I photographed this Avocet the other day in very flat light. I got a good topside look at the wings, and thought the pastel BG was kind of nice. I thought about a vertical crop, but I wanted to include more of the BG.
Canon 1D Mark III, 700mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 1000, +1 EV, no flash, tripod
Nice shot and what a great bird. I have heard there are some in Brigantine, NJ at the moment and am hoping to get some photos this weekend but probably not anything approaching this great shot.
Timed nicely, I like your choice of composition, I feel with a vertical crop you may lose some impact and selected the best option here. The whites appear a little strong on the wings.