A rock ptarmigan in flight was judged best birds in the environment picture and won overall bird photographer of the year for Erlend Haarberg of Norway.
A rock ptarmigan in flight was judged best birds in the environment picture and won overall bird photographer of the year for Erlend Haarberg of Norway.
"In order to see birds, it is necessary to become part of the silence." the Irish writer Robert Lynd wrote in his book Solomon In All His Glory in 1922. "No impatient man has ever seen nature," he wrote.
These few words are a glimpse into the mindset of a bird photographer: patience and a willingness to become part of the landscape, melding into the shadows so as not to alert the subject to the camera's presence.
Every one of the photographers who submitted more than 20,000 images in total to the 2022 Bird Photographer of the Year competition would have attempted to become part of that silence.
Patience and quiet are just a part of the photographer's arsenal, which also includes technological skill, creative ambition and single-mindedness to follow an idea to its end, even if that means hiking across mountains, enduring sub-zero temperatures and waiting for the perfect moment to make an award-winning shot.
The winning photographs for this globally respected photographic competition have been announced, with winners, second and third places awarded in eight adult categories. All awarded images are published in a hardback coffee-table book published by William Collins with a foreword by naturalist and TV explorer Steve Backshall.
Here is a selection of winners with the photographer's description of how they took their award-winning picture.
A rock ptarmigan in flight was judged best birds in the environment picture and won overall bird photographer of the year for Erlend Haarberg of Norway.
Overall winner and birds in the environment category winner Erlend Haarberg of Norway for his rock ptarmigan in flight
"High above the tree-line, the wind, snow and cold maintain the iron grip of winter for months on end. This is where rock ptarmigan thrive, small, white feather balls in an endless white landscape. On this particular winter day, I was on my way to a mountain top by Tysfjorden to photograph landscapes. I had almost reached the summit when I spotted some ptarmigan tracks criss-crossing between the rocks, where the wind had uncovered some sparse vegetation. From behind a rock, a small head appeared, and seconds later it took to the wing with the mountains and fjord landscape in the background, setting the scene perfectly."
Tech specs: Nikon D850 with Nikon 70–200mm f/2.8 lens. Focal length 95mm; 1/2500 second; f/10; ISO 800.
A sleeping king penguin won Andy Pollard of the Falkland Islands the attention to detail category.
Attention to detail category winner Andy Pollard of Falkland Islands for his king penguin
"While most images of king penguins seem to be of striking adult birds, there is a definite cuteness to the chicks in their brown 'teddy bear' plumage. This chick was asleep at Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands, and I took the opportunity to capture the details around the beak, eye and ear, the latter seldom seen."
Tech specs: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Canon 100–400mm f/4.5–5.6 II lens. Focal length 300mm; 1/160 second; f/8; ISO 500.
A sage grouse on the prairie is the winning shot for Ly Dang of the US in the best portrait section.
Best portrait winner Ly Dang of Colorado, US for his sage grouse
"You know springtime has arrived on the prairies of the Great Basin of the American West when the sage grouse gather at their leks. On these traditional display grounds, males of this near-threatened species perform their strutting displays in the hope of winning the right to mate. This behaviour is for the benefit of the females, which judge the talent show and select the best genes to pass on to the next generation. I arrived at the lek more than an hour before the birds so I could set up my hide without causing a disturbance. Similarly, with the best interests of the birds at heart, I packed up the hide only when the last bird had left the area. In previous years I had tried to capture this type of portrait shot but had been unsuccessful. However, on this particular morning, my luck changed when this bird wandered close to my hide in full display. The photograph was taken without using baiting, calls, lures or unethical practices of any kind."
Tech specs: Sony A1 with Sony 600mm f/4 GM lens and 1.4x teleconverter. Focal length 840mm.
Peter Ismert of the US won the bird behaviour category with his duelling sage grouse picture.
Bird behaviour winner Peter Ismert of the US for his duelling sage grouse
"During the spring breeding season, male sage grouse gather on traditional lekking sites and often engage in short but violent fights. They have an elaborate display designed to attract and impress females and show their superiority; inevitably this leads to rivalry between males and challenges on the lek. I set up my ground hide a safe distance from the lek a couple of days before the photo shoot. I entered my hide in the middle of the night, trying to sleep as best I could before the early morning hours. At first light, I awoke to booming sounds made by the male grouse, and the sight of their unusual display and this particular battle. No bait or calls were used."
Tech specs: Nikon D850 with Sigma 500mm f/4 lens. Focal length 500mm; 1/2500 second; f/4; ISO 1250.
Birds in flight category was won by Australian photographer Raoul Slater with his picture of galahs in Yelarbon, Queensland.
Birds in flight category winner Raoul Slater of Australia for his galahs
"Large areas of Australia are flat, dry and given over to wheat farming. Towns can consist of as little as a truck stop and a collection of grain silos. In some locations, these silos have become popular palettes for enormous murals, drawing tourists into otherwise desolate areas. I passed through Yelarbon and stopped for two hours to photograph the galahs that are attracted to spilt grain. The results were so pleasing and surreal that I made the seven-hour trip on a subsequent weekend to have another go, only to find that a mouse plague had moved in and the silos were being fumigated – no galahs."
Tech specs: Canon R5 with Canon 300mm f/2.8 lens. Focal length 300mm; 1/8000 second; f/3.5; ISO 1600.
Henley Spiers won the black and white category with his shot of a double-crested cormorant.
Black and white category winner Henley Spiers of the UK for his double-crested cormorant
"Ten metres down, I found myself hovering between two worlds. Below, an enormous school of fish covered the bottom as far as I could see. Above, a single double-crested cormorant patrolled the surface, catching its breath and peering down at a potential underwater feast. The cormorant, better designed for swimming than flying, would dive down at speed, aggressively pursuing the fish. The school would move in unison to escape the bird's sharp beak, making it difficult to isolate a single target. More often than not, the bird returned to the surface empty-billed, and peace would momentarily be restored. I would squint up at the sunny surface, trying to keep track of the predator and anticipate its next underwater raid. This image captures the hostile black silhouette of the cormorant as it dives down on to its prey, which for a brief moment remain unaware of the danger above."
Tech specs: Nikon D850 with Nikon 28–70mm f/3.5–4.5 lens. Focal length 28mm; 1/500 second; f/8; ISO 500
Petro Katernych of Ukraine shot these white stork to win the creative imagery section.
Creative imagery category winner Petro Katernych of Ukraine for his storks
"In Ukrainian mythology, white storks symbolise faithfulness and strength of spirit. It is hard to imagine a Ukrainian village without a stork's nest. Everywhere, from Polesia to Slobozhanshchyna, white storks are seen as a symbol of love for their motherland. When spring arrives and storks return home, Ukrainians young and old go out into the streets, greet the birds' arrival and sing traditional songs called Vesnyanki in celebration. Ukrainians cherish spring, which brings prosperity and hope, and we feel that happiness will undoubtedly bless any house where a stork settles and decides to nest. Storks also set a good example and serve to remind Ukrainians how important it is to love our homeland. They fly thousands of kilometres to warmer lands when there is a bitter winter. But they always come back, overcoming all the hardships that beset them on their journey. We believe that love for their native land gives the storks the strength to survive and return home. Ukrainians don't traditionally give birds and animals human names. However, an exception is made with white storks, which are addressed as if they were people. My fellow Ukrainians are facing a similarly challenging task right now – once again they must defend their native nests, while some are forced to rush like storks in the direction of the sun. Many of us will fall, but I hope that spring is ahead of us. I believe that most of us will live to see the return of white storks circling overhead in the peaceful skies of a free Ukraine. Then we will all rally together, and sing Vesnyanki once more." Tech specs: Nikon D5100 with Nikon 18–105mm f/3.5–5.6 lens. Focal length 105mm; 1/320 second; f/9; ISO 100.
The urban birds section was won by Ammar Ahmed of the United Arab Emirates for his picture of greater flamingo.
Urban birds category winner Ammar Alsayed Ahmed of UAE for his greater flamingo
"This image was taken from the rooftop of one of the towering skyscraper buildings that dominate the skyline of Abu Dhabi. It shows a line of greater flamingos flying on a morning when fog covered the city and the only signs of the urban landscape were the tops of the buildings emerging from the blanket of mist. At the time it seemed a bit like a fantasy, a fleeting moment made surreal as the birds unexpectedly flew past. Fortunately, I was prepared for action and my zoom lens allowed me to frame the birds and capture the moment."
Tech specs: Nikon Z 6 II with Nikon 70–200mm f/2.8 lens. Focal length 71mm; 1/500 second; f/7.1; ISO 100
Dunlin walking through a sandstorm netted Levi Fitze of Switzerland the young photographer of the year award.
Young bird photographer of the year and 14-17 years category winner Levi Fitze of Switzerland for his dunlin
"Last autumn I spent a week on the tiny North Sea island of Heligoland. The weather was quite bad and I didn't see a single nice sunrise. However, the opportunity to observe all kinds of shorebirds made up for the conditions. When I saw a group of dunlin struggling with a small sandstorm, I decided to risk my equipment and attempt to photograph them. I could really see on their faces how annoyed they were by the wind and sand flying everywhere. I sympathised with them."
Tech specs: Sony A7R IV with Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM lens. Focal length 400mm; 1/1250 second; f/2.8; ISO 125
Parham Pourahmad of the US caught this hummingbird to snatch the 9-13 years award.
9-13 years category winner Parham Pourahmad of the US for her hummingbird
"In Fremont, there is a water fountain that is a hotspot for hummingbirds. The birds like to bathe in the water, or in this case catch and sip the droplets. When the birds fly around among the droplets, it provides great opportunities for photography. I had to use a very fast shutter speed to freeze the water droplets and the wings of this Anna's hummingbird."
Tech specs: Nikon D3500 with Sigma 150–600mm f/5–6.3 lens. Focal length 600mm; 1/4000 second; f/ 6.3; ISO 2800
Barred owl by Arjun Jenigri of the US won the 8 and under section.
8 and under category winner Arjun Jenigiri of Maine, US for his barred owl
"One of my parents' friends, who lives nearby, took us on a hike to a location where she had seen barred owl chicks earlier in the week. Amazingly, we were just a few minutes into the hike when we heard them calling. Eventually, we got to see four owlets, which was amazing. One landed close by and peered at me from behind a tree trunk in a way that seemed to express curiosity. I was thrilled to be able to capture the moment and pleased that the judges appreciated the photo."
Tech specs: Canon EOS 700D with Canon 55–250mm f/4–5.6 lens. Focal length 250mm; 1/30 second; f/ 7.1; ISO 1600
See the full gallery of winners and order the book at birdpoty.com
