took this the other day,common sandpiper on the river calder,it was a bit over cast,I know some of you might crop some more of the rock,but I like to show abit more of the enviroment the bird is in.all comments wellcome good or bad.thanks. cannon 40d,400mm prime lens,1/4000 sec,f5.6,iso800,hand held,pse7 tweeked.
I like your idea of keeping part of the rock into the frame to show the bird´s habitat but I am one of those who are going to say "crop it more" :-D The reason is very simple, the bird is very centered on the frame and croping a bit from the bottom and the right you will get the best of both worlds. That is: 1) to keep part of the habitat in the frame and 2) to improve the composition.
I like this kind of soft light and the bird facing to the left. :-)
I too agree about the suggested cropping . Love the fresh composition and pose of the sandpiper with wonderful head turn and great eye contact. Congratulations on a fine image Christopher.