The Winners Of The 2021 Audubon Photography Awards Are Breathtaking
STORK RAVEN MAD
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After months of quarantining inside many North Americans have taken up bird-watching as a hobby and the birds outside have continued to go on their merry way, unaware of a global pandemic afflicting humans. Many of these birders have been lucky to take some eye-popping photographs of our feathered friends.

In that spirit, the winners of the National Audubon Society's 2021 Audubon Photography Awards were announced this week, and they're a testament to the extraordinary beauty of nature.

After sifting through 8,770 images and 261 videos taken by 2,416 photographers representing all 50 states, Washington D.C. and 10 Canadian provinces and territories, the National Audubon Society announced eight different prizes across five divisions. Here are some of our favorites, with stories behind the shot, courtesy of Audubon.org.

Grand Prize: Carolina Fraser

Greater Roadrunner. Photo: Carolina Fraser/Audubon Photography Awards/2021 Grand Prize

One of my favorite places to take photographs is among the oil pumps and open space at Los Novios Ranch in South Texas, where wildlife weaves through cacti and birds perch on fence posts. On a blazing hot summer day just before sunset, I found myself lying facedown at an uncomfortable angle, my elbows digging into a gravel path as I photographed this roadrunner. I manually adjusted the white balance until I captured the bird bathed in golden sunlight as it took a dust bath.

Professional Award Winner: Steve Jessmore

Northern Cardinal. Photo: Steve Jessmore/Audubon Photography Awards/2021 Professional Award Winner

On a bitterly cold winter day I went searching for eagles and Snowy Owls in rural Michigan. Cruising side roads, I noticed a Rough-legged Hawk perched atop a pine tree, but all I captured was its tail as it flew away. It was then that I spotted a male Northern Cardinal flying from plant to plant, feeding on the seeds, his red feathers reflected in the bright white snow flecked with ice crystals. I took the first shot when he took flight. By the second frame, the striking songbird was gone.

Amateur Award Winner: Robin Ulery

Sandhill Crane. Photo: Robin Ulery/Audubon Photography Awards/2021 Amateur Award Winner

For three years I've watched a pair of Sandhill Cranes that nest near my house, observing and photographing them from my kayak. On a blustery day this spring, I took my camera and paddled out to check on them. Two colts had finally hatched. The wind, though, made for a challenging photo shoot. There was no solid land to anchor to, and I bounced up and down, sometimes missing the birds completely. So I increased my shutter speed and ISO to compensate. Capturing this scene under those conditions felt like a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Youth Award Winner: Arav Karighattam

Purple Sandpiper. Photo: Arav Karighattam/Audubon Photography Awards/2021 Youth Award Winner

I was searching for eiders, scoters, and other diving ducks along the Atlantic coast on a cold February day. Suddenly a Purple Sandpiper flock landed right next to me. The birds fed, chatted, chirped, and chased each other, occasionally fluttering up when the waves washed over the shore. As the weather turned gustier, the sandpipers preened and settled down amid the rocks. I lay down flat, close to the water's edge. I positioned my camera, resting it on a rock, and focused on one of the Arctic visitors, the purple in its feathers highlighted by the morning sun.

Fisher Prize: Patrick Coughlin

Anna's Hummingbird. Photo: Patrick Coughlin/Audubon Photography Awards/2021 Fisher Prize

For me, photographing feeding hummingbirds is a near-perfect combination of challenge and reward. In the spring, Anna's, Allen's, Rufous, Costa's, and Calliope Hummingbirds—many of them adult males with glittering gorgets—sip nectar from purple pride of Madeira flowers in this preserve. When I looked through the photographs that I shot one spring day, this image of a relatively unassuming female, a juvenile Anna's Hummingbird, immediately grabbed my attention. Though most of the bird is obscured by blooms, I caught that momentary flicker of eye contact through the petals.

Plants for Birds Award Winner: Shirley Donald

Red-winged Blackbird and lily pad. Photo: Shirley Donald/Audubon Photography Awards/2021 Plants For Birds Award Winner

On an early July morning, I peeled the camouflage tarp off my canoe hidden in the marsh grasses along the edge of a small lake and stepped in, careful not to tip over. Paddling out amid the water lilies, I saw male Red-winged Blackbirds pluck dragonflies from the air to feed their nestlings. Females took a different tack: They hopped from lily pad to lily pad, plucking out insects inside the yellow and white flowers. I steadied my camera by setting it on my equipment bag, which was sitting on the floor, and shot away.

Video Award Winner: Bill Bryant

Red-tailed Hawk. Photo: Bill Bryant/Audubon Photography Awards/2021 Video Award Winner

Over several days I watched a pair of Red-tails taking advantage of the strong early summer winds streaming down from the Rockies, hovering in midair while scanning the foothills for mice and ground squirrels. This one floated almost level with my lens. His head stayed still while his body moved, his wings and tail steadying him and his dangling feet acting as ballast.

Professional Honorable Mention: Steve Jessmore

Red-tailed Hawk. Photo: Steve Jessmore/Audubon Photography Awards/2021 Professional Honorable Mention

I was hiking on a snowy, dark winter afternoon with a new camera and lens combination when a friend spotted a female Red-tailed Hawk. She flew out of sight, but we found her nearby jumping and grabbing leaves, trying to get her missed prey to reappear. When an eastern chipmunk ran from beneath the debris a few minutes later, the hawk quickly caught it and carried it to a tree. It was incredible to see that connection between predator and prey—one that I don't usually get to share in a wildlife photo.

Amateur Honorable Mention: Tom Ingram

I had heard that a pair of Peregrine Falcons had built a nest near a cliffside hiking trail in La Jolla, so on a spring day I set off with the hopes of photographing them. As I walked, the raptors made screea calls and circled above. I stopped along the trail and watched a bird that had snatched an Acorn Woodpecker, commonly found in the palm trees nearby. The raptor landed on a ledge littered with feathers from past kills and began plucking the woodpecker, the feathers fluttering over the cliff's edge as it prepared its meal.

[See more photos at Audubon]

James Crugnale is an associate editor at Digg.com.

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