Birds are some of the most majestic animals on the planet. While some can be total derps, according to any internet image search, for the most part, they are graceful creatures. Everything from the way they look to the way they rest on branches, stroll on the ground, and, of course, soar through the air screams majesty.
The annual Bird Photographer of the Year Contest aims to celebrate this. Recently, it has announced the winners of this year’s competition and showed off some of the most breathtaking photos of birds that this year’s contestants were able to snap.
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Bored Panda compiled a list of this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year contest winners for you to enjoy below. While you’re scrolling through the list, don’t forget to vote and comment on the ones you enjoyed the most!
#1 Black And White: First Place, By Robert Sommer
Image credits: Robert Sommer
#2 Attention To Detail: Second Place, By Mathias Putze
Image credits: Mathias Putze
#3 Attention To Detail: First Place, By Moshe Cohen
Image credits: Moshe Cohen
Bird Photographer Of The Year is hosted by Birds On The Brink, a grant-awarding charity that supports bird conservation efforts around the world. This is their 5th year hosting the competition.
The contest was split into a number of categories, among which are Best Portfolio, Attention to Detail, Best Portrait, Bird Behavior, Birds in the Environment, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Creative Imagery, Garden and Urban Birds, and others.
#4 Black And White: Second Place, By Daniel Stenberg
Image credits: Daniel Stenberg
#5 Birds In Flight: Third Place, By Shu Qing
Image credits: Shu Qing
#6 Attention To Detail: Third Place, By Francis De Andrés
Image credits: Francis De Andrés
The grand prize went to Majed Alza’abi from Norway for his “End of the Day” photograph of a European Shag:
“I took this shot in April 2019 while on a visit to the famous Norwegian seabird island of Vardø, a location packed full of birds that provide endless opportunities for photography. There are a lot of opportunities for creative composition, playing with foreground and background; here I like the out-of-focus shag framing the in-focus individual, plus the bokeh of the sea as sunset approached. By experimenting, I aimed to create artistic and impressionistic shots of shags, and I hope I achieved my goal with this image,” elaborated Majed.
#7 Bird Behaviour: Second Place, By Greg Lecoeur
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Image credits: Greg Lecoeur
#8 Birds In Flight: First Place, By Gadi Shmila
Image credits: Gadi Shmila
#9 Birds In Flight: Second Place, By Nikos Fokas
Image credits: Nikos Fokas
Check out the remainder of the photos by scrolling the list below. And if this isn’t enough, why not check out last year’s list? And if you haven’t had your fill of birds, why not give this list of realistic-looking embroidery from a bird’s-eye perspective a go!
#10 Garden And Urban Birds: Third Place, By Carlos Cifuentes
Image credits: Carlos Cifuentes
#11 Young Bird Photographer Of The Year: First Place, ‘Seeing Double’ By Adam Lake
Image credits: Adam Lake
#12 Highly Commended: ‘Rainbow Ballet’ By Christian Spencer
Image credits: Christian Spencer
#13 Best Portrait: Third Place, By Terje Kolaas
Image credits: Terje Kolaas
#14 Creative Imagery: Third Place, By Chengbo Sun
Image credits: Chengbo Sun
#15 Highly Commended: ‘Lotus Of Life’ By Min Ying
Image credits: Min Ying
#16 Highly Commended: ‘Tranquil Morning’ By Guang Hua Chen
Image credits: Guang Hua Chen
#17 Best Portrait: Second Place, By Greg Lecoeur
Image credits: Greg Lecoeur
#18 Bird Behaviour: Third Place, By Nicolas Reusens
Image credits: Nicolas Reusens
#19 Birds In The Environment: First Place, By Francesco Filippo Pellegrini
Iguazu Falls are one of the most amazing part of our planet. The valley is filled rainbow caused by the vapor of the falls. This is where the swifts of the falls found their perfect habitat. Thousands of those unique birds breed inside these powerful and amazing falls.
Image credits: Francesco Filippo Pellegrini
#20 Creative Imagery: Second Place, By Terje Kolaas
Image credits: Terje Kolaas
#21 Highly Commended: ‘Reign Forest’ By Adam Stunkel
Image credits: Adam Stunkel
#22 Highly Commended: ‘Underwater Check’ By Greg Lecoeur
Image credits: Greg Lecoeur
#23 Highly Commended: ‘Buzz Kill’ By Shuvam Nath
Image credits: Shuvam Nath
#24 Birds In The Environment: Third Place, By Swayamsiddha Mohapatra
Image credits: Swayamsiddha Mohapatra
#25 Black And White: Third Place, By Juan Pablo Plaza Pozo
Image credits: Juan Pablo Plaza Pozo
#26 Garden And Urban Birds: Second Place, By Kiko Arcas
Image credits: Kiko Arcas
#27 Young Bird Photographer Of The Year: Second Place, ‘Back-Lighting’ By Ismael Domínguez Gutiérrez
Image credits: Ismael Domínguez Gutiérrez
#28 Highly Commended: ‘Torda’ By Jean-Marie Ville
Image credits: Jean-Marie Ville
#29 Highly Commended: ‘Penguin Parliament’ By Russell Millner
Image credits: Russell Millner
#30 Highly Commended: ‘Lady Phalarope’ By Tim Hopwood
Image credits: Tim Hopwood
#31 Highly Commended: ‘Night Watch’ By Gideon Knight
Image credits: Gideon Knight
#32 Highly Commended: ‘Trails At Dusk’ By Kathryn Cooper
Image credits: Kathryn Cooper
#33 Bird Behaviour: First Place, By Roelof Molenaar
Image credits: Roelof Molenaar
#34 Young Bird Photographer Of The Year: Third Place, ‘Asian Green Bee-Eater Pair’ By Deeksha Diya Sambath
Image credits: Deeksha Diya Sambath
#35 Highly Commended: ‘Reflections’ By Jian Huang
Image credits: Jian Huang
#36 Highly Commended: ‘Forest Of Dreams’ By Samuel Bloch
Image credits: Samuel Bloch
#37 Highly Commended: ‘Dipper Swimming Underwater’ By Conrad Dickinson
Image credits: Conrad Dickinson
#38 Highly Commended: ‘Spot The Bird’ By Swayamsiddha Mohapatra
Image credits: Swayamsiddha Mohapatra
#39 Highly Commended: ‘Medusa!’ By Richard Flack
Image credits: Richard Flack
#40 Highly Commended: ‘Golden Grass Storks’ By Johannes Rydström
Image credits: Johannes Rydström
#41 Highly Commended: ‘Snake Bird’ By Wanchanok Suvarnakara
Image credits: Wanchanok Suvarnakara
#42 Best Portrait: First Place, ‘End Of The Day’, Vardø, Norway By Majed Alza’abi
Image credits: Majed Alza’abi
#43 Birds In The Environment: Second Place, By Pål Hermansen
Image credits: Pål Hermansen
#44 Garden And Urban Birds: First Place, By Magdaléna Straková
Image credits: Magdaléna Straková
#45 Highly Commended: ‘Green Beauty’ By Andy Rouse
Image credits: Andy Rouse
#46 Highly Commended: ‘Stealing Back’ By David Pattyn
Image credits: David Pattyn
#47 Creative Imagery: First Place, By James Hudson
Image credits: James Hudson
#48 Highly Commended: ‘Detail Grey Heron’ By Daniel Stenberg
Image credits: Daniel Stenberg
#49 Highly Commended: ‘Cygnus’ By Rachel Piper
Image credits: Rachel Piper
Source: boredpanda.com