Interesting shot, interesting processing. The HDR-like effect in the clouds, which are most dramatic indeed, is a bit much for my taste but I'm not generally a fan of HDR effects. I wonder whether making the bird a bit bigger in the frame, a bit to the left, and having a bit less water would make this image better. I do like the bird's pose and that it's looking at you. Did the heavens let loose after you took this shot?
Thanks David. Good suggestions. I will try them out. Perhaps I did push the contrast up a bit much, but these storm clouds were unusual for my locale and I was trying to capture the feeling.They were just flying across the sky! We were lucky with this storm, but to the north of us there was major damage, and sadly some fatalities...