Here's a third image in my ongoing series in shorebird portraits, hope you're not getting tired of those!:p
This one, contrary to the other two images before, did not require any fieldcraft (excpet for no sudden movements). I was concentrated on another subject when a small flock of these landed right beside me. I had to wait for this one to get out from within my MFD. I did not fiddle with the settings, but in manual mode the exposure was already pretty much spot on.
Canon 40D + 100-400L @400mm, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/320s., f/6.3, ISO 800, natural light, handheld, about 85% FF (cropped a bit top and right). A few darker spots in the BG were toned down via dodge tool.
Techs are spot on.
I am undecided about the crop. My first reaction was that I would like to see a little more of the legs, to balance him a bit better so to speak. The old cut not clip argument, I suppose. Since you were in so close, couldn't do too much more, although a zoomed out shot or two might have given you more comp. options.