Your right the light was extraordinary, and the background is nice too. For me this is too tight a crop for this small skimmer chick. The thing that is cute about chicks, is that they are small--and with this tight shot the viewer loses that sense. They are not so cute when they appear to be giants. I also kind of wish the legs were in focus Love the angle though. There is a subtle amount of habitat shown too which is nice.
Terrific! I would try to work a bit on his chest as it is a little hot, but other than that I just love it! Bg, light, pose, comp, all looks great! Congratulaituons Maxis!