Bird behaviour
lukaszw

Bird behaviour

May 2026

What an awesome capture, and whilst the heron may have missed his catch you certainly didn't! The low perspective works so well to give us depth and some context of the surroundings and the fish escaping with some nice blur completes the image.

Turkeys aren't always going to be everyone's go to subject for wildlife photography but this image truly stands out. I love the level of symmetry you've captured and the detail and colours on the plumage is so striking, sharp and aesthetically pleasing.

The light is so striking in this image and it's dusted off with that whisp of breath catching it. The composition is good with the surrounding trees naturally framing the capercaillie whilst also giving us context of the surrounding habitat.

The low perspective in this image completely transforms it, bringing us down to their level but also changing the depth and background. The light is aesthetically pleasing with such gorgeous warmth that works well with the colours on the young and adult. The adult also frames them perfectly.

Intentional camera movement or slow shutter speed photography isn't for everyone, but it can convey a completely different narrative and transform an image. You've done this so well here with beautiful colours in the background and a few geese showing enough detail to create a compelling image.

Expert
winner

You've absolutely nailed this image! The shutter speed is perfect to ensure the moment is frozen in time and yet we still have the smallest amount of motion blur, showing the true speed of the action. The colour palette is warm and aesthetically pleasing and there's no distracting elements in the image.

You've used a flash expertly here to create an artistic masterpiece, showing blur in the movement and yet there's a perfect snapshot of time too. The colour palette is spot on with the black background ensuring the subject pops from the image.

These scenes can be chaotic to say the very least, with numerous birds and water flying everywhere making it a technical nightmare when it comes to composition and framing. It's fair to say you've nailed it here with some motion blur paired with pin sharp details on the two gannets.

The light and colour in this image is truly divine and I love how well you've captured some courtship between these two swans. The shape and symmetry is perfect paired with that wonderful reflection which gives this image so much depth.

Brief

See more contest details

It’s impossible to become skilled as a bird photographer without becoming acquainted with the behaviours that different birds display as they go about their lives. In this contest we’re focussing on those behaviours, and how they’ve been captured by you. Broadly that could be defined as behaviours other than simply standing or sitting still, or flying for the purposes of getting somewhere. So, hunting and feeding, courting, nest building, fighting to name a few. The bird or birds should be the main focus of the image.

1,516 Photographers

4,567 Images entered

Meet the expert judge

Entry 27457409
1
125

The framing, colours and light on this image are truly divine and you couldn't have made any improvements to this image. The foreground foliage adds depth and a lovely natural frame which helps the hornbills to pop more from the image with a wonderful interaction between the two.

This is a fantastic capture with beautiful light, colour and the moment is perfectly frozen. The motion blur in the wing adds to the image by giving us a sense of the speed and pace of this scene with the faces showing wonderful detail.

The framing on this image is spot on, with good balance between the two in the foreground against the out of focus bird in the back. The low perspective gives the image great separation and depth, allowing the avocets to stand out well.

This image is brilliant, with a perfect exposure, brilliant framing and composition and good depth which gives us context without distraction. I love the dynamic feel and how well you've captured it. The centralised composition works well with the two swans balancing the image nicely.

Entry 28440248
20

What an awesome capture and I love how dynamic this image is! The composition is spot on with a level of symmetry between the two birds and the colour on the face and feet really punch out of the image.

There's so much character in this image and they pop so well from the image given the contrast of colour against otherwise desaturated surroundings. I'd consider the mildest of crops from the right to get the spacing on the tails equal.