Yellow-billed Kite by Dave Jackson

Temperatures may have plummeted across Britain this week but you can certainly feel the heat being emitted by the fire in Dave Jackson's spectacular image. Taken in the Gambia, this extraordinary scene shows a Yellow-billed Kite patrolling the margins of the blaze, creating a striking silhouette against the rising flames and plumes of smoke, and adding a sense of serenity to an otherwise chaotic scene. Controlled burning is widely practised across the world and many birds have learned to make the most of the opportunities it offers for finding an easy meal, with small mammals and insects being intercepted by the strategic predators as they flee the flames. Dave's image gives a great snapshot of this in action and we can only imagine what an assault on the senses it must have been to be there, watching the scene unfold! Congratulations to Dave on a very different but undoubtedly effective POTW winner.

Other notable images

Hen Harrier, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk (David Naylor).

Common Buzzard, Porth, Glamorgan (Colin Harvey).

Great Northern Diver, Hill Head, Hampshire (Darryl Gorman).

Great Egret, Banks, Lancashire (Susan H Wilson).

Great Cormorant, Newlyn, Cornwall (Martin Webb).

European Herring Gull, Lerwick, Mainland, Shetland (Rebecca Nason).

South Polar Skua, Corbiere, Jersey (Romano Da Costa).

Mallard, Matlock, Derbyshire (Neil Loverock).

Northern Lapwing, Greylake RSPB, Somerset & Bristol (Carl Bovis).

Short-eared Owl, Bury, Greater Manchester (Martin Loftus).

Short-eared Owl, Staines Moor, London (Scott Usher).

Waxwing, Matlock, Derbyshire (Glyn Sellors).

Twite, Ripon, North Yorkshire (Joe Fryer).

Bearded Tit, St Aidan's RSPB (Swillington Ings), West Yorkshire (Tim Melling).