PERCHING on top of a gate, this young barn swallow waits patiently for his mum to return with dinner .

AN Irish woman has become the first adult in the world to receive a revolutionary REMOTE CONTROLLED 'ROBO SPINE', which uses magnets to combat the effects of scoliosis .

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 .

Fetching a tiny carrot and a head-shaped snowball, a red squirrel builds the perfect snowman .

A group of whale sharks gather to feed underneath a fisherman’s boat off the coast of Papua, Indonesia .

An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .

POPE MOBBED BY THOUSANDS OF WORSHIPPERS IN RIO - Thousands of worshippers gather to celebrate the Papal visit on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro ,Brazil .

SAILING peacefully across a river in the early morning light, a fisherman in China keeps a 1000 year old tradition alive .

SAT ON top of a Brazilian turtle’s head, this little ladybird looks content as he studies his environment from a new height .

This is the amazing moment two white-tailed kites take an in-flight meal - exchanging prey at 100 foot high in mid air .

HIDING behind its flipper, this little seal comes over a little camera shy .

A Canadian photographer has captured crystal clear mirror images of Toronto's architecture reflected in puddles - simply by using his iPhone .