Andres M. Dominguez / Common firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla) taking off, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park. Southern Spain. September

Andres M. Dominguez / Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) taking off, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park. Southern Spain. September

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a large group of Butterflies (Pieridae) taking flight after puddling, absorbing nutrients or minerals from damp soil, Orellana Province, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador.

Morley Read / Large group of Butterflies (Pieridae) taking flight after puddling, absorbing nutrients or minerals from damp soil, Orellana Province, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador.

Terry Whittaker / Man being lowered down a cliff to collect seabird eggs, including those of Common guillemots (Uria aalge). Camera attached to helmet, Skoruvikurbjarg cliffs, Langanes Peninsula, Iceland, May.

Terry Whittaker / Man being lowered down a cliff to collect seabird eggs, including those of Common guillemots (Uria aalge). Skoruvikurbjarg cliffs, Langanes Peninsula, Iceland, May.

John Chan / California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) roosting on a mudflat, with a flock of Elegant terns (Thalasseus elegans) nearby, Southern California, USA May/2019

Jack Dykinga / Flocks of Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) taking off in tree-lined wetlands. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA.

Tony Heald / Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) taking off from ice, Svalbard Norway, July.

John Chan / Female Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) incubating eggs, departs from nest momentarily to feed, Southern California, USA, March.

John Chan / Female Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) incubating eggs, departs from nest momentarily to feed, Southern California, USA, March.

Michael Hutchinson / Marsh fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia) nectaring from a Buttercup (Ranunculus) before taking off, Devon, England, UK, June.

John Chan / Elegant tern (Thalasseus elegans) with a broken wing, attempting to take off, Southern California, USA, April.

Kerstin Hinze / Painted lady (Vanessa cardui) nectaring, Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany, June.

Philippe Clement / Common raven (Corvus corax) taking off from the top of a sea cliff, Eshaness, Northmavine, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK, May.

Dave Bevan / Slow motion clip of a pair of Common swifts (Apus apus) approaching and entering a nest hole in limestone cliff, Norfolk, England, UK, May.

Jurgen Freund / Colony of Little red flying foxes (Pteropus scapulatus) leaving roost site, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia.

John Chan / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) gathering pollen from a Sea fig (Carpobrotus chilensis), Southern California, USA, April.

Konrad Wothe / Chub (Squalius cephalus) trying to catch a Banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens), Bavaria, Germany, June.

John Waters / Slow motion clip of a Brown trout (Salmo trutta) predating an adult Mayfly (Ephemoptera) struggling to take off from water, River Kennet, Hungerford, Berkshire, England, UK, June.

Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / Crested ibis (Nipponia nippon) flying, Yangxian Nature Reserve, Shaanxi, China, September.

Dave Bevan / Slow motion clip of a Tawny owl (Strix aluco) leaving nest site in hollow tree, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK, April.

John Waters / Wide-angle shot of wetland landscape at sunset, with Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) flying to roost, Ham Wall RSPB Reserve, Somerset Levels, England, UK, February.

Michael Hutchinson / Slow motion clip of a Common carder bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) feeding from a Viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare) flower, Bristol, England, UK, September.

Terry Whittaker / Group of Common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) feeding from a bird feeder, with an adult feeding juveniles perched on the top, Greater Manchester, England, UK, May.

Klein & Hubert / Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) catching a fish, France

Claudio Contreras / Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) departing from nest, San Benedicto Island, Revillagigedo Archipelago Biosphere Reserve / Archipielago de Revillagigedo UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site (Socorro Isl...

Jack Dykinga / Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) running to take off into flight, Boque del Apache, New Mexico, USA, December.

Pal Hermansen / Brunnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia) taking off from water, Alkefjellet. Svalbard, Norway, July.

Markus Varesvuo / Hawk owl (Surnia ulula) takingn off from powder snow, possibly with prey in talons, Kuusamo Finland February

Jabruson Motion / Juvenile male Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) 'Januar' taking banana from keeper, Bukit Lawang Orangutan Sanctuary, Gunung Leuser National Park, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

Stephen Dalton / Horse fly (Tabanus sp) male taking off from poppy seed-head (Papaver rhoeas) Sussex, UK

Fred Olivier / Wide angle shot of a large flock of Blue footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) taking off from the sea and diving on a bait ball, Isla Lobos de Terra, Peru.

Fred Olivier / Wide angle shot of a large flock of Blue footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) taking off from the sea and diving on a bait ball, Isla Lobos de Terra, Peru.

Pal Hermansen / Eider ducks (Somateria molissima) flock taking off from sea, Trondelag, Norway, January.

Michel Poinsignon / Black headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) taking off, detail of legs and water droplets, Pusztaszer, Hungary, April

Bence Mate / Flock of Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) taking off, Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Pusztaszer, Hungary. December.

Bence Mate / Two Burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) fledgling with adult about to take off, Pantanal, Brazil.

Cyril Ruoso / African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) flock taking off, Lake Lobak / Lobeke National Park, Cameroon, July.

Jussi Murtosaari / Musk beetle (Aromia moschata) taking off, South Karelia, Finland, August.

Claudio Contreras / Caribbean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) about to take off to roosting site, Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula Mexico, January. Best image taken in Mexico and specially commended in...

James Dunbar / Close-up of a Sweat bee (Lasioglossum) nectaring on a flower before grooming itself and taking off, England, UK, September.

Bruno D'Amicis / Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) ‘Sultan’ tied up in front of a tourist shop in the souk, Douz, Kebili Governorate. Tunisia. Unwittingly, tourists support the capture of fennec fox cubs from the wild by pa...

Doug Perrine / Giant squirrelfish (Sargocentron spiniferum) at cleaning station in the cockpit of wreck of Panorama Air Tour Beech H18S that crashed in 1983 after take-off from Keahole airport, Kona, Hawaii.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Panning shot of a large flock of Pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) taking off from their roosting site, Montrose, Angus, Scotland, UK, November.

George Sanker / Great egret (Ardea alba) taking off with fish prey in mouth, Myakka River State Park, Florida, USA, March.

Espen Bergersen / Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) flying with guillemot prey. Hornoya bird cliff. Finnmark, Norway. March

David Pattyn / Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) taking off from water, Lake Kerkini, Greece. February. Vulnerable species.