Great Crested Grebe by James Gibbs
Spring is in the air and this pair of Great Crested Grebes certainly felt the approaching breeding season to give James Gibbs a wonderful weed-display, an opportunity that was gratefully accepted.
This is a familiar and quite common sight on lakes, reservoirs and ponds but it is notoriously difficult to capture well, and plenty has to happen for 'the' shot. James has got everything in his image; the light, water colour, proximity and positioning of the birds which are facing each other, and each is carrying a nice clump of weed rather than some old dead brown stuff!
Using a 500mm lens with a 1.7× converter, the ISO was set to 1250 to allow a fast shutter speed of 1/2500th second to be used, plus an aperture of f16 to ensure depth of field on both birds so they would both be in focus no matter which way they turned.
Congratulations to James on his POTW; eight different winners so far this year and two months have just slipped by.
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
Brambling, Calke Park NT, Derbyshire (Photo: Derek Lees)
Goldfinch and Siskin, Wigan, Greater Manchester (Photo: Roy Rimmer)
American Wigeon, Scalby Mills, North Yorkshire (Photo: Tony Dixon)
Blakiston's Fish Owl, Japan (Photo: Micky Maher)
West Indian Woodpecker, Cuba (Photo: Dave Williams)
Great Crested Grebe, undisclosed site, Somerset & Bristol (Photo: Michael Sherwin)
Goldeneye, Hogganfield Loch, Clyde (Photo: Joe Graham)
Crested Tit, Loch Garten RSPB, Highland (Photo: Chris Upson)
Great Northern Diver, Salford, Greater Manchester (Photo: John Tymon)
Ring-necked Duck, Pitlochry, Perth & Kinross (Photo: Mike Thrower)
Goldcrest, Silkstone, South Yorkshire (Photo: Peter Garrity)
Purple Sandpiper, Filey, North Yorkshire (Photo: Steve Race)
Moustached Warbler, Spain (Photo: Jon Mercer)
Kestrel, Filey, North Yorkshire (Photo: Wayne Dixon)
