Saw a good number of these in Portugal; most were "ringed" this wasn't.
Taken in the Rio Formosa. Every evening I tried to get close to them as they fed in one of the old salt pans. They are so wary; just managed to get this as he took off!
Canon 40D, 50 CROP
ss 1/1600 iso 400 FL 370 f 5.6 Ev +1
Well done getting details in blacks and most of the whites. Exposure on B&W subjects is tough. Probably need to tone the whites down on the bird's back to bring out more detail. Tail exposure looks excellent. HA not your friend here. I agree these birds are spooky. Not sure where your focus point was. Suspect it's where near wing and tail meet. The head/eye look soft. OOF legs and feet are a distractor as well.
Very nice exposure but the bird is just a little soft, am unsure - is the bird just slightly out of focus or would a little more sharpening help, I think possibly the former. If I am wrong I would really like to see a reworked version as I think it is a very good shot.