Waxwing by Andy Thompson
There was a distinct shift in the species posted this week from autumn to winter; there were lots of Great Grey Shrikes and Long-tailed Ducks to browse through, but Waxwings took centre stage, with a number of great shots of these bandit-masked beauties, including this week's winner by Andy Thompson.
A shutter speed of 1/1600th second has captured and frozen this individual beautifully as it flew in with feet outstretched ready to land on a branch. The perfect light has helped greatly with this shot, giving a nice highlight to the eye, and the blue sky enhances the image even further.
Congratulations to Andy on his Photo of the Week, taken with a 600mm lens, ISO640 at f7.1; what more winter-wonders will we see next week?
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
Kingfisher, Devoran, Cornwall (Photo: John Rowe)
Water Rail, Oare Marshes NR, Kent (Photo: John Whitting)
Common Snipe, Venus Pool NR, Shropshire (Photo: Paul Burgess)
Long-tailed Duck, Pugney's CP, West Yorkshire (Photo: Ron Marshall)
Sparrowhawk, Llandrindod Wells, Powys (Photo: Kev Joynes)
Goldcrest, Ambleside, Cumbria (Photo: Frank Burns)
Eastern Black Redstart, Skinningrove, Cleveland (Photo: Paul Wetton)
Short-eared Owl, Shingle Street, Suffolk (Photo: John Richardson)
Kingfisher, Forest Farm, Glamorgan (Photo: Colin Harvey)
Common Scoter, Herne Bay, Kent (Photo: Mark Chidwick)
Yellow-browed Warbler, Spurn YWT, East Yorkshire (Photo: Andy Wilson)
Slavonian Grebe, Long Eaton GPs, Derbyshire (Photo: Darren Chapman)
Black Skimmer, United States (Photo: Marcus Conway - ebirder)
