Etienne Francey's Image

Etienne spotted this stoat, in its full winter colours, crossing a lane close to his home in Switzerland.

It went into a snow-covered field at high speed and started jumping back and forth, presumably looking for signs of mice or rabbits. Etienne lay down in the snow and waited for it to reappear. When the stoat burst back into view about 10 metres away, Etienne had his camera ready. 'The stoat didn't seem to be spooked by me and continued jumping around,' he says. 'But it was a miracle that I managed to catch it in the air, at its highest point, and that I got it all in the frame, and in focus, too. I never expected to come home with such a picture.'