After reviewing these entries for some time I whittled down my preferences to about ten or so images which meet the overall assessment criteria to a good level.  However, I had difficulty in deciding how to rank these because while all have merit none really jumped out at me as the clear winner.

While I am conscious that this is an Entry level category, and must be judged accordingly, it is, after all, a ‘Best of’ competition.  Some images rated highly in terms of technical competence (things like sharpness, lighting, colour, digital noise) but were slightly let down by composition, or lack of overall emotional impact or originality.  Others were full of action and impact, but had obvious technical deficiencies.  In setting out my preferences I will provide some comments about the images, and will also comment on others which deserve an ‘honourable mention’ even if not ranked.

Winner:  Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, by Alan Burdett  (Image ID 38795)

In considering entries, I kept coming back to this image as one that particularly attracted my attention.  In particular, the very harmonious and effective use of colour gives it strong impact.  First, the colour of the bird is striking because it is not what you expect for a Black-Cockatoo.  However, it is a nearly exact match for the yellow lilac berries.  The result is a tri-coloured image of yellow, black and blue (sky) which is eye catching and original.  The background is uncluttered, and the close crop works quite effectively in this case.  The berry delicately caught in the bird’s massive beak, and the clump held in the left claw also add to the image.  I think it’s a bit too contrasty due to quite strong lighting, which results in loss of detail in some of the black areas of the bird. There is also, to my eye, a bit of unevenness in the blue sky, perhaps due to noise reduction, but it’s a minor point. It’s also unfortunate that the photographer did not take advantage of the full limits of the size allowed, as the image is a little small.

Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo

Highly Commended:  Rainbow Lorikeet, by Inigo Koefoed  (Image ID 39203)

This image really jumps out of the screen at you with its busyness and its bright colours.  The bird leans into the composition, making eye contact with the photographer as it attacks the flower, but as the photographer notes it has to share the stage with the bee.  The image is sharp and the action frozen, with good details around the head of the bird and flowers.  While impactful colours are clearly part of what makes the photo work, I think they are just a bit too intense, leading to a slightly unnatural look; I suspect the saturation levels were bumped up in camera or in post processing.  This is evident in the sky, which is a turquoise colour, with a bit too much green.   The balanced composition is part of the appeal of the image.  The eye of the bird mirrors the position of the bee relative to the centre of the image, and the flowers balance the body shape.  In addition, the two arches of leaves at the upper and lower extremes of the image frame the central elements well.

Rainbow Lorikeet

Commended:  Welcome Swallow, by Graham Gall  (Image ID 38190)

The strength of this image is the way it freezes the moment.  A healthy dose of the ‘parent and babies’ cute factor also doesn’t hurt!  It is one of those images that works despite its technical flaws, simply because it is unpredictable and about being in the right place at the right time, and pressing the shutter button at the right moment.  The immediate impact comes from the spread of the wings, which dominates the image. The strong interaction between parent and juveniles also adds to the image with the wide-open mouths which have been captured sharply and in detail.  Technically, I think there are some issues which, had they been addressed, would make for a stronger image.  First, the loss of the wing tip on the right is unfortunate as it detracts from the overall impact of the spread wings. I suspect this is a framing issue in the original shot, rather than a cropping issue. Second, while I think some motion blurring in the wings is acceptable, the head and back are a bit blurred, which is less desirable.  Third, it is unfortunate that the wings covered the head of the left-hand juvenile - having three visible juvenile heads would have added considerably to this image, I think.

Welcome Swallow

Commended:  Plumed Egret, by Thomas Buckwalter  (Image ID 38695)

There is not a great deal to say about this image other than that it is a well-executed in-flight image that shows the bird in a strong, dynamic pose as it takes off.  Sharpness levels are good across the whole bird, showing good depth of field.  Lighting and exposure is quite well managed despite the fairly strong light above the bird, which is not always easy to do where there is an all-white bird against a dark background  The rather busy background bokeh with the bright white ‘bubble’ effect might benefit from some local adjustment in post-processing, as it is a bit distracting.

Plumed Egret

Commended:  Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, by David Tribe  (Image ID 38713)

This image is a strong bird portrait of an attractive bird with soft and generally even lighting. It is technically well executed, with good sharpness and clarity, good exposure and attractive colours. The sharp blue eye is fixed on the photographer, and it and the pink beak provide a focal point of colour amongst the warm browns of the rest of the image. The smooth, even background complements the bird nicely. I think the cropping lets it down a little, mainly because the slant of the bird is just slightly off the diagonal line through the square frame, which I find quite distracting. I would abandon the square cropping and give the bird a bit more space, particularly on the right-hand side of the frame.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Other Honourable Mentions

Galah, by Graham Gall  (Image ID 38196)

Another strong, simple portrait; technically, this ticks most of the boxes, although I find it a little dark (which probably also contributes to it being a little oversaturated).  A clear, sharp, serene portrait with an engaging eye and neutral background.

Greater Crested Tern, by Merrick Bailey  (Image ID 38701)

The positioning of the two birds makes for an interesting image, with a layered background of sea and sand.  The photographer has struggled a bit with the balance of light and shadow, and the birds have a slightly ‘waxy’ look which might have come from over-enthusiastic noise reduction.

Great Egret, by Diana Vine  (Image ID 38683)

A well-executed bird-in-flight photo - sharp, with well managed lighting making for a nice crisp and detailed image, with the bird creating an interesting shape.  In my view, however, it just lacks a bit of the ‘wow’ factor to make it rise above other images.

Dusky Woodswallow, by Diana Womersley  (Image ID 38151)

This image has a very high ‘cuteness factor’ with the plump, softly coloured bird nicely highlighted against the near-black background.  The image balances the dark and light extremes well (I am assuming the pole is painted white, rather than being grey but overexposed), but the focus seems a little off around the eye and beak.

Tawny Frogmouth, by Nuala Ward  (Image ID 39333) and Tawny Frogmouth, by Graham Gall  (Image ID 38188)

I’m mentioning these together although, as I don’t see the photographer’s identity (this was written during the voting period, when images are anonymous), I don’t know for sure that they are by the same person.  These both have gone for very close up views, which is a style of portrait that I like.  I prefer 39333 for overall impact, but unfortunately it is not critically sharp in the right places (which it should be given the very static nature of the carefully lit subject).  38188 nails the sharpness better, but I find it a bit stark and high key and think it would have worked rather better with a softer, less direct lighting (and reducing the exposure a bit).