Antonella--Yep, it would have been nice to close in, but the lens is only so long, and the bird was moving at a good clip. And, of course, I tend to like busy images as you'll see in the follow-up. (It's not called "Swamp Duck - I" for nothing.)
As always--Thanks for the response--always helpful.
This is a very nice photo,though,in my opinion,you could have improved it by closing it on to the bird. The scene,like it is, seems a bit busy....but I realize that there are times when it's impossible to stop to think,we have to fire the shutter !!! Antonella
0 
