Bird Photographer of the Year 2021 Shortlist

The finalists for the Bird Photographer of the Year 2021 competition have been chosen. More than 22,000 images from 73 different countries were entered into the competition. Winners will be announced on the 1st of September 2021, with the winning images to feature in a book published by William Collins.

Here at TSOP we’ve made a selection of some of the images from the shortlist. Enjoy these fantastic pictures and tell us what you think in the comments below.

Mario Suarez Porras

Bar-tailed Godwit

This image shows a Bar-tailed Godwit, photographed in the late evening on my local beach at Gijón in northern Spain. Because it was really dark I was able to crawl towards the godwit without causing any disturbance. This beach is a good place for migrant shorebirds, particularly in autumn, and they always provide excellent photographic opportunities. The wet sand framing the godwit looks like it is on fire.

Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 300mm f/2.8 II lens and 1.4x teleconverter. 420mm focal length; 1/5,000th second; f/4; ISO 640.

Brian Matthews

European shag

Is there any food left? In this image, a hungry juvenile Shag literally dives down its mother throat for more fish rather than waiting for it to be fully regurgitated. It was taken on the Farne Islands, one of the most accessible 'Puffin Islands' in the UK. A short boat trip from Seahouses in Northumberland drops you into another world of Puffins, Guillemots and ravenous Shags. Spending time with this family I managed to get some great behavioural shots. The Farne Islands aren't just about Puffins!

Canon 1DX with Canon 500mm f/4 lens. 500mm focal length; 1/1,250th second; f/4; ISO 800

Daniel Zhang

Hamerkop

This photo was taken in Zimanga Private Reserve, South Africa during my summer holiday. I was on a photography trip with my father. Although the toad appeared to be jumping into the hamerkop’s mouth, in reality, the bird was throwing its prey into the air in order to kill it. The toad was also dabbed onto the ground several times by the bird’s beak. I felt very excited to have taken this shot.

Canon EOS 1DX with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 II lens. 164mm focal length; 1/800th second; f/ 5; ISO 20,000.

Daniela Anger

Red-billed oxpecker

In the South Luangwa National Park you can watch a Hippo colony from a water-level hide. In addition to their human admirers, the water-loving mammals also receive a lot of attention from the local Red-billed Oxpeckers who seek a close encounter for more practical reasons. The birds and the Hippos have evolved a symbiotic relationship: the oxpeckers feed on external parasites and the Hippos benefit from the hygienic makeover. This image shows two oxpeckers sitting on a very relaxed Hippo: all parties seem entirely comfortable with the relationship.

Canon 5D Mark IV with Canon 500mm f/4 II lens and 1.4x teleconverter. 700mm focal length; 1/800th second; f/5.6; ISO 160.

Fahad Alenezi

White-tailed sea-eagle

In winter, food for most animals is in short supply in northern latitudes and many species, including this Red Fox, take greater risks than they would normally do to survive. In this photo a particularly bold fox has ventured close to an area where eagles were feeding. One White-tailed Sea-eagle took exception to the incursion and gave the fox what looks like a good slap with its wings. That’s an encounter I imagine the fox will never forget.

Canon 1DX Mark II with Canon 600mm f/4 III lens. 600mm focal length; 1/3,200th second; f/8; ISO 800.

Irma Szabo

Great cormorant

Until I took this photo I must admit that Cormorants weren’t my favourite birds. They are good at fishing, which doesn’t always make them welcome at fish ponds in my country. However, in winter 2020 Cormorants were present in front of a bird hide I was using on several occasions, and I had nothing else to photograph. I gradually came to realize they are actually rather pretty birds, especially in breeding plumage with beautiful green eyes and shiny, dark green feathers. Sometimes they came very close, so I decided to take a portrait. I managed to capture this special moment when a Cormorant was just about to swallow its prey and the fish seemed to be flying into its beak.

Canon 1DX with Sigma 150-600mm f/5-5.3 Contemporary lens. 600mm focal length; 1/3,200th second; f/6.3; ISO 1,600.

Zdeněk Jakl

Mallard duck

I took the photograph on a pond in a beautiful park in a quiet part of the city of Prague. As a family of Mallard ducklings swam past me, one of them began to chase a flying fly. It highlighted the fact that the instinct to feed is a powerful force even in the young, but of course the behaviour itself was comical from a human perspective. Regardless of how you view what’s going on, it certainly makes for an interesting photograph and a moment in time in a duckling’s life captured for posterity.

Nikon Z 6 with Sigma 500mm f/4 Sport lens. 500mm focal length; 1/1,600th second; f/5.6; ISO 500.

James Wilcox

American Oystercatcher

My favourite time of year is when the American Oystercatcher chicks hatch. I love getting to the beach at sunrise to watch and photograph family interactions. This young oystercatcher is old enough to forage but still relies on its parents for food because its beak hasn't developed the strength to open the shells of molluscs and crustaceans. This shot was taken in between waves, with the wet sand providing a bit of uplighting.

Nikon D850 with Nikon 600mm f/4 lens and 1.7x teleconverter. 1,000mm focal length; 1/1,250th second; f/8; ISO 400.

Tzahi Finkelstein

Great cormorant

I took this photograph of a fishing cormorant on a lake that was a 30-minute drive from home. Due to Covid19 restrictions in 2020, I had a lot of time on my hands and I went to this spot almost every day. Eventually persistence paid off and I was able to get this close-up, detailed image. Although the lake had up to15 cormorants feeding on it, photographing them was a matter of luck because you never knew where they might appear next, or whether they would have a fish in their beaks. After I took this photo, I never saw another one hunting in this spot again.

Nikon D500 with Nikon 500mm f/4 lens and 1.4x teleconverter. 700mm focal length; 1/2,000th second; f/5.6; ISO 320.

Anupam Chakraborty

Black-tailed godwits

Here we see two Black-tailed Godwits engaged in a fierce territorial battle, the location for this being an area of prime habitat in India’s beautiful Manglajodi wetland. Why were they fighting? As they are seasonal migratory visitors to my country, and don’t nest here, the fight obviously had nothing to do with establishing and protecting breeding territories. Instead, each bird was fighting to maintain its predominance over feeding grounds and trying to fend off rivals who would compete for the same food. Captured at the moment of contact, both godwits were attacking each other with their long beaks and gangly legs.

Nikon D850 with Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF lens. 500mm focal length; 1/2,000th second; f/5.6; ISO 360.

Taku Ono

Hooded crane

When I arrived at a well-known wintering haunt of Hooded Cranes in Japan it was disappointingly overcast. And what’s more I was about to go home. However, I realized that an area of the clouds was gradually dissipating as the sun rose, and I decided to stay a while - just in case. Almost miraculously, a streak of sunlight shone through and highlighted a small group of flying cranes. I thanked the cranes, beloved by Japanese people as "the bird of happiness", for bringing me this good luck!

Canon 7D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 II lens. 400mm focal length; 1/250th second; f/5.6; ISO 100.

Thomas Vijayan

Emperor penguins

The Emperor Penguin is the tallest and heaviest of its kind and is endemic to Antarctica. These flightless birds breed in the winter and after a courtship lasting several weeks, the female lays a single egg then leaves! Each penguin egg's father balances it on his feet and covers it with his brood pouch, a very warm layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg cozy. There the males stand, for about 65 days, through icy temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding storms. Finally, after about two months, the females return from the sea, bringing food which they regurgitate to feed the now-hatched chicks. The males eagerly leave for their own fishing session at sea, and the mothers take charge of parental care for a while. As the young penguins grow, adults leave them in groups called crèches while they go off to fish. Five years later, if they survive their time at sea, those young penguins will return to become parents themselves. There is a reason for the timing of Emperor Penguins' hatching. By December, when the Antarctic weather has warmed somewhat, the ice the penguins occupy begins to break up, bringing open waters closer to the nesting sites. To take this image, I was lying flat on the ground. I did this because objects lower than penguin height are less intimidating to the birds. Consequently, they spent plenty of time beside me, meaning I could capture some beautiful shots. On this particular trip, I walked an average of eight hours each day in search of a perfect image.

Nikon D5 with Nikon 400mm f/2.8 lens. 400mm focal length; 1/5,000th second; f/3.5; ISO 280.

Diana Schmies

Mute swan

Mute Swans typically don't breed until they are at least three years old. But it is not uncommon for elements of courtship behaviour to be seen earlier, as happened with this couple. Apparently not concerned by the age difference, this adult male was intent on wooing an immature female, and his interest appeared to be reciprocated. Classic courtship rituals were performed, like raising the necks and turning their heads sideways while keeping their breasts pressed against each other. Even though photographing these displaying swans on a misty morning required planning, a little luck was also needed when it came to the birds aligning parallel to my camera.

Nikon D500 with Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 lens. 290mm focal length; 1/800th second; f/6.3; ISO 400.

Brad James

Tufted duck

It's always a pleasure when you are able to capture both male and female of the same species in one image. I often find it tricky with waterfowl as they tend to overlap in some way. Consequently, I was very pleased when this scene lined up perfectly, with the drake framed and referenced by the out of focus duck in the background. To obtain this image I lay motionless on the edge of the pond, practically at water level.

Nikon D850 with Nikon 500mm f/4 lens. 500mm focal length; 1/320th second; f/5.6; ISO 720

Andy Parkinson

Mute swan

Over the years I have developed a bond of trust with a group of Mute Swans and on this occasion it paid dividends. This trusting relationship allowed me to capture this most intimate perspective: an infant cygnet resting its head peacefully on its sleeping mother. The female swan trusted me implicitly to stand this close and my accepted presence caused her not the slightest concern.

Nikon D4S with Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens. 120mm focal length; 1/500th second; f/14; ISO 3,200.

For more information on the competition click here.

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