Hira Punjabi, 1st Place
“This image was taken in Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, in January 2024.
This is a bird sanctuary where many migratory birds comes here in winter and some residents birds breeds here, January is very cold month and many times there is a mist and fog, I has observed this behavior if birds attacking snake and lizards, as they feed on bird eggs, last 30 years I am going here, but this time I was lucky, for continues observing 4 days the same dry tree, one morning a pair of Parakeets along with some 10 or 12 birds started attacking the lizards, the whole drama lasted for an hour or so, I had managed to shoot many images, but this one is my favorite.”
A bold parakeet defending its territory from a hungry monitor lizard won Hira Punjabi the SINWP Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 competition. Now in its seventh year, the contest is run by the Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers and showcases an extraordinary array of avian beauty.
Punjabi took the image at Keoladeo National Park in the north Indian state of Rajasthan. The accomplished wildlife photographer has been frequenting the park for the last 30 years, making him quite familiar with the behavior of the birds. This includes attacking any lizards or snakes that may try to feed on their eggs. His shot of the parakeet nipping on a monitor lizard's tail was taken during such an event, which lasted more than an hour.
Stunning bird portraits were awarded second and third place. Thomas McDonnell's moody image of a red grouse in flight and Maggie Bullock's fascinating photo of a great grey owl touching down in the snow are worthy prize winners in a field of over 2,300 photos.
As always, the contest benefitted the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, raising nearly $3,600 for the organization. Scroll down to see the winners and our favorites from the Very Highly Commended selection.
Here are the winners of the 2024 SINWP Bird Photographer of the Year contest.
Thomas McDonnell, 2nd Place
“The Photo of the Red Grouse was taken in the North Antrim Hills near the town of Ballycastle.
A friend of mine told me he had seen grouse in the area so I decided to use my free time to look for the grouse. Over a period of a few months of looking I eventually came across two males and a female. The males were calling at one another and flying across the road where I was parked, I watched them for an hour or so taking photos from the car, I decided to get out off the car as I was restricted in my movements, the birds seem to not care of my presence so I stood beside the car as one of the birds came right at me to go across the road to investigate the other bird, luckily I was able to to get the shot as it flew across the road.”
Maggie Bullock, 3rd Place
“This shot of a Great Grey Owl was taken in Finland, near Kuusamo. The bird flew down to take a dead mouse and I managed to take a few shots of it approaching and landing. It was wonderful to see this wild bird in its natural environment against a snowy background. Taken from a raised path, where a step to either side would have resulted in sinking into deep snow, the shot was handheld using a fast shutter speed to capture the action.”
Arne Bivrin, Judge's Choice Award
Thomas McDonnell, Judge's Choice Award
Sue Morris, Judge's Choice Award
Over 2,300 images were entered into the contest, which is now in its seventh year.
Mike Rowe, Very Highly Commended
Gary Neville. Very Highly Commended
Bruce Hargrave, Very Highly Commended
Louise Skelly, Very Highly Commended
John Ellingsen, Very Highly Commended
John Ellingsen, Very Highly Commended
The photo competition is also a fundraiser for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Beverley Thain, Very Highly Commended
Khalid Al-Wdaihi, Very Highly Commended
Mark Meth-Cohn, Very Highly Commended
Mike Rowe, Very Highly Commended
Beverley Thain, Very Highly Commended
Bjorn Stuedal, Very Highly Commended
