Last week I came across this little egret and spent about an hour photographing it as it fished in a ditch. I wanted to try to capture the moment that it pierced the water with its beak. After watching for so long, I began to get a feel for when this moment was about to happen. Egrets have a very intense stare at the best of times, but just before they aim for a fish, their concentration on the patch of water in front of them reaches a new level of intensity. They become so focused that they seem oblivious to everything else around them. It took several attempts, but eventually everything came together for this shot - the light, the pose, and the clear patch of water in front of the egret's beak. I love the shape of the displaced water surging upwards. You can really feel the energy of the strike.
Technical details: Canon 7D MKII + 100-400mm lens at 312mm; 1/2500 sec at f/5.6; ISO 1250.