Hi Rick I like the bird´s pose, composition, sharpness and eye contact but the BG is a bit distracting and doesn´t help to siolate the bird in the image. I can not imagine making an imaga like this one in Spain. If you want to photograph a grey heron here you will need at least a 500mm lens ;-)
I like the pose, details and unusual perch. I see a slight green cast on my monitor and would give it a bit more room at the bottom. Was a lower angle an option?
Beautiful shot! I really like the pose and the low light. Agree about the background being slightly distracting. One option is to fade/darken the background with a curves adjustment layer to emphasize the neck and head more, and brighten the bird just a tad.