Dunnock, Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB, 30 November 2011 © Colin Brown

Picture chosen by Neil Renwick

"As ever, there were so many good images posted during November, but only members’ photos are eligible for the competition, so that ruled out a few. What a good reason to join! There were many owl images this month - perhaps there should have been a category just for them. I particularly liked Stuart’s barn owl flying towards the camera. Grey partridges can be hard to find, but there were a couple of lovely shots from Jonathan & James. The Fen Drayton Lakes area was well represented – I saw Nigel’s dunlin, so that earned a place on my short list, as did Colin’s image of a little egret, apparently swerving in mid-air. Could I choose a kestrel, sitting on our pheasant-shooting neighbour’s “keep out” sign?

The final choice was between three: Nigel’s dunlin, Jonathan’s marvellous mallard, her orange bill highlighting the orange glow reflected off the lake, and Colin’s dapper dunnock, perched on a bramble without background distractions. Had Colin trained the bird to pose for him? In the end, the glint in the dunnock’s eye clinched it for me. "

Sabine's Gull, Grafham Water, Cambridge, 21st September 2011 © Paul Hackett

Picture chosen by Doug Radford

"Scrolling down through the September images, I had no hesitation in deciding which one appealed to me most - the Sabine's Gull at Grafham Water. I imagine some people might prefer other images of this much photographed bird, but I liked the combination of the action and the plumage detail in this one. A real treat!"

Common Rosefinch, Melbourn, Cambridge, 10 July 2011 © James Hanlon

Picture chosen by Ken Sheard

"The availability of high quality lenses and digiscoping, not to mention the skills of the photographer, make choosing a bird photograph of the month an invidious task. The plumage detail of the Turtle Dove and Red-legged Partridge, the visceral shock of the hunting Sparrowhawk, the manoeuvring skill of the House Martin, were beautifully captured and accomplished, as were all the submitted photographs. My judgement was influenced by rarity value, with my choice wavering between the Common Cranes and the Scarlet Rosefinch (James Hanlon). The task would have been easier had the Rosefinch been a male in full breeding plumage, rather than a nondescript looking first-summer bird, but this is a county first, and one that many of us may not see again (I missed it!), so gets my vote on these ground alone."

Treecreepers, Fen Drayton Lakes, 16 May 2011 © Nigel Sprowell

Picture chosen by Gwen Martin

"From the sixty plus photos in this months picture gallery there were ten that caught my eye. But even considering the ten, nine had no chance against my eventual winner. My biggest problem was which to choose from the sequence of the three pictures of a family of Treecreepers taken at Fen Drayton Lakes by Nigel Sprowell. How fortunate he was to see a family party let alone photograph them. I have difficulty enough to even see one Treecreeper! Nigel admits that the quality "is not as I would like to see" (I would have been over the moon if they were mine), but nevertheless under the conditions I think that all three pictures are fantastic. It's a pity I can't choose them all, is that possible? If not I would have to choose the first for the look of anticipation from one of the birds hoping for a meal. Well done Nigel, I would loved to have seen them."

Long-tailed Tit, Foxton, 1 March 2011 © Tom Austin

Picture chosen by Rowena Baxter

"It's never an easy task to pick just one photo from the monthly Gallery list, and March 2011 is no exception. John Le Gassick's Cormorant, and Garth Peacock's Red-Legged Partridge are fine studies. Nigel Sprowell's Barn Owls and his series of passerines are excellent - of these the Robin (21 March) is outstanding. Also I must mention Gary Thornton's two Cetti's Warblers; as the caption says, often heard but much harder to see, let alone photograph well. Redpolls have been very much in evidence lately, and Jim Lawrence and Mark Thomas's pictures will be very useful for comparison in future. There are many more super photos in the March Gallery, but in the end I couldn't resist young Tom Austin's Long-tailed Tit. It just captures the charming inquisitiveness of this tiny bird so well - every time I look at it I have to smile! So, that is my choice."

Waxwing, Cambridge, 5 January 2011 © Luca Patriccioli

Picture chosen by Simon Stirrup

"When asked to pick a winner from the January images I looked forward to indulging in a selection dominated by Waxwings. I was not to be disappointed. January was a good month for the variety of birds featured despite a lack of decent light for photographers. Apart from Waxwings, birds included uncommon Cambs species such as Scaup, Common Redpoll, Great Grey Shrike and White-fronted Goose and, rarest of all, Stuart Elsom’s Ring-billed Gull. I was impressed by James Hanlon’s evocative image of a first-winter Caspian Gull - one of my favourite species; Adrian George’s Tree Creeper (how often do you enjoy a view like this, let alone manage to capture it?); and Nigel Sprowell’s study of a female Kestrel. Finally, I returned to the Waxwing images. I liked the clean composition of Garth Peacock’s picture, but after some deliberation, I selected Luca Patriccioli’s Waxwing image because of the pose and the surrounding colourful berries."