Without the cloud un the lower right coprner this wouldn't be the same, the clous to me is a big plus of texture and color, love the pose, the light and detail, vcery nice colours and great eye contact vand exposure! Big congratulations Fabs!
I, personaly, prefere to have some texture in the sky, so , yes the clouds add that dimension to the sky. Resolution and clarity of bird is as good as one would want. Might add just a bit more canvas at the top of frame ;-) Good over-all shot.
Very nice performance of the 1,7XTC on the 2-4VR Fab. I like a lot the detailed textures of the plumage on the underwing parts and the bare parts on the bord´s face. What do you thinhk about darkening a bit the BG and adding a touch of saturation to this beautifil heron?