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
BALANCING on top of a tree, this bear cub puts her climbing skills to the test .
Say cheese! This cheeky chappy isn’t in the mood to live up to his scary reputation as he is pictured here cracking a killer smile as he goes about his daily business .
BREATHING life back into old photographs, these black and white images are transformed by colour .
SWIMMING slowly towards the shore, a small group of bottlenose dolphins arrive for breakfast at a beach in Western Australia .
WITH A LITTLE cap of fresh snow resting on his head, this squirrel tries his best to pull off his new look .
A brave leopard kicks back and relaxes in the sunshine - just inches from an enormous crocodile .
PERCHED on a branch, this Little Owl plays third wheel to two love birds .
A curious red squirrel takes a break from collecting nuts and tries her hand at photography .
HOPPING onto the scales, these adorable baby Humboldt penguins are ready for their first weigh-in .
STARING open-mouthed into the camera, this shocked fish looks out of place in the middle of its angry friends .
EXPERTLY camouflaged, this clever panther chameleon knows how to catch its prey by surprise .
