Bird Photographer of the Year 2016 sample

This beautiful book celebrates the artistry of bird photography and showcases the best of the best. It accompanies an annual competition, Bird Photographer of the Year, that brings together the most outstanding examples of recent bird imagery.

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR is a collaboration and partnership between the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and Nature Photographers Ltd. The competition aims to generate income for the important conservation research work of the BTO and to raise the profile of the organisation beyond the specialist realms of ornithological research.

But it also celebrates the artistry and skill of the pursuit of bird photography and helps to promote the photographers themselves.

These aims have been achieved through financial rewards for the winners, but equally importantly a significant number of the entrants will see their work in print – in this lavish book that celebrates the competition.

Bird Photographer of the Year – both the annual competition and this book – celebrate the artistry of bird photography. It is a tribute to both the dedication and passion of the photographers as well as a reflection of the quality of today’s modern digital imaging systems.

The book includes a selection of the winning and short-listed images from the competition, showcasing the finest bird photography, with a foreword by BTO President and head judge, Chris Packham. A proportion of the profits from the book will go directly to the BTO to support its conservation work.

The advent of digital technology has revolutionised photography in recent years.

Bird Photographer of the Year brings to life some of the most stunning bird photography currently on offer and features a vast array of images taken by everyone from experienced photographers to keen amateurs and hobbyists. The range of competition entrants is a reflection of the huge diversity of contemporary bird enthusiasts and nature lovers and these people are the cornerstone of conservation; their enthusiasm for ornithology and conservation are vital to the survival of the world’s bird populations.

WilliamCollinsBooks.com ISBN 978-0-00-817523-8

Front cover image: ‘Blizzard Shag’ by Espen Lie Dahl Back cover image: ‘Simply Stilt’ by Paul Richards

9 780008 175238

£25 CAN $44.99

LOVE Northern Gannet Morus bassanus. Québec, Canada.

Jacques-André Dupont, Canada. Category: Bird Behaviour.

I was very lucky to be able to spend three full days in America’s largest colony of Northern Gannets in Parc national de l’Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé, an island near Gaspé, Québec in the Saint Lawrence River. During the breeding season, this is a perfect location to witness the amazing and varied behaviour of this beautiful bird, with upwards of 50,000 pairs present. This particular image shows a breeding pair engaged in fencing, an intimate bonding ritual involving the crossing of skyward pointing bills. I particularly like the tenderness between the pair this image conveys.

Canon 7D Mk II with Canon L series EF 100–400mm IS II. Focal length 400mm; 1/3,200 second; f/6; ISO 800.

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GREAT CRESTED GREBES Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus. Merseyside, United Kingdom.

Austin Thomas, United Kingdom. Category: Bird Behaviour.

I took this image in Lancashire in the early evening light. I had been monitoring the progress of a family of Great Crested Grebes for several weeks, and during the days when the chicks hatched I spent as much time as possible with the birds waiting for wildlife and lighting to align.

Canon 1DX with Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM lens. Focal length 800mm; 1/3,200 second; f/8; ISO 800.

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LOOK OUT BELOW!

Anyone who has been to the Farne Islands knows what the weather can be like. For the last few years I’ve hoped to get onto Staple Island and

Guillemot Uria aalge. Farne Islands, Northumberland, United Kingdom.

Marie Warwick, United Kingdom. Category: Birds in Flight.

places in the UK to see Puffins, but I wanted to get a closer look at the amazing Guillemot and I had a few photographic ideas in mind. I walked

failed. My third year in a row and Lady Luck was finally with me – and an attempt to get onto Staple was go! The Farnes is one of the best around the island and watched the birds for a while, getting a feel of how and where they flew in. I noticed how wonderful they looked when just about to land, those beautiful wings spread widely, looking very angelic. There were so many crammed into a small space and, as one would try to land, I noticed that others were looking up at them. I took a few practice shots at different stages of landing. To capture this image I tried

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to include as many Guillemots as I could in the lower part of the frame, and cropped the resulting image for the best composition.

Nikon D3S with Nikon 200–400mm f/4 VR lens. Focal length 400mm; 1/6,400 second; f/4; ISO 320.

FLOATING THROUGH THE LAST LIGHT Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis. Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico, United States of America.

Tara Tanaka, United States of America.

Category: Best Digiscoped Image.

The sun had set and there was a single cloud that still had some colour, hanging just over the mountains. As small groups of Sandhill Cranes approached I searched for birds that I thought would cross in front of the cloud formation as they dropped into their roosting pond in front of me. I spotted this pair from quite a distance and got them in the frame and focused on them, and kept them in focus as they got closer and closer. The instant I saw the colours of the clouds appear in the bottom of the viewfinder, I pressed the shutter and fired a ‘burst’ as I continued to focus the scope and follow them as they descended. I just loved their vertical posture as they dropped, and that you can see light through their nostrils and the detail in their toenails. That clear, cold evening stands out as one of the most memorable of all of my digiscoping experiences.

Panasonic GH4 and 20mm/1.7 lens, mounted on a Swarovski STX85 spotting scope. Equivalent focal length 1,000mm; 1/1,000 second; f/1.7; ISO 400.

GANNETRY Northern Gannet Morus bassanus.

Shetland, United Kingdom.

José Manuel Grandío, Spain.

Category: Birds in the Environment.

This photo was taken during a month-long trip around the coast of Scotland. I visited different parts of the coast with the intention of taking pictures of the seabird colonies. Of all the colonies that I visited, those on Shetland appeared to me the most interesting. I spent a week taking pictures of Gannets in the Hermaness National Nature Reserve on Unst, and I think this photo is the one that best reflects the feeling of solitude and stillness that I felt during those days.

Nikon D4 with 24–70mm lens. Tripod. Focal length 34mm; 241 seconds; f/16; ISO 200.

ARCTIC TERNS Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea. Farne Islands, Northumberland, United Kingdom.

Jamie MacArthur, United Kingdom. Category: Birds in Flight.

The Farne Islands are globally renowned for the large colonies of Arctic Terns that they support during the breeding season. These birds never fail to put on a good show when you visit the islands, and I was lucky enough to spot these two having a territorial fight. Typically, these scuffles last a matter of seconds before the birds return to their nests.

Canon 1D Mk IV with Canon EF 24–105mm f/4L IS USM lens.

Focal length 105mm; 1/1,000 second; f/11; ISO 800.

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