One of the many reasons we love bird photography is its ability to provides us with intimate glimpses into avian lives: fascinating behaviors caught mid-act; parents feeding hungry—and ridiculously cute—chicks; a Cedar Waxwing gorging on the berries of a native plant. But what happens what you zoom out?
For 2024, the Audubon Photography Awards introduced an exciting new category: The Birds in Landscapes Prize. The motivation? To inspire photographers to not just capture extraordinary images of birds, but to also show the diverse environments—natural and unnatural—they live and thrive. Capturing a bird within this larger context delivers a different sort of challenge, one that can also provide a new way of understanding the subject and its home.
This year’s winning image of a California Quail surveying its shrubby habitat delivered on all fronts, impressing our judges with its lighting, composition, and a fresh yet familiar perspective. But as usually happens with any category of the photo awards, there were so many compelling entries that we couldn’t only share one. If after perusing the gallery below you’re interested in learning more about landscape photography, check out these tips, And if you want to take part in next year’s Audubon Photography Awards, mark your calendar—entry opens in January!
Brown Pelican by Morgan Quimby (above)
Location: Monterey, California
Behind the shot: I am a photographer and researcher for Monterey Bay Whale Watch in California. I not only take photos of whales, but as a birder I like to focus just as much on capturing the bay’s avian denizens. Brown Pelicans are a fun subject, as their feeding strategy is dynamic and a challenge to photograph. The interspecies relationships between different commonly sighted species like humpback whales and Brown Pelicans is one of the things that fascinates me most, and capturing it in a photo has always been a goal. On this day, we encountered a quintessential feeding frenzy—hundreds of sea lions, thousands of seabirds from several gull and tern species, and the iconic Brown Pelicans joined the gathering of 30 humpbacks that were lunge feeding on massive bait balls of anchovies. I was able to capture this image toward the end of the encounter, when the whales slowed and the pelicans started to to dive for scattered anchovies.
Belted Kingfisher by Jeff More
Location: Emigrant, Montana
Behind the shot: On a frigid morning with temperatures hitting -35 degrees, I headed to the Yellowstone River near Emigrant, Montana. There, I was taking pictures of the willows and cottonwoods, both encased in hoarfrost, when a lone Belted Kingfisher landed on a branch above a steamy outlet from the main river. Despite its tiny size, the kingfisher’s silhouette stands out amid the impressive winter wonderland.
American Crow by Liron Gertsman
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Behind the shot: In many urban places in the world, crows are among the most abundant wildlife species. That is certainly the case in my home city of Vancouver. Every night, the thousands of crows that live throughout the city and surrounding areas gather to roost in nearby Burnaby. Part of their roost is next to the highway, which is illuminated by bright lights at night. On an extremely rainy evening in fall 2023, I headed out to document the birds. The bright highway lights backlit the falling rain and gave a beautiful glow to the droplets covering the trees. Looking for natural framing, I found this composition and photographed a single crow in the rain through a small gap in the tree branches. With some wind blowing and the rain constantly changing, I shot hundreds of images to get the frame I was hoping for. I used a shutter speed of 1/80 of a second to give me the streaking rain droplets that I had in mind.
Rock Pigeon by Gail Bisson
Location: Dominion, Nova Scotia, Canada
Behind the shot: There is an old church in Dominion, Nova Scotia that has been closed and slated for demolition for a few years. As I drove past the church after a morning of photography at the beach, I noticed that vandals had broken some of the windows. I stopped to look at the damage when several birds flew out of one window. I grabbed my camera and watched as this Rock Dove perched on the window frame. The cloudy light brought out the iridescent pinks, purples, and greens on the breast. I loved the scene, with the frosted glass panes and the peeling blue and white paint on the sill and shingles surrounding the bird.
King Penguin by Kimberly Jeffries
Location: Crozet Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Behind the shot: Capturing this image of King Penguins swimming through the dense kelp forests in the Crozet Islands was both a thrilling challenge and an awe-inspiring experience. Equipped with a rebreather system that allows for extended underwater stays without releasing bubbles, I was able to observe the penguins closely without disturbing their natural behavior. The camera, encased in a Nauticam underwater housing, was crucial for withstanding the harsh underwater conditions and capturing the vivid details of this surreal scene. The journey to this remote location was fraught with difficulties, from navigating treacherous ocean currents to adapting to the unpredictable weather patterns typical of the sub-Antarctic. Despite these challenges, the sight of the King Penguins elegantly navigating through the kelp was profoundly moving. This photograph aims to showcase their beauty while highlighting the importance of preserving these unique underwater forests.
Great Blue Heron by Jay Grate
Location: Kennewick, Washington
Behind the shot: The marina at Clover Island in Kennewick, Washington is located on the quiet reservoir pools created by the McNary Dam on the Columbia River. On a chilly late November morning, in low wintry sunlight, the roof structures and boat houses of the marina provided a graphic background of lines, geometric shapes, and colors. Dwarfed by this built environment, a Great Blue Heron stood motionless on one leg near the edge of a corrugated metal roof, overlooking the water and warming itself in the sun. I took the picture from near the end of the road that connects the island to the river shore, positioning myself among the riprap and using a long telephoto lens (600 mm equivalent field of view). The presence of the sharply focused bird brought the scene to life, and its colors harmonize with the shades of blue and gray in the background.
Adelie Penguins by David Hartley
Location: Weddell Sea, Antarctica
Behind the shot: We had just spent six days docked in the ice at Snow Hill Island, but due to poor weather conditions, we were only able to spend four hours at an Emperor Penguin rookery on the first day. The icebreaker started to make its journey back from the Weddell Sea to the Antarctic Peninsula. During this time, I wanted to photograph both the sea ice and the surrounding scenery. From previous experience, I knew that it was good to alternate photographing from both the low decks and the upper decks of the icebreaker to get different perspectives of the ice. While on the highest deck, I spotted a group of Adelie Penguins tobogganing. This is an efficient and fast method for them to travel over the ice. With their body and flippers making tracks in the snow, I quickly framed the shot and took a number of photographs.
Dusky Grouse by Charlie Sandbo
Location: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Behind the shot: On a crisp May morning, the magnificent Teton Range stood out against dawn’s pink pastel sky. I had one of the continent’s most beautiful vistas completely to myself—or so I thought. Setting up my camera, a soft rustle in the bushes and an unfamiliar call grabbed my attention. On full alert, I focused my ears, careful not to blink. This is one of the reasons I love wildlife photography; I rejoin the natural world with all of my senses. A flurry of feathers sprung up before me—a male Dusky Grouse! So much for being alone. His low clucking and hooting exposed the bright red patch of bumpy skin on his neck. “Beautiful,” I thought. “But how am I going to frame this?” He hopped onto a nearby wooden guardrail. “Problem solved!” I crouched and began snapping away, trying to time my photos with his calls.
Mixed Shorebird Flock by Jean Hall
Location: Marco Island, Florida
Behind the shot: As Audubon shorebird stewards, we kayak out to an emergent sandbar on weekends to educate the public about the decline and fragility of shorebird populations. I took this photo because of the stark contrast of the large resting flock—primarily made up of Marbled Godwits, Willets, and Black Skimmers—with a tall condo building in the background. These shorebirds face enormous challenges, including jet ski tours, dogs on the beach, fishing line, red tide, disruptive beachgoers, and natural predators. As a volunteer group, we are providing outreach to mitigate the harm and loss of bird habitat in Florida.
Red- bellied Woodpecker by Rosy Espinoza
Location: Palm Beach, Florida
Behind the shot: While vacationing in West Palm Beach, I visited the Frenchman’s Forest Natural Area looking to photograph some native birds. I decided to hike the longest trail to enjoy different sceneries and immerse myself in the vegetation that provides a vast habitat for wildlife. After I passed through a big mosquito cloud, I looked back and saw in the distance this Red-bellied Woodpecker having a feast. I got on my knees, and using a long lens to stay distant behind some shrubs, I captured this image. I was impressed by the bird’s agility while feeding on the mosquitoes. I loved the texture the saw palmettos and other native plants gives to the image. It reminds me of the importance of conserving natural habitats like this.
European Starling by Nancy Boom
Location: North Truro, Massachusetts
Behind the shot: Living on Cape Cod, where the light is magical, I find myself out every day with my camera. One of my favorite places to photograph is Days’ Cottages—a row of beachfront cottages built in the 1930s. They sit on a narrow strip of sand in North Truro in upper Cape Cod, and today these 23 iconic cottage are often filmed, painted, and photographed by visitors. The day in early October that I captured this photo was special. The members of the Massachusetts Cruisers Car Club were participating in the annual Route 6 Cruise to Provincetown. My two passions are photography and classic cars, so each year when the Cruisers visit the Cape, I ask them to stop by the cottages for me to photograph two classics together—the cars and the cottages.
