That huge raised foot is so cool! I also really like the contrast of the head colors agains the dark body, Geoff.
Background-wise, the top works for me. The right hand side is not ideal but does not seem to kill the shot.
The two-toned angled stick and it's reflection just left of the bird tends to distracts my eye. They may be quite tricky to clone out seamlessly. Perhaps browning up the orange part of the stick and cropping a bit out could do the trick?
I really like this shot, and enjoyed studying it. Thanks for sharing, Geoff.
I tried really, really hard not to say this, but yikes, a singularly ugly bird, and you've found a nice specimen at that :)
Your title cracked me up. Agree that the angled stick and its reflection pull my eyes away - probably a good thing in case of this bird
But seriously, great details and a nice image to study.
I happen to think it is quite cute! I love perspective we see this fuzzy puffball in. I also dig that the water was shallow enough to see the big grounded splayed foot. I agree with the others about the stick at left, looks like it was unavoidable at the time though.
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