We are delighted to unveil the stunning winning photographs from the highly anticipated BirdLife Australia Photography Awards 2023! With over 6,000 entries showcasing the exceptional talents of Australia’s top bird photographers, our esteemed panel of judges faced the challenging task of selecting nine winners from each category among a remarkable shortlist of 68 captivating photos. Congratulations to the deserving winners!
A special note of gratitude goes to our sponsors, Nikon Australia and the Lake Cowal Foundation, whose generous support played a pivotal role in making the 2023 Awards a resounding success. Their commitment reflects a shared dedication to the conservation of birds and their habitats, aligning with BirdLife Australia’s century-long mission of safeguarding these magnificent creatures and their ecosystems.
As we celebrate the diversity and beauty of Australia’s avian world through these outstanding images, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Nikon Australia and the Lake Cowal Foundation for their invaluable support in championing the cause of bird conservation through the 2023 Awards.
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#1. Backyard Birds: Winner – Song of the Superb by Nikki Kenwrick
There are several families of Superb Blue Wrens living at my mother’s place, and I often sit and watch them popping around her garden. They are such happy little birds.
#2. Backyard Birds: Finalist – Urban sentinel by Stephen Spence
#3. Backyard Birds: Finalist – Seeing double by Shirley Hitschmann
#4. Backyard Birds: Finalist – Petals of light by Nathan Watson
#5. Backyard Birds: Finalist – Into the light by Michelle Gardner
#6. Bird Behaviour: Winner – Pollen Shower by Guy Draper
I had spent several weeks returning to the same area of the park, watching and photographing a wide variety of native birds feeding on the Grass Trees. After taking a lot of front lit shots, I set myself the challenge of getting some “last light” backlit shots, capturing some behaviour with warmer light. I knew the instant I checked the back of the camera with this image that I’d captured a special moment, as the Yellow-faced Honeyeater showered itself in pollen as it plucked the flower from the stem!
#7. Bird Behaviour: Finalist – Bloomsome by Cheng Kang
#8. Bird Behaviour: Finalist – The morning dance by Lawrence Chan
#9. Bird Behaviour: Finalist – Have you heard the one about… by Franciscus Scheelings
#10. Bird Behaviour: Finalist – Gang-gang jibber jabber by Ben Harvey
#11. Bird Portrait: Winner – Piercing by Colin Driscoll
Just on sunset a female Australasian Darter looks up from preening after her final successful fishing session for the day. These birds are so angular it is difficult to get an interesting composition. This shot captures what these birds do under water. One can imagine this is the last thing a fish sees as the long neck launches that bill piercing it like a spear fisher would.
#12. Bird Portrait: Finalist – Caught in the rain by Jacqui Davey
#13. Bird Portrait: Finalist – Cityslicker by Nathan Watson
#14. Bird Portrait: Finalist – Cockatoo close-up by Kate Burgess
#15. Bird Portrait: Finalist – Yin and Yang by James Bowden
#16. Birds In Flight: Winner – Fingertips by Kate Burgess
Being able to capture both the ‘fingertips’ of the feathers in flight and the cockatoo’s head and feet in the background makes this a magical image for me. Shooting in burst mode enabled me to capture just the right composition.
#17. Birds In Flight: Finalist – Airborne Grebe by Nathan Watson
#18. Birds In Flight: Finalist – Where there is smoke there is fire by Martin Anderson
#19. Birds In Flight: Finalist – Leapfrog by Jason Moore
#20. Birds In Flight: Finalist – Sibling rivalry by Emma Parker
#21. Birds In The Landscape: Winner – Morning! Time to get moving by Veronica McPhail
Being able to capture both the ‘fingertips’ of the feathers in flight and the cockatoo’s head and feet in the background makes this a magical image for me. Shooting in burst mode enabled me to capture just the right composition.
#22. Birds In The Landscape: Finalist – Caped Crusader by Veronica McPhail
#23. Birds In The Landscape: Finalist – Wetlands dawn by Diana Andersen
#24. Birds In The Landscape: Finalist – New Holland Honeyeater – wetland setting by Daniel Cavell
#25. Birds In The Landscape: Finalist – Rainbow Bee-eaters by Jason Moore
#26. Human Impact: Winner – Curlew construction consideration by Gregory Abbott
One night in April I went down to pick up a passenger off the late ferry. The Macleay Island jetty (then still under major reconstruction) was deserted except for myself and this attentive Bush Stone-Curlew. Both of us waiting. The Curlew just stood there as if the construction, signs, lights and dead machinery had stumped it. I slowly walked to within a few metres and took the shot with my phone, then retreated a little. I too was somewhat stunned at the implications for wildlife of the multi-million dollar upgrade to jetty and the extended parking areas. I stood with the Curlew for a while. Then quietly I retreated to take a fenced in, man-made detour to the jetty proper. The concrete concentrations. Mine. The curlew’s… where will it go?
#27. Human Impact: Finalist – Anguish by Kim Wormald
#28. Human Impact: Finalist – Crime scene by Katherine Firth
#29. Human Impact: Finalist – Helpless by Bruno Urquhart
#30. Human Impact: Finalist – Escaping the skyscrapers by Nathan Watson
#31. Special Theme: Winner – Jambalaya on the Bayou by Jason Moore
The somewhat messy, but beautifully coloured background inspired the title of this image. For those of you that don’t know, The Carpenters released a hit song in the 70’s called Jambalaya on the Bayou. It was a happy song with a tuneful beat, and it spoke of life on the Bayou… my thoughts of a Bayou include water everywhere, flooded cypress trees with Spanish Moss hanging from their branches, and swampland with wading birds…
#32. Special Theme: Finalist – Big Chief by Michael Toms
#33. Special Theme: Finalist – Water trails by Rebecca Harrison
#34. Special Theme: Finalist – David & Goliath by David Stowe
#35. Special Theme: Finalist – Silhouetted Stilt by Nathan Watson
#36. Youth: Winner – Wings spread by Tai M
During a walk along the Victoria Quay I was shooting some photos of the seagulls flying around me, I noticed there were moments where they would fly directly above me. I tried for a shot like this one a few times but failed until I eventually captured one of the birds scratching itself mid flight.
#37. Youth: Finalist – Sugar addict by D’Artagnan Sprengel
#38. Youth: Finalist – Warbling by Austin Ridley-Jarvis
#39. Youth: Finalist – Please ‘Stand UP 4 Nature’ by Spencer Hitchen
#40. Portfolio: Winner – Where there is smoke there is fire by Martin Anderson
In order to capture this sequence I spend two full days per week for a two month period, at the same location, observing and learning the behaviours of the Spotted Harriers in the Richmond area of NSW. I became quite attuned to their daily routine and achieved many close up flight shots. On this day however, the Spotted Harrier came from an unexpected direction, at an unexpected time and it brought unexpected company with it – a Brown Falcon. I had absolutely no time to make settings changes, thankfully they were in the ball park.
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