@jyokota thank you for your kind comments. I visited a nearby wetland area that draws people from all over, especially during the migration periods. There is about a mile lone Boardwalk. The birds are used to having people nearby so they aren't nearly as spooked. This bird was atop a dead tree a bit of a distance from the boardwalk. I could tell he looked very pretty up there, but not entirely until I uploaded the photo to my computer. I was the only one taking his photo! The sky was mostly cloudy and not very attractive. I had taken a few shots. Since I wasn't disturbing him, I decided to try to make a better backdrop with the clouds and took an extra minute to compose him. Sometimes I get in too much of a hurry. I did crop the photo. I made a few tweaks in LR with blacks/whites/shadows/highlights. I then brought it into OnOne and applied a polarizing filter and a little HDR. The wetlands are called Green Cay in Boynton Beach, Florida. One day I will go during the migration because I understand there are an incredible amount of species that fly through. I should also go early in the morning rather than mid day! It's about a 25 minute drive from my home.
What a graceful shot. The diversity and accessibility of Florida wildlife is really astounding. The extra time you took, to compose and process, really paid off. Thanks for your "trip tips," too.
Very deserving!