Goliath Heron launch

I'm new to this forum (I've been involved with the Wildlife one for a short while) and enjoyed looking through. Will start contributing elsewhere just now, but thought I would start off with this. Would love some advice from the many experts in this forum!

I was in the Lower Zambezi NP recently, and enjoyed great photo opportunities. Hippos everywhere, elephants coming to drink and lots of waterbirds. This Goliath Heron was nervously sitting on a sandbar so we approached slowly and I captured a few shots of it launching from the sand. However, whatever I try, the image lacks impact...perhaps it's the indistinctness of the heron's head? I've tried to isolate the green background and blur it a bit, but it's hard to select it neatly.

Any other ideas and comments very welcome. Thanks.

Canon 1D4 + 500mm f4 v1 + 1.4x mkII
1/1250s f9 ISO 400 Image is full frame

I think a larger Fstop will help isolate the bird from the BG. The bird is sharp and exposure looks good.

Larger f stop or being a little closer to the subject which sounds like it would have been tough in this situation. If I were you, I'd use Viveza from Nik Software to darken and blur the BG some more. Its much easier than making very fine selections. I'd also clone out the blade of grass beneath the bird's body. Otherwise I like the dynamic pose and the light is nice.

Welcome to the avian forum, Ed. Super lift off pose and pleasing environmental elements. If you want the image to be of more impact, I would crop as follows. My version obviously lacks quality, but with the original, I think you can really make this image shine.

Perfect timing on this one.

Thank you all - I will try to crop as Marina suggests, and then try to blur the background more. I will try Viveza, although it's not a program I'm familiar with. Hopefully will get some good results. Thank you all for your time.
Ed

Hi Ed, welcome to the avian forum!! High impact image you present us. Great timing (or good job choosing which frame out of a burst to process). Nice habitat and take-off pose. I do enjoy the original composition alot (although Marina's works too). Opening up the lens may have helped blurring the BG a bit more but not by much if judging from the distance you were...I still would have photographed at a wide-open aperture though. I see what you mean about the head...you could try using the burn tool, selecting "shadows", soft brush, and a bout 8-10% exposure and brush the darks on there (lores, darker parts of the bill). Just a thought that may work on making the head stand out a bit more...

Hoping to see more form you here!

Thanks for your feedback Daniel. I have tried to go through with your ideas, alongside all the others, and come up with this. I think it's a lot better and I'm grateful for your input. My only concern is that by losing the tops of the reeds in the background, it loses some of its setting. But the details on the bird etc are much better.
Thanks.
EdAttachment 129603

I find this to be a MUCH stronger image, Ed. Seeing a slight halo around the bird's head but an easy fix. Yes you have lost some of the setting. But why can't you have 2 images out of one capture?

Agreed - thanks.
Ed