Extraordinary moments on show in Bird Photographer of the Year competition
FROM bickering flamingoes, to sassy seagulls and even a perturbed puffin, these images have wowed the eagle-eyed judges of the Bird Photography of the Year competition.
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A GROUP of bickering flamingoes caught on camera has sent eagle-eyed judges into a flap.
The stunning snap snared first place in the Bird Photographer of the Year competition, and shows there’s more to our quirky, feathered friends than a tacky, pink plastic garden ornament.
Captured with their necks in a knot, winning photographer Pedro Krebs said the American Flamingoes reminded him of an event far removed from the animal kingdom.
“I have called this image Black Friday because it reminds me of shopping squabbles that take place on that infamous day,” Mr Krebs said.
He will collect a tidy £5000 ($A8750) for the jaw-dropping image, which also topped the Creative Imagery category of the competition, hosted by Photocrowd.
“What I want is to extract the animal from its environment and digitally ‘put it back together again’ in my studio,” he said.
“This image depicts a group of intensely pink American Flamingos arguing. I took this photo in Madrid, Spain, at a flamingo sanctuary where they live in semi-liberty.”
Praised as “photogenic punk rock” by the judges, the striking photo will lead the flock as the cover of the competition's book, Bird Photographer of the Year.
A saucy pair of Cabot’s Terns that claimed silver in the Bird Behaviour category.
While appearing like an innocent piggyback, the cheeky shore-dwelling birds were getting ready to mate, and it took snapper Petr Bambousek an incredible amount of time to capture the moment.
“I spent two hours lying on the ground in the midst of the colony,” Mr Bambousek said.
The infamous Seagull also made an appearance with its mouth wide open, probably as it was guzzling down an unsuspecting victim’s hot chip.
Spending some time away from sea was a Black Skimmer, where the bird paparazzi caught it sharing a tender moment with its chick.
Captured away from the “chaotic colony”, photographer Thomas Chadwick said the newborn had been bullied by its older sibling.
“A parent flew in directly to the smaller chick and fed it first,” Mr Chadwick said.
“After the chick had gobbled down the fish, I captured it running up to the parent and displaying the behaviour pictured.”
Over in the UK’s Shetland Islands, intense-looking Northern Gannets were caught breaking the surface of the ocean at extraordinary speed, snapping up discarded fish.
“Northern Gannets hunt pelagic fish like Mackerel and Herring by diving into the sea from a height of up to 30m, achieving speeds up to 100kph on impact,” photographer Richard Shucksmith said.
While in stark contrast, gracefully hovering above a sun-kissed sea was another elegant Gannet.
Snapper Petr Bambousek captured the moment after observing the colony for several days.
“Once I learned the rhythm of their flight, I was able to capture some shots at sunset,” he said.