Squabbling egrets

Another of my in-camera zoom blur... I was lucky to have this flock of snowy egrets together and spent the entire evening taking number of images. The settings for this image were

7D, Canon 70-200 F4 IS + 1.5x @ 280mm handheld
1/8 sec, f/20 Mode: Tv Metering: Evaluative Exp comp: -1 ISO: 100 (auto)

Applied the Topaz DeNoise 5 (the new version is so much better!). Added a gradient map and painted with a light brush over the fighting egrets and then changed the opacity of the layer to 14% to give them a slight focus. Cropped and applied usm for the final web version. Your C&C are welcome.

Indranil, I love the colors and the lighting. The captured squabbling looks good. Some may want more definition but I think it has an impressionistic quality that I like very much. I might clean up the tiny bit of bird on the left edge of the frame.Nicely done.

Hi Indranil, I like the painterly look and the blurred action. Well done. I'm wondering how it would look with a levels adjustment to add some punch...

Denise, Kerry, thanks for the feedback. Appreciate it a lot.

Kerry, here is a repost with level adjustment...

Nice image and application, Indranil.

I would normally like a little more definition in the subject bird, but also appreciate what you have done here. Nice image and processing.

Also as they say ... your image ... your vision! ;) :D

Indranil, The repost looks too dark to me. I like the OP better.

Like the repost as the bill in the central bird is sharper. Lovely light Indranil.

Denise, Jackie, thanks. Here is another version lightening the bg a bit with the center birds same as the earlier post (also cleaned up the left edge just as Denise suggested)...

The 2nd repost does look better.

Indranil, Very nice work. I really like the action of the squabbling egrets. Lovely light and the 2nd repost looks perfect.