As any ornithologist will tell you, birds are fantastic, interesting and expressive animals, so it’s no surprise that they’re also such incredible subjects for nature photography competitions.
The 2023 Audubon Photography Awards are back to showcase some of the most amazing feather finds captured in the wild by some very talented snappers.
The National Audubon Society was founded more than a century ago and has hundreds of chapters across the United States. Named after 19th-century artist John Audubon, known for his avian illustrations, the annual competition focuses on a variety of bird behaviors across North America. Over the years, these awards have attracted some of the most talented bird photographers able to capture bird behaviour, and you can revisit them in 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
Photographed in White Rock, British Columbia, these pigeons showed off their brilliant colors as they groomed each other, earning Liron Gertsman this year’s grand prize. Although we see these birds all over the globe, it’s not often that we stop to see how amazing they are and how sweet their courtship rituals are.
A chinstrap penguin leaps from an iceberg near Esperanza Station in Sierva Bay, Antarctica, in this stunning photo taken by amateur champion Karen Blackwood from as far away as Colorado . Chinstrap penguins are very social animals, and they go down to the water to feed on krill. By the way, their poop plays an important role in the health of our oceans.
This brown pelican was captured in Ecuador’s Galapagos National Park, an area known for its incredible biodiversity that attracts wildlife lovers eager to catch a glimpse of Charles Darwin nearly 200 years ago The sights that were seen (and inspired by the foundations of evolutionary biology, origin of species). The brown pelican is the smallest pelican species and is common in the Galapagos Islands. When the female lays eggs, usually two or three, both she and her mate take on brooding duties.
For more of these incredible photos, check out our gallery and don’t miss the video category winners (Short-eared Owl) and honorable mentions (Osprey and Fish) below, both shot by Steven Chu.
Video winner. Two short-eared owls fighting in the air (Photographer: Steven Chu)
Video Honorable Mention. Osprey catches fish for takeaway dinner (camera: Steven Chu)
source: National Audubon Society
