February photo challenge winner

WOW – our Short-eared Owl Photo Challenge was popular! We received dozens of brilliant shots from our readers and choosing a winner was extremely difficult indeed. Images showed ‘Shorties’ hunting, flying, perched, snoozing and much more besides, many of which were framed beautifully in gorgeous, golden light. However, we loved this head-on shot of a Short-eared Owl by Steve Dawes for its impactful pose and striking colours – this really feels like the ‘vole’s-eye view’ and was one of a brilliant series of images that he sent in. Congratulations to Steve, who wins Habitats of the World by Ian Campbell, Ken Behrens, Charley Hesse and Phil Chaon. ■