Wild Birds on the Wing

The peregrine is a favourite subject of mine and this shot sums up these wonderful fast predators. The photographer has done well to capture with such clarity this challenging subject in flight the expression on the face of the peregrine compared to the sandpiper makes this image stand out to me as with the movement in flight. A great shot and as the photographer said a right time right place image that hits all the spots for me. Well done and congratulations

In fourth place is this cracking shot of a swallow heading straight to the camera. Like my fist place the Swift this species is a very tricky subject to achieve exceptional results as displayed in this image.

The eye is pin sharp the composition simple but effective and the background of golden light draws you to the subject.

Well done to the photographer for producing a stunning image of a fast and difficult subject.

Before judging this competition if you said a small brown bird would be my winner I probably would have laughed but his stunning image of a Swift is my winner in a contest that delivered so many exceptional images. This photograph truly sums up the essence of this contest - birds on the wing as these birds other than nesting are constantly in flight. Bird flight photography is always a challenge and to capture a Swift in flight is one of the most difficult as these small birds pound for pound are the fastest on the planet. The clarity of the image the detail in the feather and that sharp eye are exquisite . What more can I say but congratulations to the winning photographer an individual who clearly understands his craft and has achieved a once in a lifetime image to be proud of.

This is a lovely shot of the Dalmatian Pelican as it glides over the water. The use of soft light and the detailed reflection sets this image up to be one of my top ten images in this competition. The image is sharp and not over processed which i like and meets the birds on the wing theme very well Congratulations to the photographer

Sometimes simplicity works and this shot is one of those. Almost making the top ten this black and white image reflects the theme to a tee wild birds on the wing I loved the movement the shape of the wings and the composition well done and congratulations of narrowly missing out on a top ten.