Woodpeckers

Although I didn't rank this shot in my top 10, mainly as the Wryneck isn't a true Woodpecker albeit closely related, the image needs a special mention as the photographer has captured a special moment with the parent feeding the young and has clearly spent hours observing the nest site and has been rewarded for his/her patience.

This shot stood out for me as the winner as it ticked all the boxes in my brief. The focus is perfect on the Woodpecker's eye, there is beautiful detail in the wet feathers and the composition perfectly balanced with just enough negative space for the bird to look into. The icing on the cake is the reflection, again perfectly balanced in the frame. Congratulations on a superb winning entry.

This shot stood out for me due to the excellent composition with the perch framed and aligned with the lower third and the Woodpecker sitting proudly on the right hand third with enough negative space to look into. The eye is sharp too and the exposure overall is spot on.

A great action shot with both birds in focus and their wings opened in unison. The high shutter speed has frozen the motion beautifully. This would have been my winning shot if the composition and framing had been better and the background was less distracting.

I loved the intimacy of this shot with the emphasis on the birds eye-catching red crest and just enough depth-of-field to render the whole bird in focus. The rule of thirds has been followed well with the eye location on the right hand third.