15 Pictures of Finalists of the 2021 Bird Photographer of The Year Awards

by Andrew Alpin · April 29, 2021

11Grey Herons- Terry Whittaker

Part of Amsterdam’s tourist attraction these days are the grey herons. These birds can be seen scavenging for fish in the fish markets. They particularly like to wait till the stalls start closing to pick up the discarded scraps from the day. As dozens of birds compete for the slim pickings, altercations are a common sight.

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12American Oystercatcher- James Wilcox

vJames Wilcox whose picture of an American Oystercatcher with its chick that made it to the finals of the 2021 Bird Photographer Of The Year Awards revealed that he was always passionate about these birds. His favorite time of the year was when their chicks hatch. He always made it to the beach at sunrise to watch and photograph the birds’ interactions with their young ones.

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13Mute Swan- Diana Schmies

While mute swans typically don’t breed until they are at least three years old, they still can be seen displaying elements of courtship behavior at an early age. This is the case with these swans. The couple consisting of an elder male and an immature female can be seen engaging in this behavior as both swans seem interested in each other in the picture.

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14Fiery-Throated Hummingbird- Gail Bisson

A restaurant where the photographer decided to stop at for lunch in Costa Rica had multiple hummingbird feeders located throughout the property. Naturally the tiny birds were attracted to the feeders filled with sugary water which attracted many insects. This is when he captured this picture of a fiery-throated hummingbird which was resting on a perch a few feet away.

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15Emperor Penguins- Thomas Vijayan

The emperor penguins are inhabitants of the coldest continent on Earth- Antarctica. These birds mainly breed in winter and the females always lay a single egg. The males then keep the eggs warm while the females go off to hunt for fish at sea. Thomas Vijayan was able to capture this magnificent shot of this emperor penguin family which got him into the finals of the 2021 Bird Photographer Of The Year Awards.