This was the Birdguides PHOTO OF THE WEEK for week ending 9th June 2011.

This is also is my "Photo of the Week" for week ending 9th June 2011.
Birdguides Citation.

"Last summer, Devon-based bird photographer Charlie Fleming won his first Photo of the Week with an action shot of two Kingfishers fighting. That image resulted from Charlie spending an extended period photographing the species locally, so that he was present when the unusual event occurred. This week, Charlie has once again proved the benefits of putting in the time as his three-year study of Dartmoor Cuckoos finally gave him a three-hour session with a feeding bird. The best image from this session is a flight shot of the sunlit bird against a background of defocused vegetation. The bird is well posed to show off both the characteristic shape and the underside plumage of this species. This photo, though, also illustrates two features that work particularly well for flight shots. The first is that the bird is photographed side-on: almost all bird photography is best done from the bird's eye level, rather than from above or below. With flight shots, this can be more difficult to achieve, but it's always worth striving for. The second feature is the use of an 'environmental background', rather than just plain sky. This gives a sense of place and can provide a better balance of tones compared with the typical high-contrast bird-in-sky shot. Just rewards for Charlie's perseverence getting to know these birds and their behaviour, as well as practising his technique to make the most of the opportunity."