Nice sharp bird BIF in flight Stuart, with great colour and eye contact. I quite like the inclusion of the vegetation both foreground and background, puts the Spoonbill right in its environment.
Exposure and detail of the bird looks very good. Agree, like the wing position. I find the vegeation in the foreground and tree trunks in the background distracting
Great shot. I slightly prefer the version with foreground intact. As Pieter mentioned, it provides context. In the crop I'm afraid the big beautiful bird will run into the left edge before completing an upbeat.