It hasn't been a great year for birds, from the ongoing avian influenza crisis to other more subtle changes such as shifts in insect and fish availability resulting in smaller clutches and offspring. With two-thirds of North American species now threatened, predominantly as a direct result of climate change, there may not be a more fitting analogy than the canary in the coalmine in terms of what we're now facing around the globe.
However, it also gives us a chance to celebrate the wonderful, weird world of birds – which is front and center in this year's Audubon Photography Awards. In its 15th year, the photo contest once again unites professional, amateur and junior nature photography enthusiasts, who have captured special glimpses of birds being birds that most of us never witness.
The winners and honorable mentions were selected from more than 2,300 entrants spanning all 50 US states, as well as Washington DC and Canada (nine provinces and one territory).
The grand-prize winner this year was a striking photo taken by Mathew Malwitz, of two male Blackburnian warblers (Setophaga fusca), seemingly engaged in a showy battle to impress a mate.
A worthy winner, but we'll highlight some more outstanding entries here, and you can see our gallery for the entire selection of winners and honorable mentions.
This Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri) was captured seemingly defying the bird laws of physics, by Kevin Lohman, which earned him the Professional Honorable Mention. While the bird looks to be flying upside down, it has in fact demonstrated how useful avian cervical vertebrae are for rotating the head without impacting the bird's body. A rare sight to capture in flight and on film.
Edwin Liu won the Youth Honorable Mention prize for this wholesome shot of two adult red-necked grebes (Podiceps grisegena) working as a team to feed their young. As an endangered species, this otherwise natural act feels incredibly important.
It's no surprise that most winning images of birds are generally males, because of their incredible colors and showy rituals. But here the ladies get to shine, with Travis Potter picking up the prize for best Female Bird image. A deserved win – this stunning image of a wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) living her best life on the train tracks manages to capture the beauty of the often-overlooked female of the species.
Youth Winner Parham Pourahmad captured a rare sight of two American kestrels (Falco sparverius) in a rather impressive mating act. These stunning birds, which can be found across North America, are declining in numbers, which scientists believe is due to a fall in available insects that they require to successfully breed. The decline in insects is, of course, most likely due to climate change and its impact on the invertebrate life cycle.
Finally, this incredible and harrowing image reminds us that the prey-predator relationship is rarely pretty, but it's natural. While this confronting image taken by Erin Boisvert (Amateur Honorable Mention) of a barred owl (Strix varia) capturing a squirrel meal is quite brutal, it's just a snapshot of typical species interactions. Though this bird is not a threatened species, it's a dominant bird predator and is now the target of a potential plan to kill half a million individuals in order to help the spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest, which is currently being severely outcompeted.
For the rest of the incredible snapshots of the bird world around us, check out our gallery or visit the Audubon site to find out how to enter next year's competition.
Source: Audubon
