“Water Games” by Mario Suárez Porras from Oviedo won first place XVI edition of FotoavesOrnithological photography competition organized by SEO/BirdLife and rewarding the best bird photographs among amateurs and professionals from around the world since 2007. The winning photo, along with five second prizes and ten finalists, will form the NGO’s 2024 solidarity calendar, which is now available for sale.
As every year, the conditions for participation are strict: no photography is accepted, with exceptions involving claims, use of live bait, photomontage, artificial backgrounds, birds in captivity or semi-free and reflected in the competition. rules: photos of nests. SEO/BirdLife has already opened the call for ‘Fotoaves 2024’.
WINNER: Mario Suárez Porras
The winning image captures that moment griffon vulture After taking a bath and drinking from the pond, he shakes off the water that wet his head. “Although it is not an easy behavior to observe, vultures come to drink and bathe in natural ponds or water troughs created for livestock,” Kazanan explained. “They meet there and together they splash in the shallow waters to groom their feathers, and then continue to dry in the sun with their wings half-open. For bird lovers like me, it’s a spectacle I’ll never forget, enjoying a moment I’ll never forget.” Suarez Porras.
ACCESS: Omar Alonso Bautista
“King of the taiga” is a large photo taken in Finland. tawny owl perched on a branch. “In the afternoon his activities begin, and from his perch he listens carefully to the rodents moving under the snow cover that covers the forest. I am very lucky to be able to capture this photo at that magical moment.” he said, commenting to the writer.
ACCESS: Francisco Contreras Pardos
“Monagu’s Harriers” was filmed in Granada in 2017 and features nine examples. Montagu’s obstacle perched on a fence of wooden poles. “The birds had dispersed before the sun reached the horizon. But I didn’t care anymore, the eaglets had presented me with a unique view that I will never see again,” said the photographer.
ACCESS: Concepción Coronado
“Ptarmigan couple” deserved another second prize with a beautiful composition featuring a male and a female of the species also known as “Ptarmigan”. alpine lagoon. “I took the photo in Svalbard, a remote place where only day and night exist and whose landscapes and fauna are everything a nature photographer could want,” the author explained.
ACCESS: Kevin Hazelgrove
“Incoming” won another second prize by collecting a preview of a copy. common cuckoo It spreads its wings on a dry branch. It was filmed in the south-east of England. “I had watched this male many times, and one spring afternoon, before the sun was too low, I set up my rig, hoping he would fly over to his favorite branch so I could get a nice backlit photo. Not only did he do what I asked, but he did it, reaching an almost perfect right angle.” added the photographer.
ACCESS: Miguel Ángel Pradera
Contains an image of “Shaving Hair” duck in havel It was sometime in the morning, just as she decided to begin her grooming and trimming session. “I devoted all my attention to watching their curious movements. I don’t know how many photos I took, maybe hundreds, but I loved it,” Pedrera said.
FINALISTS (selection)
SEO/BirdLife also selected ten finalists for the 2024 calendar: These are: “Crepúsculo” by José Antonio Chacón Valle. barn owl; “Flying in a Snowstorm” by José Carlos González Castro red crowned crane; David Mediavilla’s work “Water Blackbird” is an example of the species that gives its name; “Singing Among the Poppies” by Aleix Casadó Tortosa common icon; “Sunset in Tierra del Fuego” by Daniel Valverde Fernández Antarctic giant bird; Photograph “Winged Turquoises” by Daniel López Velasco Lear’s macaw; “Observando Madrid” by Federico Grande Romero common kestrel; “Foggy morning” by Juan Carlos Fajardo Juan gray heron; Exhibition “Reflections of a Papuan” by Ricart Ibars gentoo penguin; and “Autumn Bird” by Alberto García Santervás bullfinch.
2024 SEO/BirdLife calendar: https://tienda.seo.org/calendario-fotoaves-seo-birdlife-2024/
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