Fulmar by Peter Howlett
This week's winning image is a very striking shot of a popular subject; Peter Howlett's stunning close-up flight portrait of a Northern Fulmar just has that "something" that makes it stand out from the rest.
Close flight shots are difficult to take as the tendency is to panic as the bird comes closer and closer and then to stop shooting as it appears about to hit your lens! But Peter has managed to keep the critical point of focus on the head; a combination of 1/4000th second shutter speed and an aperture of f9.5 have kept the bird sharp with sufficient depth of field to keep the bill and eye in focus — not easy with a 500mm lens.
Congratulations to Peter on his very different-looking photo of the Week.
You can read more on bird photography from Steve Young, including product reviews and a regular Photo Challenge for readers, every month in Birdwatch magazine.
Other notable images
Indian Pond Heron, India (Photo: Sunny Joseph)
Long-eared Owl, undisclosed site, Northumberland (Photo: Mark Bowen)
Swallow-tailed Gull, Ecuador (Photo: Richard Bonser)
Dunlin, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk (Photo: Nick Brown)
Kingfisher, Shrewsbury, Shropshire (Photo: John Fielding)
Buzzard, undisclosed site, Norfolk (Photo: Matt Crosby)
Little Owl, Wayoh Reservoir, Lancashire (Photo: John Barlow)
Wryneck, Filey, North Yorkshire (Photo: James Wild)
Great Shearwater, at sea, Isles of Scilly (Photo: Jon Mercer)
Red-footed Falcon, Willow Tree Fen LWT, Lincolnshire (Photo: Roger Ridley)
Long-tailed Skua, Scilly pelagic, Isles of Scilly (Photo: Joe Pender)
