Tricolored Heron taking off.

[Bill Dix]

I liked the breeding plumage of this guy, but wish his white plume was extended out from his head. Too much lens, so tight in the frame. I cropped some off the left and added a bit to the right, but not much. Toned down the highlights and reduced the contrast in the upper BG. From Harns Marsh in 2019.

D500, 500PF, ISO 500, 1/3200s @ f/7.1 manual, HH.

[David Roach]

Beautiful wing down view with cool water action from takeoff. I even like the environment but do wish for a more open aperture. TFS

[Dorian Anderson]

Killer lighting and feather detail, but the proximity to the backing habitat isn't ideal. I could also see warming the image a bit as it feels a bit cold given the wonderful light.

[Brian Sump]

Bill, super shot albeit close.

Is the blue hue that extends from the head into the beak part of the breeding plumage or just natural on this bird?

Hate to nit pick, but for what it's worth the little stick poking up on lower right caught my eye and I wasn't really looking for it, just following the wing down. Might be worth evicting.

[Ivan Sjogren]

Stunning species and a perfectly timed take off! Well exposed, great details and good light.
I agree that the point of view, which is too steep, and the proximity to the background are valid issues. I would also warm the image a tad.

[John Mack]

A beauty of a tri color for sure. Nice pose and trailing water of the feet.

[gail bisson]

Love, love the take-off pose and sharpness but the BG is too close.
This is one of those pictures that I would keep looking at and saying "If only"...
Gail

[Bill Dix]

Yes, Gail hit it on the head. "If only..." Not much I could do about the proximity to the BG, but maybe shooting wide open (in this case f/5.6) might have helped. But being that close to the bird I might have lost some DOF. I'm not quick enough to think through all the permutations in a split second. I tried a version where I blurred the BG, and it looked horrible. So I did as noted above and reduced brightness and contrast, but can't make the underlying issue disappear. Ivan, the POV doesn't bother me here. Brian, I hadn't even noticed that stick, but it could easily be dispatched. The blue on the bill develops during breeding season.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments.