Least tern - behavior shot

[Lorant Voros]

Spending all that time with the Least Tern colony gave me an insight to their lives and I observed this strange behavior. When both parents were gone another adult showed up and if I am right tried to kill the chick. The mom came back after a while and attacked the intruder and chased it away. Chick survived...this time....but the chick got a hard beating.
Is there an ornithologist that can confirm that this is what I observed?
I have many shots of this series, even the moment the mom came back. It happened several times.

1DX
700mm
ISO1250
f: 11
1/1600
skimmer
Full frame

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Lorant, you managed to capture the action and agressiveness in a very good way! I'd be inclined to crop from the top to remove the green in the BG and a little from the left for symmetry. That would draw more attention to the highlight in the BG between the wings, so you might want to eliminate that, if you're OK with that kind of image manipulation.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Lorant, I'm wondering if just a slightly higher POV may have worked better here and lost some of the FG mush? It could be the laptop, but I also wonder if you increased the Exposure a fraction more i.e. +0.15 and cloned out the circular highlight in the centre in the BKG, WDYT? Could the dark FG rock on the RHS by your sign off, go too?

TFS
Steve

[Lorant Voros]

Hi Lorant, I'm wondering if just a slightly higher POV may have worked better here and lost some of the FG mush? It could be the laptop, but I also wonder if you increased the Exposure a fraction more i.e. +0.15 and cloned out the circular highlight in the centre in the BKG, WDYT? Could the dark FG rock on the RHS by your sign off, go too?

TFS
Steve

Thanks for commenting, guys.

Steve. For sure there is a lot of possible clean up on this one to make it a more pleasing image. I will try your suggestion. Cheers.

[Steve Kaluski]

For sure there is a lot of possible clean up on this one to make it a more pleasing image.

Hi Lorant, I think you have to strike a happy balance at times and a 'clean up' might take it the other way?

[Frank Schauf]

Great scene and nice deep shooting position.