I love the colors in this. I think the water compliments the bird well. I also really enjoy the partial shadows on the lower portion of the bird. The texture on his back is great.
One possible change I might have tried is to get just slightly lower so that the top breaker in the background isn't so close to his head. I think the seperation would improve the composition for me.
Nice light and very sharp details. I agree with the head position vs the white background. A little fill flash would have helped to reveal the crest (feathers behind the head).