Little Gulls by Paul Wheatley

Little Gull has very much been 'species of the week', with a strong passage noted in many inland counties across England – especially along the Trent Valley (where Nottinghamshire registered record counts) and in parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Yorkshire. This acrobatic species is a joy to watch when it drops in at waterbodies on migration and Paul Wheatley's stunning footage, taken this week at RSPB St Aidan's in West Yorkshire, wonderfully captures the essence of what such encounters are like. Is there a better-looking gull than an adult Little Gull in breeding plumage?

Impressively, Paul's footage is phonescoped – not an easy technique to master, especially when it comes to flying birds, which means this clip of footage makes for a deserved POTW winner. Well done to Paul!

Other notable images

Black-crowned Night Heron, Iford, Dorset (Jeremy McClements).

Hooded Merganser, Whinfell Tarn, Cumbria (Sam Northwood).

Razorbill, Bempton Cliffs RSPB, East Yorkshire (Bethan Clyne).

Northern Gannet, Noss, Mainland, Shetland (Robbie Brookes).

Kentish Plover, St Ouen's Bay, Jersey (Romano Da Costa).

European Golden Plover, Spurn YWT, East Yorkshire (Tom Wright).

Black-winged Stilt, Brading Marshes RSPB, Isle of Wight (Matthew Barfield).

Black-winged Stilt, Seaton Marshes, Devon (Tim White).

Little Gull, Elton Reservoir, Greater Manchester (R Thew).

Grey Wagtail, Ballyclare, Antrim (Ian Dickey).

Long-tailed Tit, Saxmundham, Suffolk (Lynn Griffiths).

Pied Flycatcher, Elan Valley, Powys (Kev Joynes).