When I approach a cooperative bird,  I try to be mindful of 'the big picture".  I want a nice complimentary background and I want an intimate feeling to my shot. By moving myself up and down ( not just pointing camera up or down) the image can change dramatically.

With image #1 my camera was about 3 feet off the ground on my tripod.

 

With image #2, I lowered my tripod to 20 inches above the ground. Can you spot the problem with this height?

The distant shoreline intersects with the head and neck, which I don't like.

For image #3, I took my camera off the tripod, got down on my belly and rested the barrel of the lens on my closed left hand.

The image is so much better because of the green background and the intimate view of the ibis.