The 2025 Audubon Pictures Awards: Honorable Mentions

Youth: Jake Hillygus

Contest: United States and Canada
Species: Common Raven
Image Location: Monterey County, California, United States 
Camera: Canon EOS R7 with a Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens at 450mm and a Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R; 1/800 second at f/8; ISO 6400 

Behind the Shot: Whenever my mother goes on work journeys, I tag alongside so I can hen wherever she goes. On a visit to California, we went to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park at daybreak with the intention of photographing California Condors, that are current in comparatively excessive numbers there. Instead, I discovered a pair of Common Ravens at a pull-off. The pair hopped from boulder to boulder, by no means leaving one another’s aspect. They confirmed no worry as I approached, seemingly inquisitive about my digital camera. They preened one another’s feathers and nestled shut collectively within the gentle morning gentle. Their bond appeared to be as shut as any human relationship, and their behaviors conveyed their sharp corvid intelligence. When the solar lastly rose over the ocean cliffs, they left, and I resumed my hunt for condors. 

Bird Lore: Indigenous cultures all around the Northern Hemisphere have admired Common Ravens for millennia. Modern scientists admire them as properly. These are thought-about to be among the many most clever of birds, with a stage of consciousness that appears eerily human. Members of a mated pair of ravens keep collectively in any respect seasons, foraging cooperatively and even partaking in energetic play. The two birds usually perch very shut collectively, preening one another’s feathers—a conduct referred to as allopreening—which in all probability helps strengthen their bond.    

Judge’s Take (Sabine Meyer): It’s exhausting to not anthropomorphize this beautiful seize. The raven pair appear to quietly bond like companions in a snug relationship, their gaze centered away, every misplaced in their very own ideas. The publicity is spot on with catchlight in each eyes. The velvety sheen of their feathers blends in like a regal cloak.

Youth: Camilo Sanabria Grajales

Contest: Chile and Colombia
Species: Pied-billed Grebe 
Image Location: Darién, Valle del Cauca, Colombia 
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 with a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens at 600mm; 1/800 second at f/6.3; ISO 1600 

Behind the Shot: I’d been on Lake Calima all day, and it was a particular one. I used to be utilizing my new lens for the primary time, which I’d purchased with the cash I earned by placing collectively a raffle and promoting my PlayStation and a trampoline we had at house. With the winds blowing, I used to be bending down when immediately, a Pied-billed Grebe diving for meals captured my consideration. Little by little, it got here nearer till it was just some meters away. It was already 6 pm, so getting the lighting proper was more and more difficult. But then, the hen twitched, and its moist feathers fluffed up. I knew I needed to snap a photograph. When I noticed the outcomes, I felt the trouble—the raffle, the gross sales, the time I spent that day—was value it.       

Bird Lore: Pied-billed Grebes are masters of aquatic residing. To swim underwater they’ll make a headfirst dive, or they’ll sink step by step, typically pausing with solely their heads uncovered. They alter their buoyancy partly with deft management of the quantity of air or water trapped by their physique feathers. They additionally use their feathers for a extra stunning function: They eat them. Adults eat a lot of their very own feathers all yr spherical and feed them to their younger. These feathers might assist defend the grebes’ abdomen lining from fish bones and different sharp objects. 

Judge’s Take (Natalia Ekelund): The direct gaze of the grebe generates a right away emotional reference to the viewer. Despite its obvious simplicity, the picture conveys a way of calm and curiosity, exhibiting a outstanding understanding of animal conduct in an intimate second. 

Birds Without Borders: Maceo Susi

Contest: United States and Canada
Species: Sanderling
Image Location: Halibut Point State Park, Massachusetts, United States
Camera: Canon EOS R6 Mark II with a Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens at 18mm; 1/2 second at f/10; ISO 100 

Behind the Shot: Hundreds of Sanderlings flocked to the rocky shoreline to feed. The intense surf mixed with the large group of birds scurrying to keep away from the crashing waves prompted me to make use of a large angle as I laid on the bottom with my digital camera. I needed to seize the dynamic nature of the scene, so I lowered my shutter pace to 0.5 seconds. I waited for waves to strategy so the Sanderlings would react and transfer within the body. I wanted to seize the birds standing nonetheless for half the time the shutter was open, however the birds wanted to maneuver for the opposite half. If they moved too quick, the birds would grow to be a blur; too sluggish, and I’d not seize their movement. I remained as nonetheless as doable and fired as many photographs as I might. Finally the second lined up. 

Bird Lore: Sanderlings are birds of extremes. Almost all their breeding websites lie north of the Arctic Circle, on open tundra. But after they depart these distant areas, they could fly to shorelines virtually wherever on the earth, spending the winter alongside coasts from Japan, England, and Canada to the southern reaches of Australia, Africa, and South America. There they concentrate on the water’s shifting edge, the place waves crash on seashores or rocks. Dashing backwards and forwards, the Sanderlings snatch tiny invertebrates left behind by every retreating wave. 

Judge’s Take (Lucas Bustamente): I really like this body as a result of it provides us that perfect tide, cloud, and seabird feeling. The photographer did outstanding work by selecting underexposed gentle and a shutter pace to present a way of motion of each waves and birds— whereas protecting them considerably sharp. The waves and birds appear like they’re shifting collectively. To me, this photograph represents wild nature at its finest!  

Birds Without Borders: Leonardo Guzmán-Jiménez

Contest: Chile and Colombia
Species: Greater Yellowlegs 
Image Location: Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia 
Camera: Sony Alpha 7R IV with a Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens at 600mm; 1/1000 second at f/10; ISO 500 

Behind the Shot: It was the start of February, and I went for a stroll to one of many lakes close to my house in Chia. Under the sporadic morning solar, amongst a wide range of aquatic birds, I noticed an unusual species that may solely be seen right here throughout North America’s winter season. The shorebird, often known as Greater Yellowlegs within the North and Pitotoy Grande within the South, was looking. The hen moved quick, however I used to be in a position to seize a serene second. The roofs of the encompassing homes tinted the water purple and delicate golden ripples encircled the hen. The Pitotoy Grande is a timid species, so I used to be fortunate to get a number of photographs. 

Bird Lore: Most members of the sandpiper household are typically sociable. Some collect in dense flocks throughout migration and non-breeding season, feeding on tiny organisms that abound on tidal flats. But the Greater Yellowlegs is the alternative. Usually solitary or in very small flocks, it wades in shallow water to pursue extra dispersed prey, together with giant aquatic bugs and small fish. Breeding at scattered ponds in boreal forest throughout southern Alaska and central Canada, it spreads out to wintering websites all the best way from the southern United States to the southern tip of South America. 

Judge’s Take (Natalia Ekelund): The solitary hen, framed by the golden traces of the water, creates a harmonious and balanced composition that conveys calm and class. This photograph tells us about the fantastic thing about simplicity and the important position of water for migratory birds.

Birds In Landscapes, Colombia: Julián Felipe Arbeláez Aristizábal

Contest: Chile and Colombia
Species: Torrent Duck  
Image Location: Villamaría, Caldas, Colombia 
Camera: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX10 IV with fastened 24-600mm lens at 111mm; 1.6 seconds at f/16; ISO 64  

Behind the Shot: I’ve all the time been fascinated by the Torrent Duck’s magnificence and nimbleness within the water, and I hoped to painting the species’ habitat with a minimalist model. I needed to make use of the river rocks to direct the viewer’s gaze to the feminine hen and determined to present the water a silk impact to make for an fascinating contact. I’d solely get this shot by sitting patiently. With my tripod arrange close to the place the geese sleep, I prevented the slightest motion, and I waited, camouflaged for about two hours. Jorge Osorio, my information within the journey, questioned why I used to be nonetheless taking photos previous sundown within the dimming gentle. Later, I confirmed him the outcomes of my experiment: the Torrent Duck’s habitat, an plentiful and mighty river, portrayed with calm and softness.

Bird Lore:  Only just a few duck species are tailored to dwell in dashing streams. The well-named Torrent Ducks, denizens of the Andes from Venezuela to Argentina, are the last word examples. They favor steep, slim gorges, diving and swimming beneath the floor the place the waters leap and tumble over boulders within the streambed. Big toes and robust legs propel them by means of the swift present, whereas their lengthy tails assist present steering. Baby Torrent Ducks enter their turbulent world early: They can swim expertly inside just a few hours after hatching.

Judge’s Take (Natalia Ekelund): {A photograph} filled with subtlety and motion: The silky texture of the water in distinction to the static rocks and the small duck amid the present creates an environment of power and resilience. The scene conveys the fragility and tenacity of wildlife.

Birds in Landscapes: Charlie Sandbo 

Contest: United States and Canada 
Species: Andean Condor 
Image Location: Torres Del Paine National Park, Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, Chile 
Camera: Sony Alpha 7 III with a 200mm f/2.8 II lens; 1/1000 second at f/8; ISO 250 

Behind the Shot: Few forces of nature command awe just like the untamed climate of Patagonia, an enormous, wind-scoured wilderness the place the weather reign supreme. Nowhere is that this uncooked energy extra evident than within the Cuernos del Paine, a sequence of jagged, horn-like peaks rising defiantly from the center of Chile’s most well-known park. Winds stung my uncovered eyes and fingers as I raised my gaze upwards to see an Andean Condor soar above the towering, ice swept peaks. With immense wings spanning practically 11 toes, the widest of any raptor, this historical ruler of the sky masterfully navigated the turbulent thermals, the place solely the daring dare to enterprise. 

Bird Lore: The largest vulture species within the Americas, the Andean Condor ranges the size of the Andes, from western Venezuela (the place it’s now uncommon) to southernmost Chile and Argentina. Everywhere it soars over the open nation, scanning for the carrion on which it feeds; excessive mountains above treeline make up a lot of its habitat. But towards the south it comes right down to grassy plains of the lowlands and to the coast, the place a number of condors might collect to dine on useless seals, whales, or different marine mammals washed up on shore. 

Judge’s Take (Evan Barrientos): The awe that you simply really feel in excessive, snowy mountains is tough to explain—however this photograph reveals it. To me, this can be a portrait of the highly effective fantastic thing about the Andes. I really like the snow blowing off the mountain, the twist of the ridge, and the way it results in the condor. The photograph can also be an instance of the way it’s doable to take nice pictures of birds from distant. 

Birds in Landscapes, Chile: Francisco Vera Núñez

Contest: Chile and Colombia
Species: Austral Pygmy-Owl 
Image Location: Coyhaique, Aysén, Chile
Camera: Canon R6 with a Sigma EF 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM at 150mm | Sports lens and a RF to EF adaptor; 1/400 second at f/8; ISO 3200 

Behind the Shot: I used to be strolling by means of a bushy space of Fundo Panguilemu, a family-owned regenerative farm by the Simpson River, as I taught a bunch of scholars. One of their assignments was to {photograph} an animal utilizing sure composition guidelines, and I joined them within the subject to show by instance. It was the wintertime, so nightfall got here early. Visibility was declining quickly once I noticed a small however sturdy hen flying overhead. Its profile was unmistakable: a chuncho! The hen perched on a thorny department, which was fascinating by itself, and the distinction between the bush’s deep purple rose hips and the sundown’s blue tint made the scene much more engaging. However, the altering gentle made the shot tough. I circled the bush and located a pure body to surround the little owl, which was already puffing up its feathers in opposition to the night’s chilly.  

Bird Lore: As a bunch, pygmy-owls are widespread, with about two dozen species scattered throughout 5 continents, though there are seldom a couple of or two species discovered at any given locale. Very small (as their title suggests) and sometimes energetic by day, they hunt small birds, rodents, giant bugs, lizards, and different creatures, looking for prey after which attacking with quick, swift flights. The Austral Pygmy-Owl is the one consultant in southern South America, the place it’s common in beech forests and different open woods, and even comes into metropolis parks. 

Judge’s Take (Natalia Ekelund): This delicate and charming composition captivates with its distinction between heat colours within the background and the small pygmy owl within the foreground. Beauty is commonly present in probably the most delicate environmental particulars.

Plants for Birds, Colombia: Rubén Tórres

Contest: Chile and Colombia 
Species: Orange-winged Parrot and Blue-headed Parrot  
Image Location: Yalí, Antioquia, Colombia
Camera: Nikon D7500 with a Tamron 150–600mm lens at 600mm; 1/1600 second at f/6.3; ISO 1600 

Behind the Shot: Growing up, my household had a pet Blue-headed Parrot. Today, I bear in mind it as a lesson: Even with no unwell intentions, people can threaten the integrity of untamed animals. In 2024, I noticed a parrot of the identical species roosting in a useless palm. One morning, I heard uncommon vocalizations, and I noticed a few Orange-winged Parrots hanging round. Suddenly, the brand new guests started to tug the Blue-headed Parrot, which had returned to nest, out of a gap within the tree. The confrontation was transient however intense, and the Blue-headed Parrot was expelled from the crevice. My picture displays the power, adaptability, and complexity of those birds, which, removed from cages, should wrestle to outlive within the wild. 

Bird Lore: The many parrot species in South America belong to a lot of distinct teams. For instance, the Orange-winged Parrot is without doubt one of the so-called Amazons (genus Amazona), acknowledged by their stiff, shallow wingbeats in flight, whereas the Blue-headed Parrot represents the genus Pionus, smaller birds with deep wingbeats and shrill voices. One factor they share: Like most parrots, they depend on cavities in timber for his or her nesting websites. Competition for prime websites might be intense, as with these two birds squabbling over a gap in a spiny palm. 

Judge’s Take (Natalia Ekelund): This {photograph} captures a dynamic and difficult-to-document scene. It conveys motion, communication, and using the tree habitat. The composition displays nice endurance and wonderful timing, which made it worthy of a particular point out.

 

Plants for Birds: Sean Krepski

Contest: United States and Canada
Species: Rose-breasted Grosbeak 
Image Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States  
Camera: Nikon Z9 with a NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S lens; 1/640 second at f/6.3; ISO 1000 

Behind the Shot: One October morning on the peak of fall migration, I joined an area hen membership on a stroll in Prospect Park. We stopped by a shaded pool with a flowering dogwood tree beside it. This feminine Rose-breasted Grosbeak, one in every of our thrilling fall migrants, perched among the many autumnal purple leaves because it feasted on the brilliant purple berries. She was proper in entrance of us however didn’t appear to note or care about our presence, focusing solely on these berries. The complete encounter was such a mesmerizing expertise, and I knew straight away that I had a photograph that may convey the emotion of watching this hen.  

Bird Lore:  The massive beak of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak appears to be like good for cracking open seeds. It is, and grosbeaks usually go to hen feeders throughout spring migration to munch on sunflower seeds. But over the course of the yr, this hen has fairly a diversified menu. It eats many buds, flowers, and seeds. During the breeding season in early summer time, greater than half its weight loss plan might include bugs resembling beetles and caterpillars. In fall it focuses on fruits and berries, maybe higher to gasoline its southward migration to the tropics.   

Judge’s Take (Marlene Pantin): This close-up taken in fall captures how essential native vegetation are for birds throughout all seasons. Flowering dogwoods with shiny purple berries persist by means of autumn and even into winter and are relished by fall migrants resembling this Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The photographer does a surprising job of capturing the twisting, acrobatic show of this hen to achieve its prize. I really like the colour streaks of the feathers as a putting distinction to the drooping purple leaves. 

Female Bird Prize: Taryn M. Ware

Contest: United States and Canada
Species: Acorn Woodpecker 
Image Location: Julian, California, United States 
Camera: Nikon D7500 with a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens at 500mm; 1/650 second at f/7.1; ISO 500 

Behind the Shot: I captured this photograph whereas mountaineering Stonewall Peak in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The path is steep with loads of switchbacks that, though brutal to climb, provide fantastic alternatives to doc birds at eye stage. I used to be pursuing a photograph of a male Rufous Hummingbird that had been teasing me all morning with transient appearances, however by late morning, I felt defeated and began down the mountain. My spirits lifted once I heard two woodpeckers name backwards and forwards in a stand of useless pine timber. I hiked up and down the path just a few occasions earlier than recognizing a snag filled with the riches that give Acorn Woodpeckers their title. Soon, a feminine appeared. After some time, she lastly turned her head to me and offered a wonderful alternative to seize her as she went about her exhausting labor.  

Bird Lore: Acorn Woodpeckers are famed for (and named for) their food-storing conduct. Living in colonies, they work collectively to create “granary” timber the place they drill quite a few holes and cache an acorn in every. All members of the colony dine on the acorns later. Unlike many birds, most woodpeckers have more-or-less equal intercourse roles in most behaviors. Female and male Acorn Woodpeckers each take part in harvesting and storing acorns. Both participate in incubating eggs and feeding younger, and on this species, a single nest could also be tended by a number of adults of each sexes. 

Judge’s Take (Joanna Wu): Acorn Woodpeckers are gregarious birds. We liked that this photograph was naturally practically all in monochrome—aside from the hen’s shiny purple crown. Unlike in males, the purple doesn’t contact the white on high of the feminine woodpeckers’ invoice. 

Coastal Birds, Chile: Solange Sepulveda

Contest: Chile and Colombia 
Species:  Black-necked Stilt 
Image Location: Papudo, Valparaíso, Chile 
Camera: Nikon Z7 II with a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens at 600mm; 1/320 second at f/6.3; ISO 400 

Behind the Shot: I waited in absolute silence on the Estero Agua Salada wetland, hoping to seize one thing particular. The solar was starting to set, its golden gentle reflecting on the water. Suddenly, a few Black-necked Stilts burst onto the scene, exhibiting a conduct I had by no means witnessed so intently: the mating ritual. In a fleeting, delicate, and completely synchronized instantaneous, the male balanced on the feminine and unfold his wings—a pure dance, as exact because it was ephemeral. I used a 600mm telephoto lens and lay down on the bottom, avoiding any sudden motion that would scare the birds away. Capturing this magical second, which reveals the complexity and class of those birds’ reproductive conduct, jogged my memory why I really like hen images. 

Bird Lore: With impossibly skinny legs and payments, the shorebirds referred to as stilts look virtually too delicate to outlive within the wild. But they survive, and thrive, on six continents. The Black-necked Stilt, discovered from Chile north to Hawaii and Canada, varies in its sample of black and white, with the southernmost populations exhibiting white throughout the crown and higher again. Both members of a breeding pair are vigorous in protection of their nest, badgering intruders with incessant yapping cries which have earned them the Spanish title of “Perrito,” or little canine. 

Judge’s Take (Natalia Ekelund): Capturing such a mating second not solely requires endurance, but additionally an understanding of the reproductive cycle and habits of the species. The scene is highly effective from an ethological standpoint and represents an essential visible contribution to the documentation of Chile’s coastal biodiversity.

Video: Anderson Vásquez García

Contest: Chile and Colombia
Species: Chestnut-headed Oropendola 
Image Location: Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia 
Camera: Sony FX 30 ILME-FX30 with a Sony FE 200-600 mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G) lens; 1/120 second at f/8; ISO 800 

Behind the Shot: Chestnut-headed Oropendola are extremely social and kind giant colonies. They return to the identical tree annually to construct hanging nests. The females are answerable for accumulating palm leaf fibers, moss, vines and dry leaves, and painstakingly weaving every nest, hanging it from the thinner finish of the branches. For weeks, I filmed this conduct for a documentary I’m producing in regards to the species. Watching the younger females attempting to construct their first nests is magical: Their lack of apply reveals, and typically the outcome will not be very agency, however every try is a studying expertise. In this clip, a feminine knots the primary fibers of her help construction. 

Bird Lore: The 9 species of oropendolas, widespread within the American tropics, are giant and colourful members of the blackbird household. They are finest recognized for his or her nests: hanging pouches, tightly woven from lengthy plant fibers, suspended from uncovered branches in tall timber. These nests might be greater than a meter lengthy. In their nest constructing conduct, they’ll counsel an exaggerated model of their smaller kin, the orioles. But oriole nests are virtually all the time remoted, whereas oropendolas collect in colonies, with many nests in a single tree or in just a few adjoining timber. 

Judge’s Take (Martín del Río López): This video highlighted the meticulous conduct of a hen at its most interesting. It’s spectacular how this species might be each an architect and an engineer, with an consideration to element that conjures up and amazes me. The clip provides a great reminder of the significance of conserving this species. 

Video: Nathan Clark

Contest: United States and Canada
Species: Great Gray Owl 
Image Location: Washington, United States  
Camera: Sony Alpha 1 with a Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens; 1/250 second at f/2.8 

Behind the Shot: Great Gray Owls—with their stunning eyes, silent flight, and enormous measurement—have all the time been amongst my favourite birds. I looked for them for 2 summers and eventually discovered a nest in an previous snag. Their profitable breeding was my high precedence, so I requested a park ranger to advise me on finest practices and used a blind. After a bear tore it up, I shot from a hillside utilizing lengthy telephoto lenses, all the time protecting quiet and avoiding any quick actions. The chicks hatched and their mom sheltered them from rain, fed them prey delivered by the male, and guarded the owlets from predators. As the owlets grew into adults, I spotted the significance of highlighting the previous development forests and undisturbed tree snags that function nest websites for Great Gray Owls and myriad different species. 

Bird Lore: Although they occupy an enormous vary throughout northern reaches of North America, Europe, and Asia, Great Gray Owls are usually unusual in all places. These massive, soft-plumaged hunters require intensive stands of forest—however not unbroken forest, as a result of they usually search their prey in open meadows or bogs. In many locations, their numbers could also be restricted by a scarcity of nest websites. These owls favor giant broken-topped useless timber, referred to as snags, or the deserted, cumbersome stick nests of hawks or ravens in tall timber, conditions discovered primarily in undisturbed old-growth forests.  

Judge’s Take (Mick Thompson): Filmed at eye stage with beautiful readability, this slow-motion clip provides an intimate take a look at one in every of North America’s most beloved birds. Just as spectacular is the respect proven: The videographer clearly used a protracted lens from a secure distance, guaranteeing the birds remained undisturbed. It’s a good looking mix of ability, moral practices, and awe-inspiring pure conduct.  

Conservation: Miguel Hechenleitner

Contest: Chile and Colombia
Species: Gray Gull and Kelp Gull  
Image Location: Quintero, Valparaíso, Chile 
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II with a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens at 400mm; 1/2000 second at f/10; ISO 640 

Behind the Shot: My spouse and I had been taking a stroll on Ritoque seaside, a vacationer seaside that we frequented on day journeys again once we lived in Santiago. Morning and afternoon blended into each other, and with out us realizing it, we discovered ourselves in a lonely spot with many gulls. Even although every little thing was quiet, we had been shocked by the tracks within the sand, which revealed one of many many threats Chile’s greater than 2,600 miles of shores face. Since 1998, autos have been banned from seashores and dunes, on account of their impression on shorebirds replica and their position in accelerating coastal erosion. However, this prohibition has not been enshrined as a regulation. The photograph highlights the vulnerability of a threatened ecosystem and underscores the pressing want for stable laws to implement the ban and guarantee built-in administration of Chile’s coasts. 

Bird Lore: Although the Gray Gull is quite common in coastal Chile and Peru, for a few years nobody might discover a nest. Not till the Nineteen Seventies was it confirmed that these gulls had been selecting nest websites deep in Chile’s barren Atacama Desert. From these colonies, the grownup gulls fly to the coast, as much as 70 miles away, returning to regurgitate small fishes and different prey for his or her younger. The benefit of those distant websites appears to be the close to absence of predators in one of many world’s most excessive deserts. 

Judge’s Take (Natalia Ekelund): With nice sensitivity, this photographer reveals the significance of preserving pure areas for species that depend upon them.  This is well-deserved recognition for capturing the essence of conservation. 

Conservation: Gail Bisson

Contest: United States and Canada
Species: Double-crested Cormorant 
Image Location: Nova Scotia, Canada 
Camera: Canon R5 Mark II with a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens and a Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R; 1/640 second at f/5.6; ISO 2500 

Behind the Shot: I recurrently go to the Sydney River to {photograph} waterfowl. On this gloomy day I caught a glimpse of one thing shifting by the previous, deserted pier. I assumed it was a cormorant flying up from the water, because the pier is a favourite resting spot. When I observed the motion once more, I walked over to research and was so upset to search out this useless cormorant hanging from the pier, gently swaying within the wind. I spotted that the hen had gotten tangled in improperly discarded fishing gear that turned a noose when it caught on a nail. As I surveyed the scene, my unhappiness turned to anger, and I made a decision to take some pictures. I waded into the water till I used to be waist deep to get the right angle.  

Bird Lore: The most widespread cormorant species in North America, the Double-crested is widespread on inland lakes and coastal waters, breeding in colonies that will include a whole bunch of nests. It does all its feeding by diving and swimming underwater, usually not far beneath the floor in shallow waters, propelling itself with its giant, webbed toes. Feeding virtually fully on fish, it could draw ire when anglers regard it as competitors. More usually, like different diving birds, it falls prey to the anglers’ discarded nets or fishing line just under the floor. 

Judge’s Take (Daniel Dietrich): Conservation photos are available in many flavors. Some are more durable to see than others. This picture is a skillful mixture of technical information, recognition of alternative, and highly effective messaging. It reveals us all that we are able to do higher in our efforts to guard the pure world.