2020 Bird Photographer of the Year Winning Images Selected

Recently the 2020 Bird Photographer of the Year winners were announced displaying a wide selection of breathtaking images and almost painterly & impressionistic style art! This series of award-winning images brings the fascinating and beautiful world of birds right to the comfort of your home, (or wherever you happen to be viewing this), letting you see first hand the strange, quirky, and beautiful behavior and features of these interesting creatures.

The conservation charity Birds on the Brink (charity no. 1188009) owns Bird Photographer of the Year and derives income from the competition. Birds on the Brink awards grants for conservation projects that benefit birds in particular – ones where a modest amount of money can do the most measurable good.

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020 WINNER

The winning entry is an impressionistic image of a European Shag taken at Vardø in Norway and is entitled ‘End of the Day’. The image was taken by Majed AlZa’abi from Kuwait. Majed wins the top prize of £5,000 and the title ‘Bird Photographer of the Year 2020’. Majed’s image was also the winning image in the Best Portrait category of the competition and for that, he wins a pair of Swarovski Optik binoculars.

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The Bird Photographer of the Year judging team comments collectively: “To win this competition it takes a very special photograph. Technical perfection is simply not enough; it is the imaginative eye and a mind that seeks out the unusual and the artistic in the every day that will do well. The vast majority of the 15,000 images entered annually are of an amazing standard, sufficient eye-candy to feed even the most visually gluttonous. But create a photograph that makes us sick with envy or cry out with uncontained excitement, then you are in with a chance. When that collective shout from the judges is ‘I wish I had taken that myself’, then you are onto a winner. Well done Majed for sharing this stunning image with us – it is a well-deserved winner.”

Bird Photographer of the Year 2020 winner Majed AlZa’abi comments “I was thrilled to receive the news that I had won the prestigious award Bird Photographer of the Year 2020. It was also wonderful to receive the news about the conservation drive being undertaken by BPOTY and the launch of its charity owner Birds on the Brink. It is great news to think that the artistry of my image will not only inspire fellow photographers but will also help spread the conservation message far and wide.”

Heading the judges, naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham, comments: “These fragile, feathered things not only remind us what a joy life – including our life – is, but also how fleeting it can be if we fail to look after it. And the lives of birds are a reflection of our own. Their predicament is our predicament, and now there’s no hiding from it – we are at the precipice. We have all the wings we need to soar to a successful recovery… the only question is, will we succeed in time? That’s down to you, and me – down to us all. So, please look at and love these photographs, but then get up and do something to make a difference, because there’s a terrifying alternative just around the corner.”

BEST PORTFOLIO 2020 WINNER

Receiving an Olympus OM-D E M1 MKII camera body and M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm F/4 IS PRO lens with a combined value of £3,500 is the winner of the Best Portfolio award Georgina Steytler from Australia. This prize rewards consistency of skill and photographic talent over a series of 6 images as scored by the judges. Georgina also receives a portfolio review and VIP account with leading stock image library Alamy.

Above: This Great Crested Grebe is one of a series of 6 images that won Georgina Steytler the BPOTY Best Portfolio Award for 2020.

CATEGORY WINNERS

Other competition category Gold Award winners sponsored by Swarovski Optik and Alamy are:

• Birds in the Environment – Francesco Pellegrini, Italy
• Attention to Detail – Moshe Cohen, Israel
• Bird Behaviour – Roelof Molenaar, Netherlands
• Birds in Flight – Gadi Shmila, Israel
• Garden and Urban Birds – Magdalena Strakova, Czech Republic
• Creative Imagery – James Hudson, United Kingdom
• Black and White – Robert Sommer, Germany

The category Silver Award winners sponsored by Gitzo are:

• Best Portrait – Greg Lecoeur, France
• Birds in the Environment – Pål Hermansen, Norway
• Attention to Detail – Mathias Putze, Germany
• Bird Behaviour – Greg Lecoeur, France
• Birds in Flight – Nikos Fokas, Greece
• Garden and Urban Birds – Kiko Arcas, Spain
• Creative Imagery – Terje Kolaas, Norway
• Black and White – Daniel Stenberg, Sweden

The category Bronze Award winners sponsored by Country Innovation are:

• Best Portrait – Terje Kolaas, Norway
• Birds in the Environment – Swayamsiddha Mohapatra, India
• Attention to Detail – Francis De Andrés, Spain
• Bird Behaviour – Nicholas Reusens, Sweden
• Birds in Flight – Shu Qing, China
• Garden and Urban Birds – Carlos Cifuentes, Spain
• Creative Imagery – Chengbo Sun, China
• Black and White – Juan Pablo Plaza Pozo – Spain

View a selection of the winning images here;

WHITE ON WHITE Yellow-billed Spoonbill Platalea flavipes. Avon River, Northam, Western Australia, Australia. Georgina Steytler, Australia. Category: BEST PORTFOLIO WINNER. I like to experiment with exposures and minimalist compositions. In this case, I photographed the bird looking into the direction of the sun. Ordinarily, the bird would have been silhouetted, but I chose to overexpose by several stops, completely losing detail in the background but perfectly exposing the bird. The feathered edges of the bird were blown out, giving an appealing halo. Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with Canon EF600mm f/4L IS II USM lens. Focal length 600mm; 1/1,250 second; f/4; ISO 640.

A DIPPER IN THE MIRROR White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus. Levanger, Trøndelag, Norway. Terje Kolaas, Norway. Category: Best Portrait. BRONZE AWARD WINNER. As a general rule, White-throated Dippers tend to prefer the fast-flowing parts of the river they live in. However, this unusual and atypical individual had its favoured fishing spot in a calm pond close by. The tranquil surface of the water was a perfect mirror and created an almost flawless reflection, the effect enhanced by the dark backdrop of the surroundings. Nikon D800 with AF-S Nikkor FX 600mm f/4G ED lens. Focal length 600mm; 1/1,000 second; f/4; ISO 1,000.

CORMORANT UNDERWATER VIEW Brandt’s Cormorant Urile penicillatus. La Paz, Baja California, Mexico. Greg Lecoeur, France. Category: Best Portrait. SILVER AWARD WINNER. Like others of its kind, Brandt’s Cormorant is an adept swimmer whose diving skills come into their own when the bird is pursuing prey (mainly fish) underwater. This particular individual was swimming underwater in the hope of catching sardines. To achieve this portrait, rather than chase the bird I tried to blend into the scenery, as much as a diver ever can, and waited for the cormorant to swim by, framed by the fish it was trying to catch. Nikon D500 with Tokina AT-X107 DX Fisheye 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 lens. Focal length 17mm; 1/125 second; f/9; ISO 200. Underwater housing.

ROPEWALKER Sword-billed Hummingbird Ensifera ensifera. Papallacta, Ecuador. Nicolas Reusens, Sweden. Category: Bird Behaviour. BRONZE AWARD WINNER. On my last trip to Ecuador I had the luck of watching a very unusual bird coming to a feeder ñ the incredible Sword-billed Hummingbird! They usually avoid sugar-water feeders, but this specimen seemed to be brave enough to visit from time to time (every 30ñ60 minutes). I realised this was going to be a very intense week, and instead of travelling the country I decided to get as many Sword-bill pictures as I could. I needed four flash guns, a remote trigger on the camera and tonnes of patience in order to get this capture. I spent six full-on days, busy from 6am to 6pm, on the task, and it wasnít until the very last afternoon that I got one of the most unusual images of my life! It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime shot, and also of a very shy bird: the amazing Sword-billed Hummingbird. Canon EOS 7D Mark II with Laowa Venus 15mm Ultra-wide Macro Manual lens. Focal length 15mm; 1/125 second; f/11; ISO 1,250. Four Phottix flashes; Phottix remote trigger; home-made diffusers; Benro tripod and ballhead.

NUTCRACKERS FIGHTING IN THE SNOW Northern Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes. Sofia, Bulgaria. Roelof Molenaar, the Netherlands. Category: Bird Behaviour. GOLD AWARD WINNER. Northern Nutcrackers are intelligent and rather sociable birds, and I took this photograph on a ski piste in Sofia, Bulgaria. Due to the large number of birds in the area, fights broke out on a regular basis. In this image I made use of the snow. The dark background emphasises the snow and the backlit wings of the birds. Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with Canon EF600mm f/4L IS II USM lens. Focal length 600mm; 1/2,000 second; f/5.6; ISO 2,500. Off-camera flash fired remotely.

FEEDING FRENZY Cape Gannet Morus capensis. Port St Johns, South Africa. Greg Lecoeur, France. Category: Bird Behaviour. SILVER AWARD WINNER. Every year, vast shoals of sardines migrate along the South African coast and predictably attract all manner of predators – everything from dolphins and other large fish beneath the water, to seabirds diving from above. Among the latter, Cape Gannets are most in evidence and plunge-dive for their prey. Obtaining as photograph like this one was always going to be a challenge and several things had to fall into place. It took eight visits to South Africa before I was able to take this perfect shot, which shows the concerted manner in which the predators feed. Nikon D500 with Tokina AT-X107 DX Fisheye 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 lens. Focal length 17mm; 1/125 second; f/9; ISO 200. Underwater housing.

FAIRY LANDING ON EARTH Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus. Sanmenxia, Henan, China. Shu Qing, China. Category: Birds in Flight. BRONZE AWARD WINNER. This image was taken in Sanmenxia city, China, on 16 November 2018 using a slow shutter speed, while panning the camera to track the movements of the birds. I think the result is a beautiful and evocative work, and it was shot at a speed of 1/4 second; the ‘shake’ that resulted from hand-holding the camera only served to highlight and enhance the beauty of the flying swans. Nikon D5 with Nikkor 70–300mm f/4.5–5.6 lens. Focal length 220mm; 1/4 second; f/18; ISO 100.

HOOPOE FLIGHT AT LOW SPEED Common Hoopoe Upupa epops. Israel. Gadi Shmila, Israel. Category: Birds in Flight. GOLD AWARD WINNER. I had this image in my head long before it was created. Once I found the exact location for the image, I began several attempts until I found the balance between blur and freeze. To get the right ‘smudge’ you need very weak lighting, combined with a low shutter speed (1/8 second). By contrast, ‘freezing’ action requires a very high shutter speed or alternatively the use of flash. In this photo, I froze the action with the help of four flashes that were triggered at the end of the exposure. In my many different attempts, I felt the blur was not sufficiently bold, so to emphasise it I placed a black background behind the subject. Nikon D5 with AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens. Focal length 300mm; 1/8 second; f/11; ISO 160. Tripod; remote release; four flashes.

TOUCH AND GO Pallid Swift Apus pallidus. Athens, Attica, Greece. Nikos Fokas, Greece. Category: Birds in Flight. SILVER AWARD WINNER. Pallid Swifts are breeding visitors to Greece, and during the summer months they perform spectacular dives into this small pool of water. They appear one after the other, as if they are competing to see which one will do the best dive or else the best surface-skim. This particular one won that year’s competition by performing a high-speed open-winged dive with a splash, catching floating insects while keeping eye contact with the camera. I would award it ten out of ten for style and performance. Canon EOS 7D Mark II with Canon EF300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Focal length 300mm; 1/4,000 second; f/6.3; ISO 1,250. Beanbag.

A NEW BEGINNING Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis. Kaziranga National Park, India. Swayamsiddha Mohapatra, India. Category: Birds in the Environment. BRONZE AWARD WINNER. What appears to be destruction is actually regeneration in disguise. This is a frequent sight in Kaziranga National Park during late winter, when every year the forest officials set the grassland alight, patch by patch; the practice is a part of habitat management. The grasslands support a large number of herbivores, ranging from Indian Hog Deer to the Vulnerable Indian (or Greater One-horned) Rhinoceros. Tall grasses start to dry off by January, which reduces their nutritional value. Burning the grasses causes new, nutritious grasses to grow. The practice is also known to arrest the successional process whereby grassland eventually becomes forest, a process that is known to have increased thanks to vegetation mapping surveys of India. Kaziranga is divided into approximately 30 blocks based on various features, such as vegetation and natural topography. Each block is burned one by one and patch by patch. During the burning, a plethora of birds congregate near the site to eat insects that are driven out by the fire. We had stopped near one such burning site when we spotted a huge congregation of Indian Rollers. Here, a roller can be seen sitting on a pole waiting for the right moment to grab a bite. Using spot metering and by purposefully underexposing the image, I was able to get the desired result. Canon EOS 600D Mark II with Canon EF100–400mm f/4.5–5.6L IS USM lens. Focal length 390mm; 1/1,250 second; f/5.6; ISO 100.

SWIFTS OVER IGUAZÚ FALLS Great Dusky Swift Cypseloides senex. Iguazú Falls, Misiones, Argentina. Francesco Filippo Pellegrini, Italy. Category: Birds in the Environment. GOLD AWARD WINNER. A few years ago I had a chance to visit the world-famous Iguazú Falls with my wife. Even though I had been told it was an amazing place, I nevertheless felt overwhelmed by the beauty of the valley: I was not prepared at all for the spectacle. Waterfalls are amazing places for photography, with a variety of wildlife sometimes framed by rainbows caused by the mist of the cascades. In Iguazú’s unique environment, the ‘swifts of the falls’ find the perfect shelter for breeding. While I was staring at a feature called the Devil’s Throat, I saw flocks of these birds flying all around. Due to the mist caused by the falls, I struggled taking this shot as I had to keep the front of the lens free of water drops. Olympus E-3 with Olympus Zuiko 50–200mm f/2.8–3.5 SWD lens. Focal length ; 1/1,250 second; f/9; ISO 100. Hand-held.

HAWK OWL IN A MOUNTAIN FOREST Northern Hawk-owl Surnia ulula. Golsfjell mountain region, Norway. PÂl Hermansen, Norway. Category: Birds in the Environment. SILVER AWARD WINNER. This Northern Hawk-owl spent several hours in the top of the tree, looking over the winter landscape for food. As I realised the bird was very bold and fearless, I carefully launched my drone and approached it very slowly. The owl did not react, and allowed the drone to hover reasonably close. After finishing the photography, I backed off with the drone, leaving the bird perched for a further hour before it moved to another tree top. DJI Mavic Pro. Focal length 4.73mm (26mm equivalent); 1/180 second; f/2.2; ISO 100.

MAKE-UP Little Egret Egretta garzetta. Deqing, Zhejiang, China. Chengbo Sun, China. Category: Creative Imagery. BRONZE AWARD WINNER. The images used in the creation of this collage were taken on 21 April 2017 while hand-holding the camera at Xiazhu Lake National Wetland Park in the town of Wukang; this is located in Deqing county, in China’s Zhejiang province. The egret was preening, and I combined this image with shots of lotus leaves in various stages of growth and decay to create an impressionistic scene, whose qualities are halfway between two and three dimensions in character. Canon EOS 7D Mark II with Canon 100–400mm f/4.5–5.6L IS II lens. Focal length 400mm; 1/4,000 second; f/5.6; ISO 2,000.

MANDARIN ABSTRACT Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata. South Yorkshire, United Kingdom. James Hudson, United Kingdom. Category: Creative Imagery. GOLD AWARD WINNER. The Mandarin drake has arguably the most flamboyant plumage of any bird living in the UK. In Sheffield there are several places where Mandarins can be found living alongside people. In some cases, these wild ducks see humans more as a supplier of free food than a threat. As a result, I was able to get close enough to this individual to experiment with long-exposure photography and intentional camera-movement techniques. I wanted to create abstract images that captured the vibrancy of the duckís feathers as well as the excitement I feel when I see these extraordinary birds. Nikon D300 with AF-S Nikkor DX 55ñ300mm f/4.5ñ5.6G ED VR lens. Focal length 300mm; 1/8 second; f/29; ISO 280.

PHALAROPE REFLECTIONS Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus. Utqiagvik, Alaska, United States of America. Terje Kolaas, Norway. Category: Creative Imagery. SILVER AWARD WINNER. A few Red-necked Phalaropes were gathered on a small pond and a hill created a dark background, making the location perfect for backlight photography. The low midnight sun of Alaska made it possible to photograph through the ‘night’, and this is one of thousands of shots from the particular session. The low-angle backlight, taken through a big telephoto lens, creates the reflections. Nikon D850 with AF-S Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 FL ED lens and 2× converter. Focal length 800mm; 1/2,500 second; f/7.1; ISO 800.

ELECTRIC White Stork Ciconia ciconia. Seville, Spain. Carlos Cifuentes, [place?]. Category: Garden and Urban Birds. BRONZE AWARD WINNER. It is estimated that more than 200,000 birds die each year on the Iberian Peninsula due to collisions with high-voltage power lines. Despite this, White Storks still build their nests on top of the electric towers, demonstrating their taste for using man-made constructions from which they can command a sweeping view. The photograph was taken hand-held late in the day, when the nests were occupied and hundreds of Glossy Ibises were returning to roost. Fujifilm X-T3 with Fujinon XF 200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR and 1.4× converter. Focal length 280mm; 1/450 second; f/7.1; ISO 320. Hand-held.

PHOTOBOMBING A GAME House Crow Corvus splendens. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic. Category: Garden and Urban Birds. GOLD AWARD WINNER. I was staying in an apartment in a high-rise building in Colombo and noticed this street basketball court under my balcony. I waited for a group of locals to come there in the evening and after I finally saw someone playing, I got out on the balcony. I leaned towards the railings to start shooting with my long lens pointing downwards and immediately regretted the idea – the metal railing was still blisteringly hot from the sun! Carefully balancing over the railings (20 floors up!) so as not to burn myself again, I took several series of shots. But I felt something was still missing… When I noticed the crow flying by, I quickly shot a couple more frames. I immediately knew that this was the element I had been waiting for to ‘complete’ my picture! Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon EF70–200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Focal length 200mm; 1/1,000 second; f/6.3; ISO 640.

THE OLD SHIP Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla. Båtsfjord, Norway. Kiko Arcas, Spain. Category: Garden and Urban Birds. SILVER AWARD WINNER. In the coastal town of Båtsfjord in northern Norway there is a small colony of Black-legged Kittiwakes that breed in the most unlikely of places – an old ship. Our guide, Øyvlind, took us in a Zodiac to a ‘graveyard’ of large fishing boats where a large colony of kittiwakes had made that place their home. There were numerous nests, on occupied windows, old anchors, tyres and all manner of human artefacts. It was an incredible place and one that I hope to return to. Fujifilm X-T3 with Fujinon XF 200mm f/2 OIS R WR lens. Focal length 200mm; 1/1,250 second; f/4; ISO 1,000.

ASIAN GREEN BEE-EATER PAIR Asian Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis. Chennai, India. Deeksha Diya Sambath, India. Age 7. Category: YOUNG BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 0–8 YEARS AWARD WINNER. My dad is a bird photographer and has been my inspiration; I love to accompany him on his weekend photography outings. This pair of Asian Green Bee-eaters are regular visitors to our backyard. I just love the colour of these birds and how they catch the bees in mid-air. I took this photograph from the car with my dad’s camera. Canon EOS 7D Mark II with Canon EF600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and 1.4× converter. Focal length 840mm; 1/2,000 second; f/5.6; ISO 250.

BACK-LIGHTING Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus. Grazalema, Andalusia, Spain. Ismael DomÌnguez GutiÈrrez, Spain. Age 11. Category: YOUNG BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 9ñ13 YEARS AWARD WINNER. This Crested Tit is perched on a twig, preparing to take a bath. The image was taken in the late afternoon as the sunís rays added a warmth to the colours. By back-lighting the subject I was able to enhance the effect. Canon EOS 750D with Tamron 100ñ400mm f/4.5ñ6.3 Di VC USD lens. Focal length 400mm; 1/2,700 second; f/6.3; ISO 800.

INSPIRATIONAL ENCOUNTERS AWARD WINNER

Our Inspirational Encounters Award 2020 winner is Gail Bisson from Canada with a stunning photograph of a Providence Petrel taken off Lord Howe Island, Australia. Established in association with wildlife travel company, Wildlife Worldwide and their sister company, The Travelling Naturalist, the Award celebrates all that is positive about the impact of the avian world on people and the potential that it has to inspire all of us by combining imagery and prose: entrants were invited to submit an image that represents an inspirational encounter with birds accompanied by approximately 150 words of text. The task was that imagery and text combined should tell a story and convey to the viewer and reader the significance of this moment to the photographer. The Award also aims to help conservation via a donation from Wildlife Worldwide going to the annual Birdfair cause.

Providence Petrel by Gail Bisson.

“Years before I became interested in bird photography, I read The Fatal Shore, a book about the colonization of Australia and its brutal history of convict transportation. In the book, author Robert Hughes discusses the colonization of Norfolk Island and details the sad fate of its Providence Petrels. The heart-breaking story remained in my mind and heart for years, and I long harbored a wish to someday see a Providence Petrel. A recent trip to Australia allowed me to include a side trip to Lord Howe Island and have my dream realized.

The petrels were called Providence Petrels because they provided the only food available to the transported convicts from England when they landed on Norfolk Island in the late 1700s. The petrels were exterminated on Norfolk Island between 1790 and 1800. One million adults and young were harvested for food from 1790 to 1793, and numbers had dropped to 15,000 by 1796, with complete extermination by 1800. Today, other than a few pairs found nesting on Norfolk Island, and more recently a few pairs on Phillip Island, 99.9 percent of the world population of Providence Petrels nest on Mt Gower on Lord Howe Island (roughly 32,000 pairs). The species is classed as Vulnerable. Its name is both ironic and heart-breaking because the presence of humans was hardly ‘providential’ for these petrels. This past winter, Lord Howe Island started a rat-extermination program. By eliminating the rats, it is hoped that petrel numbers will rise to a new high. What a wonderful moment it was to watch the petrels returning at dusk to Mt Gower.”

Gail Bisson, Inspirational Encounters Award Winner 2020.

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YOUNG BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020 WINNER

The winner of the Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2020 competition is also announced. The first prize has been claimed by Adam Lake from the United Kingdom with his innovative use of a phone camera to capture this beautiful reflection of a Mute Swan entitled ‘Seeing Double’. Adam wins a pair of Swarovski Optik binoculars and £300.

Above: Young BPOTY 2020 winning image by Adam Lake from the United Kingdom.

Young Bird Photographer of the Year Ambassador and judge Megan McCubbin comments: “There is something incredibly special about the images that come from young wildlife photographers. Adults tend to confine themselves to the rules and regulations that previous photographers have ‘set in stone’ before them. But it’s clear that the youth smash through these boundaries in daring and inventive ways to showcase the world as they see it. Some of the most novel and unusual images have come from photographers who started at an early age.”

Over the past few months, we have all lived through unprecedented times, the result being that many photographers have been unable to get out to take new images. Out of respect for our community, the BPOTY team is going to pause the competition temporarily and launch the new cycle in early 2021. An unlikely consequence of Covid19 has been that it has unleashed the creative potential of online communication – social media has truly come of age. BPOTY intends to make full and inspiring use of trends in communication and we will look forward rather than backward in the way we operate, something that also recognizes the competition’s growing international audience.

THE BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION BOOK

The competition book, published by William Collins, is now available. This lavish 256-page volume showcases the very best imagery from the competition and features the stories behind the images as told by the photographers themselves, plus all the technical camera information. RRP £25. The book can be ordered directly from the BPOTY website: https://www.birdpoty.co.uk/

Be sure to visit the official BPOTY website to see all the images and read the stories behind them all.