Common Crane © Simon Stirrup, 25 January 2025, Cambridgeshire fens.
January’s Picture of the Month was chosen by Lucas Burfield.
"As soon as I spotted this incredible photo by Simon Stirrup I was stunned. The composition is outstanding, with the adult Crane playfully jumping in the air above the Cambridgeshire fens. This is such a special and rare species and we are privileged to have it in this county.
Honourable mentions go to the vast array of stunning Bearded Tit photos by Jan Michalec and Cookie Shorten. I was also delighted to see many entries of birds braving the cold to feed, of which I particularly enjoyed those of a Wren, by Joanna Kubica."
Peregrine Falcon © Roger Cresswell 25 February 2025, undisclosed site
February's Picture of the Month was chosen by Louise Bacon and Vince Lea.
"Our top two choices were both birds being 'busy', instilling a bit of activity into the photo. Our runner-up is Garth Peacock's Egret, in landing mode. Its lovely flight feathers are clearly visible as it angles into land. Or maybe it’s taking off? And our top choice was Roger Cresswell’s Peregrine. Face-on, feathers all puffed out, and the speckled breast feathers looking very different to the sleek version of the regular view of a Peregrine. Also, the talons match the colour of the lichen so well."
Peregrine Falcon © Jan Michalec 25 March 2025, undisclosed site
March's Picture of the Month was chosen by Pete Holt.
The Great White Egret from Bob Steed shows an unusual view that manages to capture character in a species where that is a difficult thing to do. Roger Hardie’s contributions included beautiful portraits of a Barn Owl, a much-loved species taken in terrific light, as well as producing technically very good flight shots of a Little Gull, a species rarely present for long at any site. Tracey Graves' shots of starlings provide wonderfully evocative images of a sadly declining spectacle, the Grey Heron for scale makes that image a gem; a close second. My pick though are Jan Michalec’s portraits of an unfortunate Collared Dove. These technically excellent shots of Peregrine capture both behaviour and character of the species.