Nice pic! Looks like you were able to get pretty close...curious about what lens you used. I like how you are on the same level as the egret, and so we get both sky and water in the background.

My main complaint is the harshness of the light. It looks like it’s somewhere in that large middle of the day period where everything looks kinda washed out and...bland. Even the eye, it appears, is obscured in the shadow of the brow. So not the most flattering angle of light (coming from the top) in addition to the harsh quality. Ideally, the sun would be behind you and the subject in front of you (though this rule can be broken to nice effect at times).

This whole light thing is a pain, because the majority of the day is kind of off limits for wildlife, unless it’s cloudy, which can actually act like a diffuser and give a nice effect.

Finally, I would have cropped it a bit differently. I usually like to leave a lot of space in the direction the bird is gazing. So maybe put the bird on the left 1/3 line for this landscape orientation.

Also, I’ve really only been doing this a couple years and could be wrong about things. Would love to have someone critique my critique! But there’s plenty of good info online if you’re curious about anything I’ve said.