Penguin Sliding on Ice Adds Light Touch in Photo Contest Devoted to Avian Grandeur and Death

A guiding principle of the Bird Photographer of the Year contest is “celebrating bird life from around the world,” but this year’s overall winner instead focuses on avian death. Patricia Homonylo’s “When Worlds Collide” depicts thousands of dead birds, victims of building collisions, arranged in concentric circles.

“Each year more than one billion birds die in North America alone due to collisions with windows,” says Homonylo. “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.” (See the Fatal Light Awareness Program for more info.)

The rest of the winners are less funereal, and more celebratory, of feathered friends. Bence Máté’s portfolio captures the “curiosity, harmony, fight for survival and spectacular moments” of assorted wetland waders.

A penguin skidding across the ice – “A Modern Dancer” by Nadia Haq – takes the Comedy Bird Photo honors. In the Urban Birds category, “Treacherous Journey,” by Grzegorz Długosz is one of the few images to include humans, although in this case they’re in the background, out of focus. (In focus is a family of grebes, navigating a city street.)

The annual global contest is a showcase for the beauty of birds and the skills of photographers, but its raison d'etre is conservation. Visit the contest website to see projects supported by the organization and how you can contribute to the causes. While there, peruse all the winning photos, as well as a no-less-impressive collection of runners-up.
If moving pictures are more your thing, check out Malkolm Boothroyd’s winning video, “Into a World of Ice,” here.