Common Tern by Glyn Sellors

 

 

There is a real pristineness to the latest Photo of the Week winner, taken by Glyn Sellors. With not a blemish on the surrounding sand, Glyn has ensured that all attention is focused on the subject of the photo: a beautiful adult Common Tern. Glyn has caught the tern in a truly majestic pose, with its head held high, proudly showing off its catch. The low angle creates a diffuse background and the neutral light conditions ensure that there are no distracting shadows.

It's been a rough summer for Common Terns, with many colonies hit badly by avian influenza, and Glyn's photo is a reminder of how beautiful and elegant this species is. All we can hope is that we've now seen the worst of bird flu and Common Tern, along with many other affected seabird species, will be able to recover in 2024 and beyond.

 

Other notable images

 

 

Scopoli's Shearwater, Scilly pelagic, Isles of Scilly (Richard Stonier).

Puffin, Skokholm, Pembrokeshire (Nick Dalton).

Common Buzzard, Robroyston Park LNR, Clyde (Steven Mcgrath).

Green Sandpiper, Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincolnshire (Ian Bollen).

Hudsonian Godwit, Grutness, Mainland, Shetland (Rebecca Nason).

Black-winged Stilt, Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincolnshire (Alan Burfitt).

Dunlin, Blackie Spit, Surrey, British Columbia (Brian Avent).

 

 

Common Tern, Richmond, London (Andrew Hall).

Swallow, Loscoe Dam, Derbyshire (Robert Booth).

Melodious Warbler, Skaw, Whalsay, Shetland (John Irvine).

Crossbill, undisclosed site, Britain & Ireland (Harry Bell).