Finishing the 2nd version of the Heron on Canvas

 

Here is the finished version of the heron by the shore instead of in a marsh.

Since the background is light, I had to make adjustments to make the head stand out.

So, in addition to shading the neck, I made the beak darker and lightly outlined parts of the white head that touch the lighter sky.

I made a distant shoreline with small white marks to indicate islands where they congregate and have their nests. I added some reflection of the islands in the water. I found some references for some flying herons and added them to the sky to add some interest and improve the composition. 

I also added some pale pinks to the sky. Some ripples in the foreground water around the leg.

Here they are side by side. Two different moods, same reference.