I think you did a good job in blurring the surroundings of the bird. Perhaps, I would have slightly increased the level of blur to the lower third so that the leaf won’t be as obvious. When I compared your picture with the one I edited, I realized that I had added too much blur: both in the level of blur and in surface area (I think I blurred too much of the rock). As a result, the bird seemed to be “detached” from its surroundings. I think one of the main aims in editing these kind of pictures is to allow the bird to blend in with its surroundings, while, at the same time, preventing the surroundings from distracting the observer from the subject.
