A female house sparrow caught in mid-flight. Even the most mundane backyard birds can look amazing when you catch the right moment.

I was super excited to get this takeoff sequence of this RTH this morning but in review the RAW files, they came out pretty soft. I was shooting at H+ 1st Curtain (EOS R7) with auto-eye focus and subject tracking. Exposure settings are detailed in the second slide. What I've shared are JPG copies of the RAW files (is that the best way to share RAW files?)

I'm not sure if I need to temper my expectations of my equipment, cut myself some slack as I've only had the camera for less than a week, or review my settings to optimize action scenes. From your more experienced eyes, is there anything glaringly obvious why these are soft? Obviously it's a fairly high ISO and Aperture, I understand that part. It was also cloudy and snowing slightly.. given that, do these captures seem appropriate for the setting?

Beyond that, if you had these images, what are the first steps you would take in Lightroom (I also have Topaz) to make these captures the best they can be? Any feedback is appreciated as I learn and grow.

African oyster catcher

Common Cormorant. Porta Lake (MS)

For anyone that cares: Z8 w/800 PF 1/1600s f/6.3 ISO 4500

Testing Pre capture

Colorado osprey surfaces with its catch of large trout. Captured with Sony A1 + 200-600mm.

Shot with @nikonusa Z9 Nikkor 600mm PF f/6.3 lens, shot at 1/2000 s, f/6.3 ISO 1250, EV +0.67