I generally don't like to comment too much on another artists work. However, these images do not work for me on a number of levels even though I like many of the extremes that HDR can provide.
First, compositionally, the subject matter is dubious but I assume that you are just testing the reaches of HDR on the camera.
Additionally, yes the HDR aspects ofoverly saturated colors and distracting halos are there. In the first image it looks as if the sky was so heavily altered post HDR manipulation that it does not even look like the sky balances with the terrain lighting.
On the second image the color balance appears to be off the mark and causes a further weakness in the image. There is too much cyan, blue and perhaps a little indigo that needs to be balanced out as well as a reduction in the contrast (which in this case may well account for a subtstantial amount of the blue shift). Another weakness, if I am seeing it correctly, is that the clouds have a stepping quality which really can be distracting and throw visual reality right out the window.
Interesting how you put the identical flocks of geese in both images.
While not always possible, you can improve these images without HDR. Take your bracketed images (3 or 5 images) and make layers and masks in CS5. Mask in the appropriate sky density and terrestial images around your properly exposed image and you will eliminate many of the problems associated with scenic HDR. In most cases you can get the image to look natural just by altering the visible layer that expresses most closely the scene as you recalled it. It is a technique I have had to rely on when doing scenics or architectural images with fast moving clouds. It is amazing how fast a cloud moves in a scene in the few seconds it takes to fire off 5 to 10 bracketed images.
All this is meant in a positive and constructive manner.
Stephen