It is all down to personal taste.  I found the blown out highlights
detracted from what was otherwise a very good shot.  I suppose film
might have done a better job.  ;-)

Indeed.  You did well to capture the bird at all.

Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) wrote:

Yes, I think you'll find that your original crop has more positive impact
than any other variation.  Personally, I like it and I wouldn't get overly
concerned about a very small percentage of a blown highlight, especially
when it adds character to this image.  Remember, you were shooting in an
extremely harsh environment (for lighting) and had to make some quick
decisions since your subject wasn't going to be hanging around.  The bottom
line is that it is a great shot that captured everything you wanted to
capture, even the long harsh reflection of the sun rising over the horizon.
This is a shot where all of the reflections and shadowing adds so much to
the shot.  Any further manipulation will make it look phony.  Some will like
it while some won't, that's the beauty of photography and art.

Rita

Just fill the blown areas with some of the image to the right so it looks
complete. The blown area is definitely the first thing I saw. Remove it (and
the white mark near the bird) without cropping and the image is complete.