Here Are The 31 Finalists Of 2021 Bird Photographer Of The Year Awards

I took the photograph on a pond in a beautiful park in a quiet part of the city of Prague. As a family of mallard ducklings swam past me, one of them began to chase a flying fly. It highlighted the fact that the instinct to feed is a powerful force even in the young, but of course the behaviour itself was comical from a human perspective. Regardless of how you view what’s going on, it certainly makes for an interesting photograph and a moment in time in a duckling’s life captured for posterity.

Over the years, I have developed a bond of trust with a group of mute swans and on this occasion, it paid dividends. This trusting relationship allowed me to capture this most intimate perspective: an infant cygnet resting its head peacefully on its sleeping mother. The female swan trusted me implicitly to stand this close and my accepted presence caused her not the slightest concern.

In winter, food for most animals is in short supply in northern latitudes and many species, including this red fox, take greater risks than they would normally do to survive. In this photo, a particularly bold fox has ventured close to an area where eagles were feeding. One white-tailed sea eagle took exception to the incursion and gave the fox what looks like a good slap with its wings. That’s an encounter I imagine the fox will never forget.

We stopped for lunch at a lodge in Costa Rica, one whose restaurant had multiple hummingbird feeders located throughout the property. The feeders, which are filled with sugary water, attract more than just hummingbirds and are also a magnet for insects. On this particular occasion, a fiery-throated hummingbird was resting on a perch a few feet away from the feeders when a wasp approached and landed on him. Disconcerted by the interest shown by the insect, the brief encounter generated a lot of chattering from the fiery-throated hummingbird, but eventually, both flew off unharmed.

The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of its kind and is endemic to Antarctica. These flightless birds breed in the winter and, after a courtship lasting several weeks, the female lays a single egg, then leaves! Each penguin egg's father balances it on his feet and covers it with his brood pouch, a very warm layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg cozy. There the males stand, for about 65 days, through icy temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding storms. Finally, after about two months, the females return from the sea, bringing the food which they regurgitate to feed the now-hatched chicks. The males eagerly leave for their own fishing session at sea, and the mothers take charge of parental care for a while. As the young penguins grow, adults leave them in groups called crèches while they go off to fish. Five years later, if they survive their time at sea, those young penguins will return to become parents themselves. There is a reason for the timing of emperor penguins' hatching. By December, when the Antarctic weather has warmed somewhat, the ice the penguins occupy begins to break up, bringing open waters closer to the nesting sites. To make this image, I was lying flat on the ground. I did this because objects lower than penguin height are less intimidating to the birds. Consequently, they spent plenty of time beside me, meaning I could capture some beautiful shots. On this particular trip, I walked an average of eight hours each day in search of a perfect image.

Red-crowned crane pairs are faithful to one another throughout the year, and even during the winter months, they engage in behavior designed to strengthen the bond. Birds perform dual honking rituals and an elaborate dance, and this is much appreciated by photographers who make the pilgrimage to see them in Japan. In order to capture the mood and convey a sense of the occasion to those looking at this photograph, I rushed to the photographic site at dawn. On my eighth attempt, I finally did photographic justice to the calling birds, with their breath vaporized by the cold air.

Gentoo penguins began surfing long before the first humans latched on to this craze. This image was taken at Carcass Island on the Falkland Islands, where the birds have no option but to surf if they want to get ashore. If the waves are a decent size, you can see the birds ride or surf on the top of them. It is a thrilling behavior to watch, and a rewarding one to capture photographically.

Swallows have to be one of my favorite birds, and my entire family awaits their return in spring with nervous excitement. Will they arrive this year...? Then there’s the joy of that flash of steely blue as they return to the same stable on the farm: the one where they nested last year and many years before that. This photo was taken from inside the building, using a remote trigger to fire the camera, situated at a safe distance just outside the window. The aim was to time the image capture to coincide with the swallow flying through the window and I am proud to have achieved my goal.

While exploring the Northwoods of Minnesota, I found myself caught in a sudden heavy snow squall. Thinking that this weather episode might deter the great grey owls from hunting, I considered packing it up and calling it a day. To my surprise, however, this particular owl took to the skies and began scanning the meadow for its next meal. With a sudden and acrobatic downward turn, it sliced through the heavy white flakes and crashed headfirst into the snow-blanketed field below. Within moments, I watched as it launched off into the distance with its freshly caught vole. It was a great reminder that to be successful, you have to sometimes fully commit and dive in headfirst into the unknown.

It was an enchanting morning in May and I felt as though this jackdaw and fallow deer were part of some childhood fairytale with the bird whispering a secret to the deer. In reality, the narrative was more ordinary and the jackdaw was pinching hair from the deer’s back to use it in nest building. I often go into Bushy Park at dawn and on this occasion, it was wonderful to capture the uninhibited and natural interaction between these two creatures.

Until I took this photo, I must admit that cormorants weren’t my favorite birds. They are good at fishing, which doesn’t always make them welcome at fish ponds in my country. However, in winter 2020, cormorants were present in front of a bird hide I was using on several occasions, and I had nothing else to photograph. I gradually came to realize they are actually rather pretty birds, especially in breeding plumage with beautiful green eyes and shiny, dark green feathers. Sometimes they came very close, so I decided to take a portrait. I managed to capture this special moment when a cormorant was just about to swallow its prey and the fish seemed to be flying into its beak.

This nuthatch was photographed in my garden using rear-curtain flash synchronization. I attract birds to my garden using feeders and peanuts are the food that nuthatches cannot resist. The timing and method of capture were crucial to the success of this image. The initial exposure captured the movement of the bird while the flash, fired at the end of the exposure, freezes the bird in flight.

When I arrived at a well-known wintering haunt of hooded cranes in Japan, it was disappointingly overcast. And what’s more, I was about to go home. However, I realized that an area of the clouds was gradually dissipating as the sun rose, and I decided to stay awhile—just in case. Almost miraculously, a streak of sunlight shone through and highlighted a small group of flying cranes. I thanked the cranes, beloved by Japanese people as "the bird of happiness," for bringing me this good luck!

It's always a pleasure when you are able to capture both males and females of the same species in one image. I often find it tricky with waterfowl as they tend to overlap in some way. Consequently, I was very pleased when this scene lined up perfectly, with the drake framed and referenced by the out-of-focus duck in the background. To obtain this image, I lay motionless on the edge of the pond, practically at water level.

Mute swans typically don't breed until they are at least three years old. But it is not uncommon for elements of courtship behavior to be seen earlier, as happened with this couple. Apparently not concerned by the age difference, this adult male was intent on wooing an immature female, and his interest appeared to be reciprocated. Classic courtship rituals were performed, like raising the necks and turning their heads sideways while keeping their breasts pressed against each other. Even though photographing these displaying swans on a misty morning required planning, a little luck was also needed when it came to the birds aligning parallel to my camera.

Backlit by dawn light, the breath of this black-and-white warbler shows the subtle colors of the rainbow as it drifts off in the cold morning air. I noticed a small shaft of sunlight shining in the forest in an area frequented by this warbler. With an image in mind, I devoted time to my quest, in the hope the bird might land in the right spot. When it did and it sang, I was so happy!

In the South Luangwa National Park, you can watch a hippo colony from a water-level hide. In addition to their human admirers, the water-loving mammals also receive a lot of attention from the local red-billed oxpeckers, who seek a close encounter for more practical reasons. The birds and the hippos have evolved a symbiotic relationship: the oxpeckers feed on external parasites and the hippos benefit from the hygienic makeover. This image shows two oxpeckers sitting on a very relaxed hippo: all parties seem entirely comfortable with the relationship.

This photo was taken in Zimanga Private Reserve, South Africa during my summer holiday. I was on a photography trip with my father. Although the toad appeared to be jumping into the hamerkop’s mouth, in reality, the bird was throwing its prey into the air in order to kill it. The toad was also dabbed onto the ground several times by the bird’s beak. I felt very excited to have taken this shot.

Taken at Lake Kussharo, this image shows a northern race long-tailed tit drinking in a most unusual fashion—it was taking water that was dripping from icicles hanging from tree branches near the shore. The sun had begun to melt the surface of the icicles, giving the birds access to water in freezing conditions. Some birds clung to the branches, or the icicle itself, reaching out to drink. Others, however, flew in and hovered, taking droplets from the end. It was fascinating to watch and difficult to photograph, requiring a long lens used at an awkward upward angle.

My favorite time of year is when the American oystercatcher chicks hatch. I love getting to the beach at sunrise to watch and photograph family interactions. This young oystercatcher is old enough to forage but still relies on its parents for food because its beak hasn't developed the strength to open the shells of mollusks and crustaceans. This shot was taken between waves, with the wet sand providing a bit of uplighting.