Exuberant Shoveler & RP

A nice behavioral capture, Jim. I've seen this conduct many times, always in the presence of a hen, and assumed it was a mating/courtship display. Nicely exposed and composed, good techs and a nice, low angle. 

Thanks Jim.  Yup, you are right - the hen was right next door!

Hi Jim.  I like the pose and the composition.  The image has a slightly "muddy" look to my eye.  I think a bit of curves to make it pop would help.  I don't know if you use Topaz filters, but their "Detail" filter is really good for bringing out feather and water drop detail and its not very expensive as I recall.  I tend to use their "Remask" utility to isolate the bird on a separate layer, then play with the Detail filter to get the look I like.  That way I don't mess up the bg.

Hey Jim,
Nicely done on this image, good techs, well composed, sweet action and excellent detail. I can see the concerns that Dennis has but I believe it can be improved with a slight adjustment to the Color Fade Correction to brighten the overall image and give the colors a richer tone. If it were mine, I would also try removing the debris in the water to the right of the subject for a cleaner look. The grass in the upper left corner is fine and adds a bit of environment.
Man !

Thanks for the input everyone.  I have included a re-worked version here, which I think addresses the flatness that was mentioned.  Also, cloned out the floating debris to the right of the bird.  If anyone is still around would love to hear your opinion of these changes.  Thanks again.

Nice image, Jim.
Preety beautiful bird. I like the composition, and the droplets in the water!