From a deer in the frost to a diving kingfisher, these are the top 5 wildlife photos of the week

A great wildlife photograph can make me feel almost like I’m sitting in the wilderness rather than behind my desk – and I love finding inspiration from wildlife photographers around the world. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite wildlife shots from the past week.

This week, some notable wildlife favorites include a red fox and two fighting red stags. Here are the top wildlife photos for this week.

A deer standing in the frost

The transition from fall to winter is one of the most challenging times to create an interesting nature photo – the colorful fall leaves have fallen, but the snow hasn’t begun falling yet. In this early morning photo by Brook Mitchell, a frosted landscape background helps the deer stand out in an almost monochromatic image.

Mitchell captured this photo with the Canon EOS R5.

A red fox on the shoreline

Shooting low to the ground puts this red fox against a bright blue backdrop in this photograph by Lee Chun Ho Lee. Blue and orange are opposite on the color wheel, so framing the fox against the blue background creates complementary colors and contrast in this shot.

A red stag challenge

Red stags will often challenge each other by locking antlers, which is what’s happening in this shot by Mark Kerrison. The tree branches in the foreground add a bit of color and help lead the eye to the subject, helping the two stags stand out among the herd. A third stag almost looks like he’s waiting for his turn.

The photograph was taken in the deer park in Windsor Great Park, which is home to around 500 red deer. Fall is rutting season, which is when the males tend to get more competitive. Kerrison captured this shot with the Canon EOS R5 and a 100-400mm lens.

A kingfisher emerging with its catch

Kingfishers are one of my favorite birds to watch and photograph, but capturing one of the quick-moving birds emerging from the water with its catch is particularly challenging. This shot by DM Sheldon is a perfectly timed moment when the kingfisher emerges from the water, its catch flipping its tail and water droplets frozen in the air.

An osprey with its catch

Timing a shot of a bird in flight is a challenge, but this shot from Ronen Tivony captures not only an osprey with its catch, but the wings are frozen in just the right moment and the beak open in a screech. Tivony captured this shot with the Sony A1 II in Lake Apopka, Florida.