, and focusing on the birds head. The camera would eventually lock on the bird and I would shoot.

Could the reason the camera was confused be that the camera focusing area actually encompasses more than just the little square in the viewfinder? Which I so many times make the mistake of thinking that it is focusing solely on that little area.

Also, I want to learn so hit me hard with the criticism. The lighting was not great. About 2:00 pm and cloudy. They seem to be lacking in color. And they are cropped.