Shot from a small one-person canoe on a pond in Maine last week. Nothing cloned or added (except catchlight). Some minor adjustments to contrast, s/h, selective color. Topaz DeNoise AI and Sharpen AI. cropped to pano; 90% of full width.
I kind of like these guys! He must have been pretty friendly based on your low zoom level. Nice display of texture on the breast. Light was soft enough to show the greens and blues on the neck well.
Because we so commonly see Loons floating atop the water, it's definitely nice to see one exercising their wings a bit. Sun looks a bit high but you overcame it pretty well.
I could take or leave the foliage on the right as it doesn't add for me. Do like the crop choice but could trade a bit below for a smidge up top. Looks plenty sharp with good detail.
Thanks all. I'll admit I did wonder whether to leave in the water lily. Since the bird popped up so close to me, I had enough pixels to go for a tighter crop, so here's a version without the lily.
I'll be the odd man out and say that I love the lily pad. I find the loon a bit too high in the frame in the OP, but I love the IQ and wing stretch pose.