Taken a few days ago. I exposed for the blacks as I wanted to get as much detail in the blacks as I could. In the process I cooked the bill and eye ring, but I recovered as much as I could in PP.
Canon 7D 300f4+1.4tc, ISO400, f7.1, 1/1250, -0.3, Av mode
Hi Mark you must have got pretty close, our guys are very shy. Great low angle and excellent exposure on the blacks. Nice perch and background, the OOF breakers puts the bird right in its environment allthough I might tone down the one bright area.
Excellent pose, sharpness, colors and head angle. Nice that you were able to get down to the level of the bird. I agree about toning down that bright area above the bird.
Good image overall with a beautiful setting. Nice separation of FG from BG. Good pose and effective comp. That big white spot above the back is bummer as my eye keeps going there. I would also eliminate the faint concentric circle that is almost touching the bill.