29 Photos Honored By The Bird Photographer Of The Year

Bird Photographer of the Year is deeply committed to conservation. This year, the competition contributed £5,000 to its partner charity, Birds on the Brink, which supports grassroots bird conservation projects worldwide.

“The mark of a good photograph is one that either demonstrates artistry or tells a story. The mark of an exceptional one is that it does both,” says Paul Sterry, Birds on the Brink trustee. "This is just such a photograph, portraying a tragic and often overlooked aspect of man’s impact on the environment and an unintended consequence of our species’ high-rise aspirations, which turns out to be yet another devastating threat to wild birds."

Photographers competed across eight categories in the adult competition: Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, Bird Behaviour, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Urban Birds, Conservation (Single Image), and Comedy Bird Photo. Additionally, special awards were given for Conservation, Portfolio, and Video.

All winning images are featured in a hardcover coffee-table book, published by Princeton University Press, now available online. The book includes a foreword by wildlife cameraman and presenter Simon King and is priced at £30 (HB).

Canadian photographer Patricia Homonylo was named Bird Photographer of the Year for her striking image, When Worlds Collide. The photograph highlights the tragic impact of birds colliding with windows and reflective surfaces in urban areas.

"Each year, more than one billion birds die in North America alone due to collisions with windows," says Homonylo. "I am a conservation photojournalist and have been working with the Fatal Light Awareness Program, where we save window-collision survivors in Toronto. Sadly, most of the birds we find are already dead. They are collected, and at the end of the year, we create this impactful display to honor the lives lost and increase public awareness.

I hope people are shocked by what they see and are moved to act by using bird-safe glass and supporting organizations like FLAP."

Reflected light poses a serious threat to birds. Windows and other reflective surfaces often appear to be a continuation of the landscape, causing birds to fly into them at full speed, often with fatal consequences. The Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) urges individuals and businesses to help mitigate this issue by installing bird-safe films, screens, or window grilles to prevent collisions.

The Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 title was awarded to 14-year-old Spanish photographer Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco for his uniquely captured image of a nuthatch climbing down an oak tree from a creative perspective.

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