Birds landing

I suspect this shot is one that you will either love to hate. Personally, I'm a lover - it is bold, different, and impactful. The timing and motion are good - the shape of the bird's wings, water movement, and the overall mood combine to create a visually powerful result. The black and white conversion neatly places emphasis on shape, form, and contrast.

The sunrise colour really elevates this image. The warm tones reflecting off the surface of the water provide a really attractive and striking backdrop. The gull - perfectly poised to land on the water - is captured beautifully, with the out of focus bird beyond adding interest and visual balance.

There is something about this shot that keeps drawing me back to it. The photo might lack eye-contact, but it's a beautifully framed and captured shot. I love the shape of the bird in flight, with wings outstretched and long legs dangling. The second bird, watching on, adds to the story and provides visual balance and interest. A quirky, engaging shot.

This shot fits the theme perfectly, doesn't it? As you explore the frame, 'all eyes' neatly direct the viewer back to the incoming bird. The nesting gannets create a fantastic partial frame, and the overall interaction adds interest and life to the shot. A well composed, captured, and engaging shot.

Photographing smaller birds in flight, like this robin, is particularly challenging. They are fast and harder to track, as their flight is generally less predictable. This is a bitingly sharp image. Meanwhile, the light is good, the background is clean and complimentary, and the shape of the bird is interesting. A photo that fits the brief perfectly.

This is a nicely captured shot of an egret as it's about to land. It's sharp, well exposed, and well-timed. My concern with this photo is the placement of negative space. The subject is looking directly out of frame - with the negative space behind the egret. As a result, this space competes with the subject for attention. It is almost always best to place negative space in front of the subject for the animal to 'look or fly into'.

This is a well captured shot - gorgeous light, well-timed, bitingly sharp, and technically good. However, in my view, the framing is just too tight. The subject, and its mirror-like reflection, needs breathing space. As it is, the composition feels slightly claustrophobic.

This is an engaging shot. The falling snow provides atmosphere and texture to this frame and the bird's shape - with wings outreached - adds a genuine sense of movement and action. I like the tone and editing. A shot that highlights the eagle's size, power, and alpha status.

I love simple, clean, high-key images like this one. The focusing is spot-on and the timing is perfect, with the gull just about to touch down on the calm, still, water. Crucially, you can see the bird's eye, neatly framed by its weathers - the image would be far less successful is there was no eye-contact. The framing and negative space work well. An attractive shot.

As you might expect, there were a good number of Dalmatian pelican shots (captured on Lake Kerkini) entered into this contest. It was hard to pick a favourite. However, this one stood out to me. I love the hint of ICM and the implied motion it has created. The soft, cool, twilight tones are attractive - and I love the sense of place conveyed by the use of a shorter focal length. A tranquil and beautiful environmental portrait.

As you might expect, there were a good number of Dalmatian pelican shots (captured on Lake Kerkini) entered into this contest. It was hard to pick a favourite. However, I did like this trio, all coming into land together and captured in context with their snowy, mountainous environment. Depth of field, framing, and focus are spot-on. The overall tone is a little blue, but I feel that just adds to the cold, wintry mood.

I love the shape of the incoming heron and the interaction between the two adult birds. They are both on the same plane of focus, so are bitingly sharp - as are the hungry chicks. The light is attractively soft, and the sky provides a clean blue backdrop. An attractive and well timed shot.

I love the low, water-level viewpoint - it produces a beautiful, intimate perspective. The timing and technique are excellent, with the bird skimming the water surface, producing a beautiful 'water sculpture' in its wake. The image is beautifully simple. My only criticism is I would have preferred a fraction more space below the bird's reflection, opposed to the reflection touching the bottom of the frame. Overall, a classy and attractive shot, though - well done.

Selecting my top 10 was an impossible task given the quality and diversity of the images entered. This shot fitted the brief nicely. The timing is great, with the shoveler just about to touch down. The focusing and timing are perfect. I love the subject's slightly comical expression too. The square crop works well in this instance, highlighting symmetry.

Full marks to the photographer for taking a risk and attempting a more creative approach with this shot of lekking grouse. It's important to be less conventional at times and to push technique to produce original and unique results. I think this is probably a near miss - the movement isn't quite right, with the birds shape and form not quite recognisable enough. However, I love the idea and it is almost a standout image.

I was surprised not to see more entries like this, with a slow shutter speed used to capture a sense of subject motion. This is not an easy technique - too much or too little movement and results don't look intentional. I think the photographer has done really well in this instance. You get a real sense of the swan's movement. I thought the image was a bit too contrasty, though, with the highlights dangerously close to being blown. I might re-edit this file, reducing contrast to produce a 'softer' result overall.