Nature's Best Photography Asia

winners gallery 2021

Wildlife Landscape Ocean Small World Birds Junior Video

GRAND PRIZE

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Cooling off

Coochbehar, India

Rahul Singh

Jalpaiguri, India

Photographer's Website

Story: In August 2020 I visited Coochbehar, where there were bushes of these Ornamental Banana (Musa ornata) to click the photos of Sunbird sucking nectar from it. Everything was going as usual but sudenly I was shocked that this crimson started taking a bath in the water stored in the banana flower petal from an early morning drizzle. I was literally stunned to see this unusual behaviour of the bird. I kept my camera's shutter button pressed as the bird took the bath. This was really a once in a lifetime moment. It is amazing how nature can surprise us. In this image the bird was frozen in action with it's head upside down while it was taking bath in the flower petal.

CAMERA: Nikon D7100, Nikon AFS 200-500 f5.6, 1/1600, F/5.6, ISO 720.

Wildlife

WINNER WILDLIFE

Flying Kiss

Kalimantan Rainforest, Indonesia

Lalith Ekanayake

Kotte, Sri Lanka

Story: A baby Borneo Orangutan being fed by its mom whilst hanging on a tree which mimics a “Flying Kiss”. I was on a small boat in Sekonyer River which was very unstable, like being on an undulating platform, hence I handheld the camera to get this difficult but unique shot. Borneo Orangutans belong to the only genus of great apes native to Asia and are a critically endangered species, with deforestation, palm oil plantations, and hunting posing a serious threat to its continued existence. Like the other great apes, orangutans are highly intelligent, displaying tool use and distinct cultural patterns in the wild. Orangutans share approximately 97% of their DNA with humans.

CAMERA: Nikon D5, Nikon 70-200mm/f2.8, 1/4000 F/2.8, ISO 800.

HIGHLY HONORED WILDLIFE

Sunset

Sumoto, Japan

Masuda Shinichi

Tokyo, Japan

Story: About 200 Japanese macaques live on this mountain with a view of the sea. On a chilly autumn evening, this monkey was sitting on a rock at the top of the mountain, turning to the sun and trying to warm himself up a little. Over time, the sunset on the horizon, the sky began to turn orange, and the cold wind blew. After seeing the sunset, he returned to the forest where his troop was. I approached quietly with a wide-angle lens and waited for the sunset in order to photograph this dignified monkey with the vast sea at dusk.

CAMERA: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II , EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM, 1/1000, F/11, ISO 800.

HIGHLY HONORED WILDLIFE

Mother and Child

Qinling Mountains, China

Minqiang Lu

Guangzhou, China

Story: A White headed langur, a national first-class protected animal, is photographed in Chongzuo White Headed Langur Nature Reserve, Guangxi. The female monkey holds a two month old baby monkey on a tree trunk.

Canon 5DS, Canon 400MM F/2.8, 1/640, F/5, ISO 1000.

HIGHLY HONORED WILDLIFE

Family

Sasan Gir, Gujarat, India

Tapan Sheth

RAjkot, India

Photographer's Website

Story: It's always an amazing feeling to see big cats in a green environment. This was one of the memorable moments to see a pride of Asiatic Lions including two lioness and their cubs playing together. It's amazing to see how a mother takes care of cubs from the same pride even though one of them is not her cub. All the cubs were playing and feeling safe with this lioness and I got a chance to capture and witness motherhood.

CAMERA: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, EF500mm F/4L IS II USM, 1/160 F/6.3, ISO 500.

HIGHLY HONORED WILDLIFE

Mouse Taild Bats

Tintoi, Gujarat. India

Bhavik Thaker

Mumbai, India

Photographer's Website

Story: During the Covid pendemic we had moved our base from the city to the country side as we have our Native village in Gujarat where I use to regularly go for birding. Suddenly some one bumped into me and said there is a huge colony of bats near my house but it stinks. I was in total awe looking at the size of the colony of these mouse tailed bats. Actually this was not a cave but an abandoned old house where these little creatures took refuge and somehow made their home as the ambiance was similar to a cave including the darkness and temperature with no disturbances. Everybody was in confusion looking at me shooting them day and night standing in 1 ft of bat guano that stank. Perhaps the pandemic was wrongly blamed on them over human foolishness.

CAMERA: Nikon D500, Nikkor 200-500, 1/500, F/5.6, ISO 250.

HIGHLY HONORED WILDLIFE

One Horned Rhino With Myna

Kaziranga National Park, India

Jayanta Guha

Kolkata, India

Photographer's Website

Story: One-Horned Rhinos are an endengered animal and at the same time it is pride of Assam, India. This shot was taken in the Burapahar range of Kaziranga National Park. Because it was a rainy day, I was the only photographer in that zone, with my guide. Because of heavy rain, I had to struggle, but I got some amazing moments. I was really lucky to capture this moment. It was taken just after the rain. The color of the habitat of this image impressed me the most and the jungle mynas give a special touch in this image.

CAMERA: Nikon D7500, AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR, 1/640, F/5.6, ISO 250.

LANDSCAPE

WINNER LANDSCAPE

Ijen Crater

Kawah Ijen, East Java, Indonesia

Bunyamin Wari

Jakarta, Indonesia

Photographer's Website

Story: Mount Ijen is a volcano located on the border of Banyuwangi Regency and Bondowoso Regency, East Java, Indonesia. This mountain has a height of 2,386 meters above sea level and is located side by side with Mount Merapi. Mount Ijen last erupted in 1999, Climbing this mountain can be started from two places, namely from Banyuwangi or from Bondowoso. When I took this picture I hiked at dusk, starting at 15:00 Western Indonesia time to wait for the sunset over Ijen Crater. The challenge I faced to get a clean sunset was that thick fog often appears in the afternoon which could cover the crater. I was very lucky after so many times of hiking to this crater I finally got the sky and the crater bright enough for me to take pictures when the sun went down. Not only that but also in the afternoon the smell of sulfur also becomes more intense. Ijen Crater is an acidic crater lake located at the top of Mount Ijen with a lake depth of 200 meters and a crater area of 5,466 hectares. Ijen crater lake is known to be the largest strong acid lake in the world.

CAMERA: Sony A7R4, Sony FE 2.8/16-35 GM, 1/6, F/11, ISO 100, Gitzo GK2545T-82QD.

HIGHLY HONORED LANDSCAPE

Rift Valley in Lop Nor

Kumtag Desert, China

Zhiqiang Chen

China

Story: On October 19, 2020, we crossed the no man's land of Lop Nur from Ruoqiang, Xinjiang, it was very windy and the sand was blowing. Lop Nur Grand Canyon was the third stop of our shooting, and the scenery is very magnificent.

CAMERA: NIKON D850, NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, 1/800, F/5.6, ISO 400.

HIGHLY HONORED LANDSCAPE

Sunrise over Bagan, Myanmar

Bagan, Myanmar

Pyae Phyo Thet Paing

Myanmar

Photographer's Website

Story: Sunrise over the ancient city, Bagan. As an iconic place in Myanmar, Bagan is an amazing ancient city, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and also a famous place in Asia. Bagan's Sunrise and Sunset times are so dramatic and peaceful. I captured this photo one morning in winter (January). All over the views are so amazing during this season for the seeing and for the feeling of Bagan's foggy landscaping. To capture this photo, I climbed to the top of the one pagoda's early in the morning before sunrise. I captured the photos by using tripod to get a slow shutter speed and Tele-Photo-Lens to focus on the sunrise with the historical temple's Foreground. I also used a graduated neutral density filter to get a good balanced exposure of the ground and sky. Nowadays in Bagan, it is not allowed to climb any temples or pagodas. So it is very difficult to see Bagan from a high viewpoint.

CAMERA: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC, 1/20, F/11, ISO 100.

HIGHLY HONORED LANDSCAPE

winter cloud

Ural Mountains. Russia

Tatiana Biriukova

Chelyabinsk, Russia

Photographer's Website

Story: This photo was taken on an early frosty morning at the top of the Urenga ridge, South Ural. After spending the night in the mountains in a tent, I woke up and slowly wandered along the top among the snow-covered trees with a camera. Suddenly I saw that a low cloud was floating right in front of my eyes, I quickly ran to the closest low hill to be a little higher and photographed this unusual scene of snow covered trees and a passing cloud.

CAMERA: Canon 5D, Canon 70-200, 1/250, F/10, ISO 100.

HIGHLY HONORED LANDSCAPE

Igniting the Milky Way

Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia,

Alexey Perelygin

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia

Photographer's Website

Story: On the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupts, one of the most active and highest volcanoes in Eurasia. Its height is about 4800 meters. At night, you can clearly see how lava splashes in the crater of the volcano and pours out along the slopes in a huge lava flow for many hundreds of meters, volcanic bombs and ash also fly out. Klyuchevskoy Nature Park is one of the most beautiful places in Kamchatka. It is rightfully called the "Land of Fire and Ice". There are 14 volcanoes in the park, 4 of which are active.

CAMERA: Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, 25 sec, F/2.8, ISO 3200.

HIGHLY HONORED LANDSCAPE

Beautiful water

Fukushima, Japan

kazuaki koseki

Yamagata, Japan

Photographer's Website

Story: I visited this waterfall early in the morning and waited for the light to shine on it. Once I arrived, I looked for the most beautiful composition with the waterfall water cascading down the rocks. Then, when the light shone through, a rainbow occurred, so I attached an ND filter and a polarizing filter to my lens to capture this image. I set the shutter speed to about 4 seconds to capture the most beautiful waterfall.

CAMERA: NIKON D4S, AF-S NIKKOR 70-200 f2.8G ED VRⅡ, 4 sec, F/8, ISO 100.

OCEAN

WINNER OCEAN

Nudibranch Coriphella nobilis mating

Rudnaya Bay, Russia.

Andrey Shpatak

Dalnegorsk, Russia

Photographer's Website

Story: This species of nudibranch Coriphella Nobilis is one of the largest (up to 5 cm) and brightest representatives in the northern part of the Sea of Japan. Its habitat also extends to the more northern seas - Okhotsk and Bering. And I am always glad when I manage to see them. I was lucky to film the process of their matting. It was very beautiful.

CAMERA: Nikon D800, Nikkor 60 mm, 1/320, F/25, ISO 400, Inon Z220.

HIGHLY HONORED OCEAN

Tails

Okinawa, Japan

DAISUKE KURASHIMA

Zushi, Japan

Photographer's Website

Story: The sun was shining beautifully, and a mother and calf humpback whales were swimming below us. Their tail fins shone beautifully in the light. The calf swam to keep up with its mother. The mother whale is always swimming underneath her child to keep an eye on it. A male whale was approaching from below to escort them, but the mother and child swam away unconcerned.

CAMERA: Nikon D850, SIGMA 15mm F2.8 EX DG DIAGONAL FISHEYE, 1/400, F/8, ISO 450.

HIGHLY HONORED OCEAN

Clownfish family

Sogod Bay, Philippines

galice Hoarau

Fauske, Norway

Photographer's Website

Story: This photo of a clownfish family was taken during a dive in Sogod Bay, Philippines.

CAMERA: Nikon D7000, Sigma 70mm macro, 1/320, F/20, ISO 200.

HIGHLY HONORED OCEAN

jellyfish lake

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Luc Rooman

Antwerp, Belgium

Story: The photo of the jellyfish was made on a liveaboard in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. I was snorkeling amongst thousands of jellly fish in Lenmakana jelly fish lake. This was after a hellish scramble through trees, over rocks and up a mountain. We arrived at the lake at 7 am. The more the sun rose, the more the jellyfish came to the surface, a beautiful trip to remember.

CAMERA: Nikon D810, Nikon 8-15 mm Fisheye, 1/125, F/8, ISO 100.

HIGHLY HONORED OCEAN

Fishing

KAWANA, Japan

Ryohei Ito

Saitama, Japan

Photographer's Website

Story: When a frogfish is hungry, it uses a fake bait called esca to lure its prey. It looks like a human is fishing. The esca is very small, and the color is not bright so it blends into the background. So this time I used a snout to light only the face and esca of the frogfish so it could easily be seen.

CAMERA: CANON 5D Mark IV, EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200, F/20, ISO 200, Retra Flash Pro.

HIGHLY HONORED OCEAN

Wobbegong shark on a table coral

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Wai Hoe Mok

Singapore

Photographer's Website

Story: Wobbegong sharks, also known as carpet sharks are found mainly around Australia and Indonesia. The name ‘Wobbegong’ is believed to come from an Aboriginal language, meaning ‘shaggy beard’, which describes its weed-like whisker lobes surrounding the shark’s jaw. Wobbegong sharks are ambush predators and are often found hiding under rocks or corals. This picture was taken in Raja Ampat, Indonesia at a depth of 35 meters. It was rare to find a wobbegong resting completely out in the open on top of a perfect table coral.

CAMERA: Canon 5D III, Canon EF8-15mm f/4L FISHEYE USM, 1/60, F/11, ISO 200, Seacam Seaflash 150D x 2.

SMALL WORLD

WINNER SMALL WORLD

Peep through the Window

Wuhan, China

Yuan Minghui

Taizhou, China

Story: I found this South China tree toad (Annam tree frog) at rest on the foliage of plants in the forest. I watched from underneath through the holes in the leaves, and I focused on the head of the amphibian, which was gazing into the surrounding environment. It's like nature provided a window for me in this exact moment, so I could see into the frog’s world.

CAMERA: Nikon D3S, Tamron AF 90mm/2.8 macro Lens, 1/125, F/11, ISO 800.

HIGHLY HONORED SMALL WORLD

Shining family

Kobe, Japan

MITSUNORI YUASA

Amagasaki, Japan

Photographer's Website

Story: This small glowing mushroom, called Shii no Tomoshibitake in Japanese or heavenly light mushroom in English, is found in only a few places in Japan. Here in Kobe, it grows in a cluster on only one tree in the forest. It only lives for a few days then dies. This cute small mushroom's light is very weak so it is difficult to capture the area surrounding the mushroom. I did not use a light and only used the light of the mushroom to take the photo. These mushrooms grow in groups in the gaps of narrow trees. They are lined up neatly and vertically. They appear to be cuddling like a close family.

CAMERA: SONY α7RⅢ , EF 100mm F2.8L MACRO , 30sec, F/6.7, ISO 6400, Gitzo GT5563GS .

HIGHLY HONORED SMALL WORLD

Guarding

Guangdong, China

Yuhui Hu

China

Story: In early summer, insects have entered the breeding season. An Orno spider is hiding under a green banana leaf in The Gaoming Lutian Nature Reserve in Guangdong province, guarding its jade-colored newborn. The green banana leaf melts into a green world. /span>

CAMERA: Nikon D7100, Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G, 1/125, F/13, ISO 200.

HIGHLY HONORED SMALL WORLD

Spider

Saiong, Perak, Malaysia

Guek Cheng Lim

GOPENG, Malaysia

Photographer's Website

Story: I found this spider in the morning, feeding on its prey an even tinier insect than the already small spider. Droplets from the morning dew can be seen on the leaf it rests on giving character to the image.

Camera: Canon EOS 5DS R, Canon 100mm f2.8 MACRO, 1/125, F/8, ISO 320, YONGNUO YN685.

HIGHLY HONORED SMALL WORLD

rest by the stream

Zhejiang, China

Yong Miao

Guangzhou, China

Story: In Tianmu Mountain Nature Reserve, this stream is gurgling and crystal clear. This is the favorite place for neurobasis chinensis. It stands on the stones in the stream, spreads its wings slightly, and lowers its head slightly to the water, as if it were enjoying its makeup.

CAMERA: Canon EOS-1D x2, Canon180mm, 1/6, F/11, ISO 160.

HIGHLY HONORED SMALL WORLD

Hawk moth caterpillars in different instars

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

K. Jayaram

Coimbatore, India

Story: While, going round my small garden in the morning, I noticed these two Hawk moth caterpillars on a Desert Rose plant. These are Daphnis Nerii ( Nerium Oleander Moths ) moths and had just finished off all the leaves from Adenium obesum plant. Generally, they feed only on Oleander plants but occasionally feed on Adenium obesum plants. Both the moth larvae are in two different instars. The brown one indicates that it is soon going to pupate underground and later emerge as a moth. That evening, I noticed that the brown one had disappeared.

CAMERA: Nikon D 300, Micro Nikkor AFS 2.8 / 105mm ED VR, 1/60, F/22, ISO 200, Nikon SB 800 Speed Light with SC 19 TTL extension cord, Benbo 1 tripod with Gitzo 1275 ball head.

BIRDS

Winner BIRDS

Preening Darter

Keoladeo National Park, India

Sangram govardhane

Adgaon, India

Photographer's Website

Story: This picture was taken during my birding trip to the Keoladeo Ghana bird sanctuary in the state of Rajasthan, Northern India. We were observing and capturing these darters and cormorants busy fishing in the large Mansarovar lake at the center of the park. These birds have wettable plumage which helps them in their underwater fishing technique of ambushing and stabbing their prey fish with the help of their pointed beak and long snake-like neck. However, because of this wettable plumage they become temporarily flightless after their long fishing sessions and need to dry their wings in the sunlight and do proper preening of their feathers. This particular darter decided to take some rest from his hour-long fishing activity and chose a branch close to us for drying its feathers. I took full advantage of the perfect afternoon light and close proximity to the bird and managed to get a sharp behavioral portrait of the darter, drying his feathers and preening at the same time.

CAMERA: Nikon D 500, Nikon 200 - 500, 1/1600, F/5.6, ISO 400.

HIGHLY HONORED BIRDS

Black-winged Kites

Guangdong，China

Shaohua Fang

Jiangxi Province，China

Story: Black-winged Kites are raptors fight for territory and food. On that day I hid and waited for them from early morning. Finally, I saw two Black-winged Kites fighting in the air. It was very exciting and intense.

CAMERA: Canon EOS-1D X Mark III, Canon EF600mm f/4L IS II USM, 1/4000, F/4.5, ISO 640, Gitzo 5332.

HIGHLY HONORED BIRDS

Magic Hour

Hokkaido, Japan

Akira Sato

Kushiro, Japan

Photographer's Website

Story: A pair of Ezo owls sunggled together, watching the last few rays wash over the land. They were bathed in a madder red light, basking in the glow of the setting sun. They are the true meaning of celestial beings.

CAMERA: Nikon D5, NAF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR, 1/200, F/2.8, ISO 220.

HIGHLY HONORED BIRDS

Brood

Mannar, Sri Lanka

Lalith Ekanayake

Kotte, Sri Lanka

Story: Greater Crested Terns (Thalasseus bergii) are one of the migratory birds to Sri Lanka and they habituate during mid-year on remote islands (Sandbanks) off the Palk Strait. Despite an extremely difficult and tiring sea passage and terribly hot and humid condition with zero shelter, I went on numerous occasions to capture their life and habitat. Their behavior really portrays a unique natural history. “Nature is so stunning” I believe. I used a drone to capture their habitat from a different perspective.

CAMERA: DJI Mavic Pro Platinum, DJI; FC220, 1/3200, F/2.2, ISO 800.

HIGHLY HONORED BIRDS

A growing family

Kranji Marshes, Singapore

Tze Siong Tan

Singapore

Photographer's Website

Story: The Olive-backed Sunbird is a common resident in Singapore. They often build their distinctive hanging nests in close proximity to human structures. This family chose Kranji Marshes (a wetland reserve in Singapore) to build their home. Using the surrounding vegetation as a screen, I observed and photographed them with a telephoto set-up. A higher shutter speed was used to freeze the frantic movement of the nestlings during each feeding. Despite practicing nature photography for over 10 years, I continue to be amazed by the beauty and tenacity of these amazing birds; and it is a privilege to capture their behavior with my lens.

CAMERA: Nikon D500, AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR, 1/1000, F/5.6, ISO 800.

HIGHLY HONORED BIRDS

One for the Road

Ranganathittu, Karnataka, India

Zhayynn James

Nungambakkam, India

Photographer's Website

Story: The winter morning fog had just lifted when this spot-billed pelican came in low over the surface of the river to scoop water to carry back to its chicks in the nest. As it skimmed the surface with its lower bill, the water rushing into its stretched lower pouch, dragged its head back and under, momentarily causing it to look back upside-down and dribble its drink. I lay as low as possible in my boat to get down to eye level and made this image at that instant, before it righted its head and flew on, all in just a moment.

CAMERA: Nikon D5, AF-S Nikko 500mm f/4G ED VR, 1/6400, F/4, ISO 1000.

JUNIOR

WINNER JUNIOR

Tangled Together

Kapurthala, India

Arshdeep Singh

Jalandhar, India

Story: I love observing the behaviour of various species in nature. There are such varied and sometimes really complex behaviors in nature. I always learn more every time I’m in the wild. This is an example of why I re-visit the same location throughout the year as one can observe behavior of different wildlife subjects. I went to Kapurthala where I often travel on weekends with my father for bird photography. The rainy season had just finished, I saw a few damselflies around and was observing them. Soon I saw a mating pair of damselflies Coromandel Marsh Dart also known as Yellow Waxtail in a swampy area. I saw them from a short distance, but it was difficult to capture them as they settled on the vegetation. I had no other option but to get into the swamp. To get close to these damselflies I had to wade through the swamp. It was the dense, tangled hostility of the swamp and its enormous size that enabled hundreds, and perhaps thousands of small world species to live here in freedom. I was almost thigh deep in muddy water when I saw them settle in one place for a while. Their mating behavior exhibited a wheel shaped appearance. They formed an interesting pattern when attached to one another. The male continued to remain attached to the female, I got down at an eye level and captured this beautiful moment

CAMERA: Nikon D500, Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF Pro D Macro, 1/1600, F/9, ISO 800.

HIGHLY HONORED JUNIOR

ANGRY BIRD

Liaoning Province，China

Zeyu Zhai

Liaoning Province，China

Story: This photo was taken in November 2020. At that time, I was shooting Red-billed Blue Magpies. Suddenly, a group of White-throated Laughingthrushes flew over. I quickly turned my camera to shoot them. One of them looked very funny, just like my favorite game "ANGRY BIRDS".

CAMERA: NIKON D4, AF-S Nikkor 600mm f/4G ED VR, 1/1000, F/4, ISO 800, GITZO-GT3530ls.

HIGHLY HONORED JUNIOR

Dancing

Shenzhen, China

Yizhi Hu

China

Story: On the morning of April 11, 2021, in Shenzhen Honghu Park, there were fish in the lake, and wild birds kept foraging freely, jumping from one lotus leaf to another. I kept taking photos and got this satisfactory picture.

CAMERA: Cannon EOS-1D X Mark II, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6, 1/1000, F/5.6, ISO 1000.

HIGHLY HONORED JUNIOR

SWEET DREAMS

VALPARAI, INDIA

sitara karthikeyan

coimbatore, India

Story: There was a cute infant snuggled in between its mother and another adult. The peacefulness of the eyes is was struck me as though it was in total bliss tucked cozily between the other two.

CAMERA: CANON 1Dx, CANON 70-200mm F/2.8, 1/160, F/8, ISO 100.

HIGHLY HONORED JUNIOR

RED SCORES THE WIN

Negombo, Sri Lanka

Sudith Rodrigo

Negombo, Sri Lanka

Story: I shot this photo in my home garden. We had a large ipill tree in our backyard, but we had to cut it down since my father was planning to cultivate vegetables. So he cut it down and left it in the corner of our garden. The next day when I was walking around I saw weaver ants on the tree. So I quickly grabbed my camera and shot some photos. In this photo the weaver ants are caring for a queenless ant. With this photo I wanted to show the team work of the ants.

CAMERA: Canon 7D, Canon 50mm 1.8 / 65mm extension tube, 1/200, F/5.6, ISO 200.

HIGHLY HONORED JUNIOR

I C U !

Kapurthala, India

Arshdeep Singh

Jalandhar, India

Story: With growing human-animal conflict and the changes we humans are doing by cutting down the trees has affected millions of birds, mammals and other wildlife. I’m determined to have people notice that we really need to give space to wildlife. It’s a sad thing that many forests are now being converted to industrial towns in my state or are being commercialized, it is really a sad and bad situation. I often travel to Kapurthala city for birds photography on weekends, an area where there are still a few birds in spite of industrialization. During this trip in winter season I was surprised to see that Short Eared Owls were back in town again in spite of industrialization. They come every winter to this place, and I was glad that they were back again this year. I was with my father and I was watching this owl family from far away but soon one of the owls he came straight to the tree guard which was close to us. He looked straight towards me, I was surprised to see this owl at such a close distance. I captured this moment when we were looking at each other eye to eye and I felt that this owl wanted to say to me I C U boy !

CAMERA: Nikon D500, Nikon D500, AF-S NIKKOR 500MM F/4E FL ED VR, 1/1000, F/4, ISO 640.

VIDEO

Green Season in Eastern Hokkaido.

VIDEO WINNER

Green Season in Eastern Hokkaido

East Hokkaido, Japan

makoto ando

Tsurui, Japan

Photographer's Website

Story: Throughout the year, I have been photographing wildlife in the Tohoku Kaido, the southernmost point of the Far North, which is also my home. Photographers from around the world focus on Hokkaido in winter, but the so-called "green" season from spring to autumn also offers wonderful wildlife on a global level. It is possible to observe and photograph the wonderful nature without being too far away from people's living areas. It is important to convey this information to people. I believe that conveying this information will lead to the enlightenment of the importance of nature and consideration for wildlife.

CAMERA: Nikon D850, Nikkor400mmf/2.8E FL VR.

Still Surviving - Indian Skimmer

Video Highly Honored

Still Surviving - Indian Skimmer

Jamnagar, INDIA

Urmil Jhaveri

Jamnagar, India

Photographer's Website

Story: This endangered bird species called " Indian Skimmer or Indian Scissors-bill ( Rynchops albicollis ) and found in India. These birds migrate to Jamnagar, Gujarat and spend their non-breeding time here. I always wanted to document this bird species and during previous winter session I grabed the opportunity and make the most of it. Here I tried presenting the detailed information on this birds through the Videos.

CAMERA: Nikon Z6, NIkon 500mm F4 VR2 Lens, 1/8000, f/4, ISO 800

Herons courtship.

Video Highly Honored

Herons courtship

Ina, Japan

Kengo Kobayashi

Nagano, Japan

Photographer's Website

Story: The breeding season for large herons is very attractive. Their nuptial colors become more vibrant and their decorative feathers more beautiful. And best of all, they are very affectionate. The sight of them touching each other's beaks and grooming each other's feathers is mesmerizing. What I want to convey is the "heart shape" that they were expressing..

CAMERA: OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO, F/5.6-8, 1/60, ISO 200.

Journey Of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

Video Highly Honored

Journey Of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

Rushikulya, Odisha, India

Saurabh Chakraborty

KOLKATA, India

Photographer's Website

Story: Every year the barren beaches of Rushikhulya come alive when thousands & sometimes lakhs of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles, come & lay eggs, a natural historic moment, known as "Arribada", which in Spanish means "Arrival. Before, laying eggs they mate in the sea. And once they lay eggs, after a span of 45-60 days, they hatch & the newly born turtles start their endless journey.

CAMERA: Go Pro Hero 5 & Nikon D7200, Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR, GJoby JB01516-BWW GorillaPod 500

The Jungles Of Nepal

Video Highly Honored

The Jungles Of Nepal

Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Kenneth Lawrence

Mumbai, India

Story: I visited Nepal a few years ago on assignment for a safari lodge. I had access to the wondrous jungles of Chitwan National Park and its many wild inhabitants like the critically endangered Gharial and the vulnerable One-Horned Rhino. Although pugmarks were the closest that I came to a Tiger, I wasn't disheartened and I enjoyed every bit of Chitwan. This video is a glimpse of 4 beautiful days in the Jungles Of Nepal.

CAMERA: Sony A7S II with a EF metabones adapter, Canon 50mm, 70-200mm & 600mm.

Philippines Super Trip

Video Highly Honored

Philippines Super Trip

Central Visayas, Philippines

Timothy Rock

Guam

Photographer's Website

Story: In 2019 a group of like-minded divers put together an itinerary to visit for 12 days the amazing underwater sites of the Central Visayas in the Philippines to include such spots as Dumaguete, Malapascua, Bohol, Cabilao, Balicasag, Cebu, Panglao, Moalboal and more. The trip brought something new and exciting daily as we visited a number of very healthy marine preserves that produced many colorful and unusual invertebrates, a very close encounter with the graceful thresher shark, large shoals of fish, whales sharks, sea turtles galore and stunning, healthy corals. This trip and the resulting video is a testament to the marine protected areas that the Philippines has invested a lot of time and education in to help preserve the reefs and sustain tourism. During these hard times, we wish our hosts the best and hope visitors can soon return to see these ocean wonders.