In this week’s photo selection, we’re highlighting a spectacular picture of starlings flying in murmuration and over a dozen more exceptional shots of wildlife in their natural settings.

“In February, starling murmurations gather around Brighton Pier about an hour before sunset. This means photographers miss the best lighting conditions. Use of background objects and side-lighting overcomes this late winter limitation.” – Alan MacKenzie

“Mountain bluebirds migrate through Seedskadee NWR in large numbers during spring and fall migration. Many stay to nest as well. These two were some of the first spotted during spring migration.” – Tom Koerner/USFWS

“With so much light bouncing off the water, it was a good chance to try some silhouettes pictures, and these Herons made some wonderful shapes when they chased each other around the lake.” – Edd Cottell

https://www.flickr.com/photos/28804048@N04/14763569125

“It has been fascinating to watch the hummingbirds’ responses to honey bees this year. They are scared of them!” – ramonaj2001

“Several bull elk jostle for position to try to win favor with several cow elk above treeline in Rocky Mountain National Park.”

“The scene was chaos as the females tried to stay together while the males tried to separate them and chase each other away. Near the highest point in the road at an elevation of approximately 12,000 feet, the air was thin and we were all gasping for breath as the drama played out. The stalemate continued as the group disappeared over the ridge, into the sunset.” – Jeff Sullivan

“Green heron hanging from a branch in the heavy shade that had just stretched down to get a drink of water, leaving a trail of water drops and their reflections as it lifted up to swallow.” – Jim Russell

“Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. I found photographing in the rainforest very challenging, because the light from sun was often greatly dimmed by the canopy. To get a better exposure of the mantis, I played with my flash for a while, but the results weren’t satisfying. In the end, I created this silhouette by keeping the mantis in the shadows and exposing on some sunlit leaves in the background.” – Simon Jan

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmorgans_kbm/13980779672

“An American Alligator cruisin’ through a pond at Viera Wetlands in Brevard County Florida on a heavily foggy morning at sunrise. . . Sony DSLR A580. . .Thanks for looking :)” – AdA Durden

This photo selection is inspired by the Wildlife Photography group.

To join this series, tweet @flickr with your favorite wildlife photos, and include the hashtag #WildlifeWednesday. And if you’d rather not tweet, simply include the same hashtag in your Flickr photo title, or tag it with WildlifeWednesday.

We look forward to seeing your contributions and featuring a new selection of your photo submissions every Wednesday here on our blog.

Previously featured for this series: Wildlife Wednesday: Butterfly wings