Cormorant Yawn...

[Joseph Przybyla]

Not sure what to think about this one. I was shooting tight shots of this Cormorant for portraits when it did this. It appeared the bird was yawning. The open mouth brings to mind the strike of a venomous snake or a Alligator Snapping Turtle that opens it's mouth to threaten. I like that the open mouth shows the powder blue color of the inside, quite unique. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D7000
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 400mm (600mm FFE)
1/2000 F/5.6 Matrix Metering + 2/3 EV ISO 800 AWB, camera supported by a monopod
Post processed in Lightroom 6 and Photoshop Elements 10
Cropped for composition and presentation

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Joe, one always needs to have your finger on the shutter button at all times, as we never know what our subjects intend doing. Excellent exposure, take sharp, and well timed to capture the moment. I do like the blue of the inside of the bill, together with the green eye. Killer BG too. If anything, I would remove the blue cast on the back. :w3

[John Flynn]

Great action shot! I'm a fan of larger crops so I would pull the crop out to the top a hair and to the right a bit.

[Karl Egressy]

Great action shot, Joe. The open beak is great showing the flexibility of it.

[Diane Miller]

Wonderful catch and lovely IQ. I'd also like to see a little more room top and right.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Neat pose and BG, Joe. Nice exposure too. I'd crop a tad from the left and add to top and right, as Diane suggested. I see a [sharpening] halo around the bird that I'd address. TFS Joe.

[stuart wanuck]

nice but needs a nose job

[Joseph Przybyla]

Thanks everyone for viewing and commenting, very much appreciated.