Tiptoe lark - Henrik Lund - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2011

2011: Animals in their Environment - Highly Commended

Henrik Lund Enlarge image Tiptoe lark

Henrik Lund (Finland)

Tiptoe lark

With the snow lying thick on the ground, Henrik headed out into the fields near his home in southern Finland in search of grey partridges sheltering in burrows in the snow. As he scanned the snow, a tiny horned lark ran past in search of food. When it found a few seeds, 'it kept stretching up to try to reach them,' says Henrik, 'and then jumping if it couldn't.' Low cloud cover and therefore dull light allowed Henrik to use the snow as a white backdrop for the unusual little visitor, and the simple geometry of the yellow stems provided the compositional architecture. Then all Henrik had to do was capture the lark on its toes in the moment before it jumped.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV + 500mm f4 lens + 1.4x II extender; 1/800 sec at f6.3; ISO 800.

This photograph is available to buy as a print.