The 2023 Bird Photographer of the Year results have been announced, with Jack Zhi winning the overall prize and two Australians among the category winners.
Zhi’s winning photo, Grab the Bull by the Horns, is a dramatic shot of a peregrine falcon protecting her young in California.
‘For four years, I attempted to capture the rare sight of the female falcon attacking large brown pelicans with incredible speed and agility,’ he said. ‘I love the eyes of the pelican in this image – surprised and scared. The action was fast, and over in the blink of an eye. But I’ll remember that moment forever.’
Zhi’s winning picture triumphed over 23,000 entries, with it also winning Gold in the Bird Behaviour category.
The two Australian winners are Jason Moore, who scored Gold in the Black and White category, as well as Cheng Kang who got bronze in the same category. Moore is a Perth-based photographer was born in Zimbabwe and moved to Australia in 2007. The self-described ‘wannabe wildlife photographer’ shot his image with a Sony a1 camera and a Sony FE 600mm f4 telephoto lens.
Another Australian-based winner, British wildlife photographer Michael Eastwell, scored Silver in the Conservation (single image) category for his image of a southern boobook owl, Rocket, being cared for at the Bonorong Wildlife Hospital in Tasmania.
Here’s a short interview with Michael from the ABC.
The Bird Photographer of the Year contest is made up of eight categories: Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, Bird Behaviour, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Urban Birds, Comedy Bird Photo, and Conservation (single image). There are also Special Awards, such as the Portfolio Award, Video Award, Conservation Award (portfolio), and Young Bird Photographer of the Year.
Here is a selection of winning images:
Click here to see all the winning images from the 2023 Bird Photographer of the Year contest.
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