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[Brian]

A photograph does not have to be "good" to be "GREAT"

This is a statement I learned through experience as a young news photographer 40+ years ago... I was reminded of this statement a day or so ago when I saw this picture...
Brian

Re: NewScientist.com
The World's No.1 Science & Technology News Service
Falcon dive-bombing starlings wins top photo prize
* 15:41 20 October 2005
* NewScientist.com news service
* Gaia Vince

Sky Chase: The lone peregrine falcon strikes fear into the heart of the starling flock (Image: Manuel Presti)


“I felt the fear and the starlings’ urgent need to survive, and the psychological pressure of the falcon as it dive-bombed the small birds,” says Italian Manuel Presti of his photograph Sky Chase, overall winner of this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, organised by the Natural History Museum, London, UK, and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

The lone peregrine falcon is stark against a clear sweep of sky that marks its trajectory through the swirling black cloud of panicked starlings. Presti, an engineer by trade, has been photographing wildlife for more than 20 years and took the photograph during a winter trip to Rome.

“Every evening between 4.30 and 5pm the sky above the city’s parks turns black with gathering flocks of starlings that arrive to roost in the relative safety of Rome. When two or three falcons swooped into a large cloud of starlings, it exploded and I took the pictures,” he told New Scientist.

Large flocks of starlings are becoming rarer, due to a rapid decline in European populations. In Italy in particular, this is partly caused by the shooting of songbirds by hunters. Such declines are a recurring theme in the winning photographs, which were selected from almost 17,000 entries from over 55 countries.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8186

[Return of the Redeye]

What a fabulous photograph Brian. Thanks for posting it and it demonstrates what your title says perfectly.

As an aside, there doesn't seem to be any shortage of Starlings where I live, particularly at this time of year around our three piers, where they flock to roost each evening.

I've got a fabulous clip, from a wildlife programme that runs here in the UK, of a massive flock (100K+++) of starlings doing their formation pre-roost flying which I could try & upload as an Mpeg, if I could work out how?