imho the way to do it in this instance Tom.

Happily the bird has a black feathers for an outline against the white background, and white feathers for an outline against the dark tree. Perfect, must have taken ages to get the bird in just the right spot for that ;)    

I would move the left slider inwards to get your black black and thats it for levels adjustments. 

And every one said, 'If we only live,
We too will go to sea in a Sieve,---
To the hills of the Chankly Bore!'
Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve.

Edward Lear
http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/ns/jumblies.html