I was sitting under a kwikcamo blind in the mud of a waterhole when this Masked Lapwing snuck up on me.
Canon 40D, EF500 f/4 + 1.4 tc, tripod, ISO400, f/11, 1/1000, partial metering, ec -2/3, a bit cropped from right and a smidge of canvas added to the top.
Very cool Simon, well done with the exposure of the whites with the dark BG. Might be tempted to quickmask out some of the blur in the right foreground and bright specks in the water. These are very skittish in NZ. I was able to get a lot closer up in Cairns recently and it is interesting how much bigger the wattles on the northern race are
I like the pose, light and details. I agree regarding cleaning up the foreground and would give it more room at the bottom for the 'virtual' legs. I find the BG a bit dark. Thanks for sharing!