Jack Snipe by Rebecca Nason

Jack Snipe are secretive birds and can prove a tricky species to get prolonged views of out in the open. Often, it is cold winter weather that can provide the best chance for more than a fleeting glimpse, as many of the wetland areas they call home are frozen solid which drives birds into more open areas. Icy conditions over the past week allowed many to do just that, with Rebecca Nason capturing this example on the Shetland mainland.

The subject in this week's winning photograph almost looks to be dancing on ice. It is a rare treat to see one bold as brass completely unobscured, let alone one sliding across a puddle with its legs adorned in snow! Beautifully lit, the blues and greys of the frozen puddle contrast nicely with the golden browns of the snipe. Congratulations to Rebecca on a fantastic winning image.

Other notable images

Lesser Scaup, Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire (Tim Salkeld).

Desert Sparrow, Merzouga, Morocco (Glyn Sellors).

Crested Tit, Grantown-on-Spey, Highland (Bethan Clyne).

Great Crested Grebe, Furzton Lake, Buckinghamshire (Nigel Kiteley).

Eurasian Curlew, Baltasound, Unst, Shetland (Robbie Brookes).

Arabian Sunbird, Taif, Wadi thee Gazzal, Shafaa, Saudi Arabia (Duha Alhashimi).

Cetti's Warbler, Willington, Derbyshire (Neil Loverock).

Glossy Ibis, Slaughden, Suffolk (Nick Brown).

Humpback Whale, Gorda Bank, Mexico (Tim Melling).

Blue Tit, Studley, Warwickshire (Clive Daelman).