Really nice job bringing out the colors without destroying the whites, Allen. These are tough birds to get. The second image doesn’t look level though it might be. However, since there’s no horizon, I think you can safely rotate it counter-clockwise quite a bit.
Really nice portraits of this bufflehead Allen; think I prefer the second pose myself. The dark water really helps him stand out nicely. Cropping and detail both look fine to me but I was thinking the overall exposure could be increased a notch or two if possible, without blowing out the whites.,