Common Cuckoo by Mark Wright

 

 

Digital photography really has come on leaps and bounds over the past decade or so, as this jaw-dropping Photo of the Week winner from Mark Wright demonstrates. Such a quality shot of a fast-flying Common Cuckoo would have seemed scarcely possible 10 years ago, yet here it is.

This is a brilliantly composed image from Mark, framing a delightfully russet juvenile cuckoo well and taken in glorious golden light, offset effectively by a diffuse background of yellows and greens. The pièce de résistance is the unfortunate grub being carried off by the bird for a welcome snack. Perhaps someone can identify what species it is? Answers on a postcard, and congratulations to Mark on this terrific photo!

 

Other notable images

 

Northern Gannet, Bass Rock, Lothian (Peter Duncan).

Black-browed Albatross, Bempton Cliffs RSPB, East Yorkshire (Roger Darvell).

Cory's Shearwater, Scilly pelagic, Isles of Scilly (Scott Reid).

Sooty Shearwater, Dungeness NNR, Kent (Steven Ashton).

Whooper Swan, Widnes, Cheshire (Elliot Montieth).

Arctic Tern, Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey (Mark Woodhead).

Eurasian Spoonbill, Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire (Jonathan Bull).

Purple Sandpiper, Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire (Jon Mercer).

Wood Sandpiper, Cley Marshes NWT, Norfolk (Nick Clayton).

Northern Wheatear, Fair Isle, Shetland (Daniel Gornall).

Common Blue Damselfly, Frampton-on-Severn, Gloucestershire (Jonathan Bull).

Golden-hooded Tanager, Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal, Costa Rica (Romano Da Costa).

Cirl Bunting, Grouville Bay, Jersey (Romano Da Costa).