Probably ... worked from a small jpg, not the raw. Cleaned it up a bit, good catch.
This one was a bit surprising to me. In person, it looked dull, boring, drab, ugly, dirty gray, black. Opened up the file and saw those patterns and the light playing off them ... yum, candy.
Many times we are "disappointed" by the mismatch bewteen our eye/brain accomodation and what the camera shows us ... this one was the opposite. I'm particularly intrigued by the warm sidelighting and how the areas mixed with overhead sky light rendered such neutral silvery tones. The birds feathers aren't any different color ... just simply the differing light reflecting off them. NOTE: See the blue (left of the beak) picking up the overhead sky only
I'll have to try and do this one justice from the raw (likely neutralizing the blue patch).
I almost feel mean, but that's no duck!
It's a cormorant.
The irridescence of the feathers has come through beautifully here.
(Irridescence is a fabulous subject, if you aren't aware of how it works, take a quick look on the web. It helps when you try to photograph it, knowing how it changes with the angle of light.)
I'll wait for the RAW edit before making any suggestions
I think, because the head is tucked, and the overall shape of the subject is a departure from the classic form of a waterfowl, that a tighter crop removing the background environment and focusing on the bill and surrounding feathers might emphasize this in an interest manner.
I just didn't find one that was to my liking yet ... they all seemed to be "too tall" for my taste, so this is the tightest I've come up with so far. Feel free (i.e. please help) to post up what you've got in mind, as something a bit more abstract to emphasize those tones/patterns is certainly my goal.
I think this crop (or something similar from the RAW) simplifies and emphasizes the regal quality of the bird, while also adding some mystery. The extent of the bird's form beyond the frame is completed in our minds.
