Corn Buntings by Marc Fasol
Corn Bunting, Spain (Photo: Marc FASOL)
A common problem when taking shots of birds mating is getting the poses to look good; one bird turning its head away or holding its wings over part of the other one are frustratingly frequent results. This is not the case here, however, and Marc Fasol has managed to capture this stunning image of a pair of copulating Corn Buntings in Catalonia, Spain. Marc used a 400 mm lens, and by shooting at 1/2,000th second at f5 has managed to freeze most of the action, apart from the wings — but rather than detract from the photo, they add movement and show the frenetic male doing his best to keep balanced!
Further adding to the image are the natural-looking perch and evenly coloured background that set off the birds perfectly. Congratulations to Marc on his shot, a deserving winner of our popular Photo of the Week award.
You can read more on bird photography from Steve Young, including product reviews and a regular Photo Challenge for readers, every month in Birdwatch magazine.
Other notable images
Grey Heron, Attenborough NR, Nottinghamshire (Photo: Simon Richardson)
Starling, undisclosed site, Staffordshire (Photo: Graham Allbutt)
Storm-petrel, Scilly pelagic, Isles of Scilly (Photo: Joe Pender)
Nightingale, undisclosed site, Suffolk (Photo: Ian Clarke)
Little Bittern, Lakenheath Fen RSPB, Suffolk (Photo: Neil Rolph)
King Eider, Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire (Photo: Sam Northwood)
Golden Plover, undisclosed site, Angus & Dundee (Photo: Marek Szczepanek)
Little Bustard, Spain (Photo: Marc FASOL)
Sanderling, Swillington Ings, West Yorkshire (Photo: Jim Welford)
Red-footed Falcon, Malta (Photo: Natalino Fenech)
Whiskered Tern, Greece (Photo: Lee Amery)
Turnstone, Warkworth Lane, Northumberland (Photo: Heiko Peters)
Swallow, undisclosed site, Norfolk (Photo: Matt Crosby)
Water Rail, Old Moor RSPB (Dearne Valley), South Yorkshire (Photo: Tom Hines)
Little Owl, undisclosed site, Buckinghamshire (Photo: Craig Richardson)
