The
year's most spectacular bird photos including a kingfisher getting
ready to devour its dinner have been revealed in their full glory.
This
year, Alejandro Prieto Rojas was named Bird Photographer of the Year
for his memorable image of flamingos feeding their offspring in Mexico.
Head
competition judge Chris Packham said: 'As President of the British
Trust for Ornithology I am proud to support Bird Photographer of the
Year, a competition that will push bird photographers to new limits. We
see lots of technically accomplished images and "nice" portraits of
attractive species. But what we are looking for as judges are those
images which have an instant and enduring "wow" factor.
'To
have been gifted with so many of these "wow" photos in the first two
years of this competition is extraordinary, because photographing birds
is enormously challenging. I am excited about seeing what this year
brings and being involved again in choosing the best of the best.'
The
winning images are published in a book available for purchase from the
British Trust for Ornithology and will be part of a traveling exhibition
around the UK.
This stunning image called
'Catch of the day' by Vince Burton was the winner of the Nature
Photographers Ltd people's choice award. Pictured, a common kingfisher
in Suffolk, England
The battle: This shot is by Jose
Garcia from Miami, Florida. He said: 'This Great White Heron fighting a
green snake in the Florida Everglades. The fight lasted for nearly 20
minutes with the Heron having to release its prey'
This image of a great white
pelican called 'Daily basket' by Ionel Onofras was taken in Romania. It
was in the best portrait category
The winning submission:
Photographer Alejandro Prieto Rojas won the top spot with this image of a
famingo feeding its chick. It was taken at Rio Lagartos, Mexico. He
will receive a £5,000 cash prize at an award ceremony. Mr Rojas took the
photo during the annual feeding of the chicks. They are born with grey
and white feathers and do not turn pink for a year or two
This image of whiskered
tern called 'Calling for the Sun' by Ondrej Pelanek was taken in
Hungary. It was the Gold award winner in the Young Bird Photographer of
the Year category
This image of a willow grouse by Markus Varesvuo was part of his winning Best Portfolio 2017 category
This image of a Blue Tit on berries Markus Varesvuo was also part of his winning Best Portfolio 2017 category
Markus Varesvuo also featured this image of a gannet underwater for his Best Portfolio 2017 award
Head competition judge Chris
Packham said: 'As President of the British Trust for Ornithology I am
proud to support Bird Photographer of the Year, a competition that will
push bird photographers to new limits.' Pictured, Great Grey Owl by
Markus Varesvuo
He added: 'We see lots of
technically accomplished images and 'nice' portraits of attractive
species.' Pictured, Snowy Owl by Markus Varesvuo
This image of a bearded tit by Markus Varesvuo won an honourable mention in the Best Portrait 2017 category
This image of male and female mallards by Francesco De Giuseppe won silver in the Creative Imagery 2017 category
This image of whooper swans in snow by Wim van den Heever won bronze in the Creative Imagery 2017 category
This image of a hovering barn owl by Jamie Hall won gold in the Birds in the Garden 2017 category
This photograph of a starling in bird bath underexposed by Mohammad Murad won silver in the Birds in the Garden 2017 category
This image of a willow grouse in the garden by Markus Varesvuo won bronze in the Birds in the Garden 2017 category
This photo of a cormorant wing by Tom Hines won gold in the Attention to Detail 2017category
This photo of a grey heron looking under wing by Ahmad Alessa won silver in the Attention to Detail 2017 category
This image of an albatross eye close-up by Jessica Winter won bronze in the Attention to Detail 2017 category
This photo of a guillemot stretching wing by Marc Weber won silver in the Best Portrait 2017 category
This photo of fighting coots by Andy Parkinson won gold in the Bird Behaviour 2017 category
This image of a diving kingfisher by Malek Alhazzaa won silver in the Bird Behaviour 2017 category
This image of a swan's head underwater by Ian Wade won bronze in the Bird Behaviour 2017 category
This photo of a red kite close-up by Jamie Hall won silver in the Birds in Flight 2017 category
This image of a ptarmigan by Markus Varesvuo won bronze in the Birds in Flight 2017 category
This image of a condor over mountains by Ben Hall won gold in the Birds in the Environment 2017 category
This image of a crane flock on a misty lake by Piotr Chara won silver in the Birds in the Environment 2017 category
This image of a blurred bird flock by Marc Weber won bronze in the Birds in the Environment 2017 category
This photo of a female mallard by Daniel Stenberg won an honourable mention in the Birds in the Environment 2017 category
This image by Bret Charman, from New South Wales, Australia, was the Gold award winner in the birds in flight category
This photo of a swimming eider by Pål Hermansen won bronze in Best Portrait 2017 category
Breakfast
and bedtime: Photographer Cheryl Schneider took this photo (left) of a
Great White Heron catching a hapless fish which seems to be having
something of an 'oh dear' moment. Georgina Steytler from Toodyay,
Western Australia, took this photo, right. She said: 'This common
species of duck's most identifiable feature is the iridescent speculum
feathers which are often only visible during preening or flight. I took
this photo at a small lake. The still waters and the dark foliage of the
background resulted in an opportunity to highlight the gorgeous
feathers. I exaggerated the effect in Adobe Lightroom, but otherwise
have not altered the original photo'
Terrifying new perspective:
British photographer Tom Hines, from Harrow, Middlesex, took this
extremely close-up shot of a lesser black-backed Gull in London's Hyde
Park
Adorable: This shot of two Gentoo penguin chicks was taken by Richard Sidey, from New Zealand, in Antarctica
Balancing act: British
photographer Tom Hines snapped this shot of a Western Jackdaw daintily
perched atop a red deer in London's Richmond Park. The birds regularly
groom the larger animal for ticks and other insects
Catching a lift: Jonathan Gaunt from Kelso snapped this picture of a female goosander with her newly hatched brood
Astonishing: A female Cardinal contortio was captured on camera by photographer Gary Cook in Beavercreek, Ohio
Haunting: This bloodied feeding
vulture was captured by Ali Alshamsi, from Doha, Qatar. He took the
picture on the Maasai Mara National Reserve, an area of preserved
savannah wilderness in southwestern Kenya
Kindergarden: Photographer Csaba Tokoly from Budapest, Hungary, captured this shot of Greylag goslings swimming
Floral flight: Barn Owl hovering
by Roy Rimmer of Wigan, Lancashire. POTY helps raise funds for the BTO,
so far having raised over £5,500 from entry fees alone. The money has
been used to help support the BTO's young birders programme, aimed at
engaging a younger generation of naturalists and ornithologists
Scavengers: Marabou Storks were
photographed by Daniel Rosengren,frmo Sweden. He said: 'Marabou Storks
are scavengers, but they are not that good at ripping big pieces of meat
off a carcass. Instead, they rely on other scavengers like hyenas or
vultures to do that, so they can take the easy pickings from the ground.
This photo was taken by placing the camera with a wide angle lens near
the zebra carcass and trigger it with a remote from a distance.' The
photo was taken in Tanzania
