European Stonechat by Mark Hynam
With a short, sharp, cold snap of weather occurring there were a few cold-looking images posted this week on Iris, one of which I've chosen as my winning shot this week: a lovely capture by Mark Hynam of a female European Stonechat shrouded by frosty branches.
You can almost feel the cold in this image, with the bird small in the frame, huddled up against the cold, with lots of frosty fingers surrounding it. It is a nicely exposed shot with lots of detail in the whites of the frost, and the composition is just about perfect.
Congratulations on his Photo of the Week to Mark, who sadly didn't include any lens/exposure details with the posting, but that takes nothing away from the photo.
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
Killdeer, Sandwick, Mainland, Shetland (Photo: G W Petrie)
Velvet Scoter, Trench Pool, Telford, Shropshire (Photo: Dave Tromans)
Great Northern Diver, Scarborough, North Yorkshire (Photo: Paul Coombes)
American Black Vulture, Brazil (Photo: Artur Stankiewicz)
Whooper Swan, Antrim, Antrim (Photo: Ian Dickey)
Pintail, Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire (Photo: Norman West)
Masked Wagtail, Camrose, Pembrokeshire (Photo: Josh Jones)
Red-necked Grebe, Ullswater, Cumbria (Photo: Sam Northwood)
Merlin, Seaton Snook, Cleveland (Photo: Ian Forrest)
Long-tailed Duck, Musselburgh, Lothian (Photo: S Gillies)
Kingfisher, South Wigston, Leicestershire and Rutland (Photo: Paul Riddle)
Shelduck, Cliffe Pools RSPB, Kent (Photo: John Whitting)
Waxwing, Llysfaen, Conwy (Photo: John A Davis)
Redwing, Kidwelly, Carmarthen (Photo: Jeff Lack)
Long-tailed Widowbird, South Africa (Photo: Jamie MacArthur)
