Birdwatch UK October 2017

58 Birdwatch•October 2017 http://www.birdguides.com/birdwatch

EXPERT REVIEWS PHOTOGRAPHY • BOOKS

PHOTOS: STEVE YOUNG (WWW.BIRDSONFILM.COM)

AUGUST’S gamebirds challenge seems to have

been a popular one with Birdwatch readers, with the

most prominent species submitted being Black and

Red Grouse.

It is a superb  ight shot of the latter that takes

this month’s top spot. Tony White has taken this

lovely image, which is unusual in that most grouse

 ight photos are of birds  ying away from the

photographer after they explode from the ground in

front of you.

This, however, is a lovely shot of a bird  ying

across the lens in perfect side-on portrait mode. It

is pin sharp and nicely exposed, with just enough of

the background to give you a sense of the

surroundings.

Congratulations to Tony, who wins a copy

of Raptor: a Journey Through Birds by James

Macdonald Lockhart. Steve Young

August photo

challenge winner

Common Kestrel

AFTER the popularity of last

month’s Common Buzzard

challenge, I’m staying with the

raptor theme and choosing

Common Kestrel as the target

species for October.

Although not as common as

it once was – I remember the

days of counting how many

you saw on a long twitch – it is

still regular enough to provide

a relatively easy challenge for

your lenses.

Because of its hovering

hunting technique, underwing

shots are by far the easiest

to take, so if one of these

is submitted make sure the

exposure is spot on as there

will be lots of competition.

A fast shutter speed will be

needed for those types of shot,

unless you fancy trying for a

‘motion-blur’ image, with just the

head and body sharp and the

wings a whirr of action.

Good luck with whatever type of

shot you take and submit. I look

forward to seeing the entries, and

this month’s winner will receive

a copy of Wild Kingdom: Bringing

Back Britain’s Wildlife by Stephen

Moss. Steve Young

Terms and conditions

To enter, please email your

best candidates to editorial@

birdwatch.co.uk.

The competition is

open to anyone and

you may submit as

many photos on

the chosen theme

as you wish. The

closing date is 25

October 2017.

open to anyone and

you may submit as

STEVE YOUNG’S PHOTO CHALLENGE

Above: a classic shot of a male Common Kestrel as it hovers looking

for prey; make sure to expose for the bird and not the sky.

Below: Common Kestrel will also hunt from perches, dropping quickly

down to the ground.

Common Kestrel

1710 p58 expert reviews photo v2.indd 58 18/09/2017 11:16:34