Golden Oriole by Thomas Willoughby

 

 

Golden Oriole is seldom observed well in Britain. Many birders will recall distant or fleeting views of birds on warm summer days at the species' old Breckland haunts from years gone by. In recent times, however, it's typically been a case of trying to connect with an elusive migrant that is often more readily heard than it is seen. To get as good views of an adult male as those enjoyed by Thomas Willoughby at Spurn this week is a very rare occurrence indeed. What's more, Thomas remained calm enough to absolutely nail the shot as this spectacular bird flew past him – there will be plenty of envious birders out there! Capturing the bird in perfect profile, Thomas's POTW shows off the intricacies of the bird's black-and-yellow plumage to perfection. Congratulations!

 

Other notable images

 

Greylag Goose, Walthamstow Wetlands LWT, London (Sam O'Donnell).

Black Guillemot, Oban, Argyll (David williamson).

Black-headed Gull, Staines Reservoirs, London (Joe Downing).

Black-tailed Godwit, Low Newton-by-the-Sea, Northumberland (Gary Woodburn).

Whimbrel, Normandy Marsh, Hampshire (Dennis Gilman).

Short-eared Owl, Undisclosed site, England (Will Bowell).

Common Cuckoo, Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire (Nick Truby).

White Wagtail, Bidnija, Malta (Natalino Fenech).

Desert Sparrow, Merzouga, Errachidia (Mark Woodhead).

Pied Flycatcher, Dartmoor, Devon (Rob Laughton).

Sedge Warbler, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (Martin Abbess).

Audubon's Warbler, Iona Island Park, British Columbia (Brian Avent).

Allen's Hummingbird, Los Angeles, California (Alexander Viduetsky).