Wood Warbler by Jeremy McClements

 

 

Patience has paid off for Jeremy McClements in the form of this sublime Wood Warbler portrait. This species is sadly declining at an alarming rate – particularly in southern areas, where it is now long gone from many of its old haunts. Thus, finding one can be a tricky enough challenge these days, let alone patiently staking out it territory and waiting for the 'big opportunity'.

Wood Warbler typically favours the densest and darkest parts of our woodlands, and so Jeremy's well-illuminated shot really stands out, plus is complemented by a clean perch and uncluttered background of greens and yellows. Congratulations to Jeremy on his winning image of one of our most beautiful summer visitors.

 

Other notable images

 

Dunlin, Musselburgh Lagoons, Lothian (Chris Hawes).

Eurasian Oystercatcher, Fair Isle, Shetland (Alex Penn).

Spotted Sandpiper, Elton Reservoir, Greater Manchester (Craig Bell).

Spotted Sandpiper, Elton Reservoir, Greater Manchester (Pierre Montieth).

American Black Tern, Long Nanny, Northumberland (Gary Woodburn).

European Herring Gull, Titchwell RSPB, Norfolk (Trevor Ellery).

Long-tailed Skua, Aird an Runair, N Uist, Outer Hebrides (Ian Griffin).

Western Marsh Harrier, Undisclosed site, England (Keith Pickering).

Short-eared Owl, Mull, Argyll (Ian Bollen).

European Bee-eater, Extremadura, Spain (John Gawthrope).

Eurasian Nuthatch, Church Stretton, Shropshire (Tony Webb).

European Stonechat, Ballyclare, Antrim (Ian Dickey).

Spotted Flycatcher, Reculver, Kent (Alex Perry).

Tree Sparrow, Loch Leven, Perth & Kinross (Kenneth O'Keefe).