Brown Birds (in colour)

This is not a bird I am familiar with, but it is striking in its appearance, and you have captured it perfectly. Focus is spot-on, with the pearcing yellow eye drawing us in, and the detail on the chest feathers is lovely. I love the sense of depth to the shot, created by the use of the very long lens, but the depth of field is still wide enough to enable details both in front of and behind the bird to be picked out, rather that just a blurred out sheet of colour. Beautiful image, well done on your top ten placing.

An unusual image, in that these birds are usually shown flying/hovering high above or captured from very close as a head and shoulders portrait shot. I even had to double check it was a red kite as it is a view not commonly seen. I really love the naturalness of the scene, with the bird in a relaxed but watchful pose, surrounded by lush greenery. Prefect choice of lens and aperture settings, as the bird is shown in crisp detail, and there are still plenty of textures in the foliage to give context without drawing attention away from this beautiful bird. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

This was a challenging (but enjoying) contest to judge with so many great images entered, but this delightful photo of a snipe sprinting through the mud was my eventual winner. The light is bright and the colours bold but not over-saturated, giving the shot a great feel. I especially like that we get a detailed visual description of the shape, form, colours and plumage of the bird, along with a rather amusing pose, striking the right balance between the two elements. Through use of a long lens and relatively wide aperture the background is totally softened, putting full focus on the subject. Congratulations on your winning image.

To some, a humble sparrow will be considered so common and ordinary that they may be overlooked in favour of more showy or majestic birds. This image however serves to demonstrate the beauty and charm these little birds can have. Your capture of the feather detail and markings, along with the array of different shades of brown is stunning. We are in nice and close to see all these details, but there is still just enough space surrounding this beautiful and characterful bird to prevent it looking hemmed in. Congratulations on your second place finish.