Common Redstart by Thorsten Stegmann

 

 

Despite the great improvements in both cameras and lenses in recent years, taking flight shots of fast-flying passerines remains a difficult challenge for many bird photographers. Favouring scrubby or woodland areas, Common Redstart is one such species that doesn't often lend itself to flight images all too often, so Thorsten Stegmann's beautiful photo, taken this week near Hamburg in Germany, is most worthy of highlighting. With great light on the bird and foliage behind, this is a photo full of vibrant spring colours. Congratulations to Thorsten on this terrific capture!

 

Other notable images

 

Ruff, Texel, North Holland (Marc Fasol).

Short-billed Dowitcher, Paynetown SRA, Indiana (Steve Bell).

Great Snipe, Akershus, Norway (Éric Roualet).

Common Shelduck, Marano Lagunare, Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Raffaele Cargnelutti).

Black-headed Gull, Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire (Clive Daelman).

Lesser Flamingo, Nalsarovar, India (Manish Panchal).

Common Pheasant, Ferry Meadows CP, Cambridgeshire (John Atkins).

Desert Wheatear, Tagdilt Track, Morocco (Mark Woodhead).

Lesser Grey Shrike, Telegraph Hill, Hertfordshire (Jon Heath).

Swallow, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland (Tom Tams).

Red-breasted Swallow, Espergærde, Capital Region (Stephen Menzie).

Common Swift, Staines Reservoirs, London (Joe Downing).

Yellowhammer, Tyninghame Bay, Lothian (Lukasz Pulawski).