Suddenly stopped to saunter and soak in sunrise...

[David Roach]

EOS R EF 400 DO I 1.4xtc II f6.3 1/5300 ISO 800 Another from May last year.

During one of it's frenetic hunting runs and just as the morning sun fully cleared the beach mangroves, this beauty seemed to stop, raise head and soak in the morning light. I was vertical and as the approach got closer was clipping the wings. So this is first frame of short burst where I went horizontal and clipped those virtual legs. Ironically, the wings were being pulled in for this saunter and vertical would have worked.

As always, thanks for the valued comments, suggestions and learnings on previous post. Please, keep them coming.

ps
As the wings went back out and serious hunting continued. I had just switched back to vertical and clipped those wings again. I remember this sequence well. Challenging, frustrating and tons of fun...

[Brian Sump]

David, really love the bird here.

Can't tell if maybe the camera wasn't level, but possibly a slight CW rotation?

Also, it seems like quite a bit of noise in the neck shadow.

[Dorian Anderson]

Beautiful lighting and engaging pose with perfect eye contact. There is some shadow noise and Brian mentioned, and I think the bird is quite cramped in the frame, particularly at left where he's looking. The bird looks a bit hot in place,
so you might want to selectively tone-down some of those areas. Frame also has a slight magenta cast. I don't know if you have the ability at this shooting location, but I'd love to see you get a bit lower on this guy; you'd get a more
deliberate and artistic look.

[Daniel Cadieux]

The whites look good, and the eye is sharp, but I agree with the critiques before me. You've had some fun with this individual!!

[Volkan Akgul]

Hi David, very good detail

[John Mack]

Lovely light. You have lots of chances with these guys.