Chiffchaff by Fausto Riccioni
Flying warblers are a pretty tricky subject to photograph successfully and yet for the second time this month there is a flying warbler taking the coveted POTW.
It was Pallas's Warbler that won in the first week of March and now a Chiffchaff by Fausto Riccioni has the honour. This lovely shot is made even better with the addition of the fly that the Chiffchaff is attempting to catch; throw in the blue sky and the image is complete.
There is always an element of luck with any flight shot regarding positioning of wings, but Fausto has made the most of the opportunity and produced a wining image.
The only details provided were that it was taken with a 150–600mm lens and on Sport Auto setting; I should imagine the auto setting would have given a shutter speed of around 1/4000th second at f5.6.
Congratulations to Fausto on his POTW; only another few days and we move into April and spring should really begin.
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
Red-necked Grebe, Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire (Photo: Roger Wyatt)
Buzzard, Churchill, Worcestershire (Photo: Robert Hart)
Linnet, Gwithian, Cornwall (Photo: Peter Menear)
Long-tailed Duck, Norway (Photo: Tom Wallis)
Goosander, Castle Drogo, Devon (Photo: Tom Wallis)
Ptarmigan, Cairn Gorm, Highland (Photo: Pauline Greenhalgh)
Long-tailed Tit, Wigan, Greater Manchester (Photo: Roy Rimmer)
Oystercatcher, Holywood, Down (Photo: Allen Gillespie)
Ptarmigan, Cairn Gorm, Highland (Photo: Marcus Conway - ebirder)
Great White Egret, Greylake RSPB, Somerset & Bristol (Photo: Chris Hooper)
Firecrest, Dungeness NNR, Kent (Photo: Brian Anderson)
African Blue Tit, Morocco (Photo: Jake Gearty)
Blue Tit, Great Ashby, Hertfordshire (Photo: Steven Lane)
Sparrowhawk, undisclosed site, Dumfries & Galloway (Photo: Connor age 15)
Water Rail, Edinburgh, Lothian (Photo: Mark Caunt)
