Tricolored Heron at Estero

Canon 1D4
500mm
Gitzo/Wimberley spread low

1/2500 sec
ISO 640
f/5.0

From Estero Lagoon in Fort Myers, FL a month ago. Can't beat the colors in the water there. I watched this beautiful Tricolored Heron hunt for over an hour. I got some nice more active hunting shots and prey shots but I liked the open pose of this one. Wondering if folks think comp is ok or does it feel too tight. I would have to add canvas if so as this is almost full frame.
Thanks so much in advance for all comments and critiques.

Can't beat the colors for the image!
It feels a bit tight above, but not a big deal.
Excellent IQ, sharpness and of course the terrific colors.
One completely small nitpick is the small white spot on the underside of the bill.
I just don't know what it is?

I really like everything about this image. Pose, composition, background, water drops, details under the wings and the nice low angle. Wonderful!

Great shot. Exposed beautifully and lots of nice feather detail. I like the way the wing feathers are separated and defined. Not too bright. Maybe a bit more room on top. Very nice work.

Melissa:
Magnificent image.
Love the pose with stretched wings,beautiful colors,very nice details,flash of water,low angle and of course beautiful composition.

Regards,
Satish.

Hi Melissa, great low shooting angle, and well timed to capture the open wings during his fishing behaviour. I like the feather detail on the open wings, sharp, and yes the colours in the overall image are great. I feel the heron is a touch tight, but how much canvas do you add to achieve the heron sitting in the left third of the image.

I gave a bit more room above and to the right, thanks for the suggestions. Dan, I saw what you meant, and didn't know what it was, so I took that white thing out. I would have left it if I could have been able to tell what it was.

Very nice capture. I like the colors, the pose, and low angle. His foot coming out of the water adds a lot of interest.

The repost is just right, the colors and the IQ are outstanding.

Liked the image, the second posted image is more impressive,
Love the action, the small splash in the water, super exposure on the underwings.
Amazing image
The light is superb

Love the wing detail and the splash. Habitat is beautiful. The crop in the repost is a nice improvement over the OP. I might go a tiny bit brighter, and I would have liked to see a slightly better head angle.

Beautiful . . . re-post makes just right . . .

Hi Melissa - Rp takes it up a notch. Beautiful colors, exp and detail. I agree with Doug on the HA.

TFS,
Rachel

Really nice Melissa. The repost crop is great but I would have left the water drop on the bill. I think that's what it must be as he is hunting and dipping. Love the colors splashing water and low angle

Adding canvas to the top improved the otherwise already excellent picture, Melissa. Love the pose and the colours of the bird and background. Nice, low angle shooting.

Agreed. Really enjoy how the recrop came out. And the low profile angle makes this shot pop with the action gives it that eye level goodness.

Wings look great as light. Love the splash and profile of bird.

The muted light really helped you here. Love the rich color of the water, the water drops, pose and all those details in the feathers. The RP crop works well but I also wonder why you removed the water on the beak since I felt it added another element to the image.

Super image, Melissa. These are such photogenic birds, and you've caught him in a great position with open wings and the head clear. Not to mention that Little Estero color in the water (even if it is from reflected condos). Repost is just what it needed; nice job on adding canvas. Fine image.

Hey Melissa, I certainly missed some great images and this is one of them...what a fantastic capture...Loved everything about this one..DOF looks good for f/5...where was your focus point on this tall guy with lowered tripod?

Thanks a lot for all the feedback. Marina, will take your point into consideration. After Dan had pointed out that spot, when I looked closely at it it didn't look like a water spot, just something odd, so thought I would remove. But perhaps that was unnecessary.
Sachin, how can I check on where my focus point was? Do I have to do that in DPP? I would guess I had selected an uppermost one and was doing Single Point. And trying my best to keep it on the head or upper neck.

Nicely done Melissa. Lots to like as mentioned by others. I think the only thing missing is some hockey skates. *-)

Yes, Melissa you can see the selected AF point in DPP.