Now in its 15th year, theAudubon Photography Awardsis celebrating the magic of bird photography.
Run by the National Audubon Society, the competition is open to professional and amateur photographers of all ages.
Last year’s grand prize winner,Liron Gertsman, was once again celebrated this year.
Forster’s Tern by Kevin Lohman/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Professional Honorable MentionLocation: Shoreline Lake, Mountain View, California, USA“A Forster’s Tern is in the air, its head turned almost 180 degrees so that its bill is pointing almost straight up, and its tail is twisted. The bird’s outstretched wings give the impression the bird is floating upside down. Water droplets appear in a stream from the bird’s bill and also below it.”
The photo contest has also expanded its scope, adding the Birds in Landscapes Prize for the first time.
Sadly, birds like the California quail and the Blackburnian warbler are facing increasing obstacles to their survival.
A specialclimate change visualizereven lets you see how the birds in your area will be impacted.
Willow Ptarmigan by Liron Gertsman/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Professional WinnerLocation: Kluane National Park, Yukon, Canada“Seven Willow Ptarmigan are staggered throughout the image. Each is in various stages of flight. Their white bodies blend in with the completely white background; only their black eyes, bills, and tail feathers stand out.”
Here are the winners of the 2024 Audubon Photography Awards, which celebrates exceptional bird photography.
The birds outstretched wings give the impression the bird is floating upside down.
Water droplets appear in a stream from the birds bill and also below it.
Barred Owl by Erin Boisvert/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Amateur Honorable MentionLocation: Deep Brook Preserve. Newtown, CT, USA“A Barred Owl hangs upside down from a thin tree branch, its body horizontal, its face turned and looking at the camera. Above it hangs a squirrel on a branch. Its head is nearly completely severed and is held in the owl’s talons. Its fur is bloodied.”
Each is in various stages of flight.
Barred Owl by Erin Boisvert/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Amateur Honorable MentionLocation: Deep Brook Preserve.
Above it hangs a squirrel on a branch.
Red-necked Grebe by Edwin Liu/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Youth Honorable MentionLocation: Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Etobicoke, ON, Canada“Two adult Red-necked Grebes face each other in the water. The entire grebe’s body on the right is visible, and two black and white-headed chicks sit on its back. One is leaning to receive a small fish from the bill of the parent.”
Its head is nearly completely severed and is held in the owls talons.
Its fur is bloodied.
One is leaning to receive a small fish from the bill of the parent.
Sedge Wren and Gray-head Coneflower by Trisha Snider/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Plants For Birds Honorable MentionLocation: John E Pearce Provincial Park, Wallacetown, Ontario, Canada“A tiny russet brown Sedge Wren grasps two long, parallel stems as if they were stilts. The bird’s head looks to the left of the frame. Green grasses surround the bird, and yellow flowers are at the bottom of the image.”
The birds head looks to the left of the frame.
Green grasses surround the bird, and yellow flowers are at the bottom of the image.
The birds black legs appear to be spread at a 90-degree angle to hold the stem.
Black-capped Chickadee and Broad-leaf Cattail by Linda Scher/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Plants For Birds WinnerLocation: Wood Lake Nature Center, Richfield, Minnesota, USA“A Black-capped Chickadee clings to a single beige hook-shaped stem filled with seeds. The bird’s black legs appear to be spread at a 90-degree angle to hold the stem. The bird’s black bill is full of seeds.”
The birds black bill is full of seeds.
She stands between railroad tracks littered with leaves that extend into the distance.
The scene is a muted brown and orange, with layers of light and dark.
Common Gallinule by Douglas DeFelice/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Fisher Prize WinnerLocation: Tarpon Springs, FL“A Common Gallinule’s green feet stick straight out of the surface of water, while its body is submerged and not visible. Splashes of water are outlined in gold against a black background and dark surface, making it difficult to distinguish between the feet and water.”
The sky is purple and pink.
Through the whole of the photo are blurry figures of grackles flying through the air.
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California Quail by Kevin Lohman/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Birds in Landscapes Prize WinnerLocation: Santa Cruz, California, USA“A California Quail perches on top of a small bush in a field. One row of bushes and trees in the foreground is in focus, along with the quail, while other bushes are out of focus or blurred. The scene is a muted brown and orange, with layers of light and dark.”
Great-tailed Grackle by Tristan Vratil/Audubon Photography Awards/2024 Amateur WinnerLocation: Corner of Slaughter Lane and Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas, USA“Silhouetted grackles perch on power lines that bisect the image, with their tails nearly all pointing in the same direction. The sky is purple and pink. Through the whole of the photo are blurry figures of grackles flying through the air.”
