Interested as to comments. This was taken in vertical format. Preening with such a long beak must be like trying to use three feet long chop sticks. The background is all sea, it is just that the brown is a wave about to break and is full of sediment.
Very nice colors and details in the bill and head though the eye may just be a bit soft. I actually don't mind the two colored background at all but wish that the black feathers at the bottom wouldn't show up or there'd be more of it. JR
I really like the vertical composition. I agree with the black feather in the bottom as they are distracting. You might look at extending the crop down a bit if you have it. I really like the muted background that runs on the third's lines.
Good preening pose, and good vertical comp. I'd prefer a bit wider to show more of the bottom black feathers, and I also find the blacks could use some darkening.
That eye is soft - Funny thing is I'm sure I focused on it and re positioned to get the comp I wanted. Have been doing micro adjustments to the above set up and found that there was a real back focus issue. I may re test this again soon.