Great angle, soft light, head angle and the wavelet in the BG adds to it. I might darken it a bit using midtones and maybe a bit more sharpening? I'm glad you posted it since I don't get to see this species often.
Thanks Axel. How is this? Midtones to .9 and some sharpening. I have been exploring the nearest neighbor setting for sharpening when resizing images, works sometimes, but other times it just looks over-sharpened. I tried it on the re-post.
I love the OP as is, but I see how the slight midtones adjustment can be prefered by some. I really like the baby blue pastels, and the pose is as perfect as can be for a static gull. I would only clean up the white speck on the nostril.
Great HA Aidan, and I too like the soft light and pastel colours in this. I prefer your OP, and would have maybe just selectively sharpen him. It is apparent in the eye of your repost.