STAR-TI-LING: 40,000 STARLINGS MIMIC HITCHCOCK'S THE BIRDS- This could be the fearsome scene from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds as a flock of 40,000 starlings bask in the heat of a wonderful British sunset. The extraordinary light and shadows echoes the 1960s hit film as huge numbers of the birds appear ready to descend and attack earth below. Fortunately it was actually a far more peaceful setting on Brighton Pier as the amazing murmuration of the birds gathered around the coastline of the seaside resort. They swooped around in the winter sun in February this year, as captured by Hove based photographer Alan Mackenzie. He said despite the large numbers of birds, they have dramatically dwindled in recent decades.Alan, 32, said: "Moments like this make me proud to live on such a beautiful planet and appreciative of the fact that, as a human living in the modern world, I am privileged enough to observe it all
TUGGING on the wing of his sibling, this needy owl is after some attention .
STARING intently into the camera, a polar bear appears to be lost in thought while relaxing in the snow .
A little caterpillar fearlessly scampers down a branch and confronts a praying mantis .
Some will get up close and personal with Mother Nature’s deadliest animals to get the perfect shot, posing the question, what lengths will a photographer go to for that all important picture? But in this case, the question should be what depths .
PAWS for thought as you feast your eyes on this rare bear bathing session .
CCTV shows a dark figure dumping the dog- A pet dog suffering with cancer has been put down after being dumped at an animal rescue in what officials said is the worst abandonment of any animal they have witnessed .
A dog was SOW close to death after she dangerously swallowed a two-inch NEEDLE-Cute Shih Tzu Daisy could have pierced her intestines after eating the long needle and thread after finding it on the carpet .
Sitting all alone on drift ice in the Arctic Ocean, this lonely little fella looks lost .
RACING through the mountain range on horseback, the Kazakh people practice their ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles .
A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .
OFFERING a glimpse into the past, a mash-up of old and new photographs show how the world’s biggest cities have changed .
Balanced on one leg, a frog assumes the crane kick martial arts stance made famous in the movie The Karate Kid .