Cattle Egret

Robert,

I've seen the Cattle Egret on bird lists, but never seen an image.  Thanks for the shot.  Really like the way the bird stands out against the dark background.  Unusual lighting.  Shadows are a little strong on the bird.  Good composition.  Also like the wing position and the nest material in beak.

You caught this at just the right moment.  Perhaps you've decreased the exposure to address the background, but I think it needs to be stronger on the egret.  If the background was a factor, you might limit the exposure increase just to the bird.  White against black (or pretty dark with a bit of detail) might be striking.