Eyecatchers

Underwater Ballet

California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) playing in a kelp for-est off Santa Barbara Island, California, USA.

“Spoiler alert... the sea lion in the background is actually the same size as the one in the foreground! They were all juveniles that were playing with us, and the left one just looks smaller due to the way they lined up. We were just off Santa Barbara Island, California, and had a unique weather window – a blue sky, sunny day with a flat sea. It doesn’t get much better than that! There was a pretty strong cur-rent, so I wrapped a strand of kelp around my leg to help me stay in one place, and the sea lions would take turns zooming past. The current appeared to have no effect on their movement, which was like a cross between a ballet dancer and a torpedo.”

Photographer: David FleethamImage number: 1582769

Cover Page - Seeing RedTreehopper (Alchisme grossa) Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.

“Treehoppers are one of the most amazing groups of insects: they have many shapes and colours, usually only live for a few months, and can be found on all continents except Antarctica. I found this orange leaf with approximately 30 treehoppers in a cloud forest of the Ecuadorian Western Slopes. As they are very shy animals they can be tricky to photograph. Moving very slowly, I managed to take this shot, where you can see the shape and colour of the treehop-per, in contrast with the uniformly orange leaf.”

Photographer: Lucas BustamanteImage number: 1584710

Sunrise with the Kings

King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) at sunrise, Falklands. Highly honoured in the Ocean View Category of the Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice Ocean View Competition 2017

“I spent a few mornings observing the behaviour of these King penguins. They would come down from their colony pre-dawn and spend a few minutes on the beach, almost like they were greeting the new day. If we approached, they would slowly move off - so it was difficult to photograph them properly. That was until I started lying down on the beach at their level, waiting for them to approach me. Over the next few days, I had some really amazing moments with these penguins, while I was lying completely soaked in the icy cold water. I could not be in a better place...!

The water was extremely cold and I was completely wet from head to toe. My hands were totally numb and I was battling the onset of hypothermia. Over the course of the morning my cam-era would also become covered in sea water. Not so good for my camera and lenses, but for images like this we make sacrifices.

Every image of mine is a celebration of natural beauty. It’s something we must protect and cherish. This image just drives home to me how important our last remaining wild places are - let’s not lose them!”

Photographer: Wim van den HeeverImage number: 1581145

How Many Teeth Does A Crocodile Have?

American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) reflected in the surface as it floats, Jardines de la Reina, Gardens of the Queen National Park, Cuba. Caribbean Sea.

“Nobody has ever hung around long enough to count, goes the old joke. This crocodile lives in the mangroves in the remote Gardens of the Queen National Park (Jardines de la Reina) in Cuba. Mangroves are usually very murky, not ideal conditions for swimming with crocodiles, or underwater photography!

So, I went to photograph them at high tide, when the cleanest open water floods into the mangroves, allowing me to capture this clear image. After about 30 minutes in the water the tide had turned and weeds and other debris soon filled my pictures. The crocodile’s most famous asset is its teeth - and this was my focus here. I composed to emphasise the jaws, making use of the perspective of an ultra-wide-angle lens.”

Photographer: Alex MustardImage number: 1588110

Peek of the Newborn

Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) chick under the wing of protective parent, Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

“I have been working with Caribbean Flamingos for some years now, learning their behaviour, their different calls and moods, and learning how to get close without disturbing them. It has been such a pleasure to spend so much quality time surrounded by these beautiful birds, but from all the images I have made, this one - of a newborn having its first glimpse of the world - really stays in my mind. Hours after the chicks hatch they will already be on their feet, but being on top of a mud mound can a dangerous place for a chick that still does not have the strength or balance to move freely, so the parents take them under their wing. The curious newborns always find a way to peek from under the wing to see their surroundings. Being a parent myself, this image speaks to me a lot about the fragility of new life and protection that we as parents strive to give. Chicks remain in the nest for less than a week, soon wandering around the colony in crèches, starting to feed by themselves. To take this image, it was crucial to know when the eggs were laid in a particular part of the colony because incubation will be almost precisely 30 days long. Thus I worked with the field biologists that study and protect the colony to have the best chance of seeing the newborns hatch.”

Photographer: Claudio ContrerasImage number: 1585176 & 1585182

Feasting Frenzy

Juvenile Andean mouse opossum (Marmosops impavidus) eating a moth, El Oro, Ecuador.

“This image was taken in the Ecuadorian Chocó rainforest. As a herpetologist, I went out at night to look for frogs, lizards and snakes. Quite by accident I found this small marsupial, an Ande-an mouse opossum (Marmosops impavidus) on a branch, and I started to take some pictures. I positioned my headlamp in a tree, pointing at the opossum to light the scene, and started trying some shots.

The stationary light source soon attracted a hoard of moths, and all of a sudden, the mouse opossum grabbed one and started to consume it. I was startled by the activity – I’d never expected to see such a cute animal behave so voraciously! This shot was taken when the mouse opossum had almost finished eating the body of the moth, with scales flying everywhere.”

Photographer: Lucas BustamanteImage number: 1584583

Humpback vs. Humans

Aerial view of Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in-vestigating Herring (Clupea harengus) caught in fishing net, with gulls, Norway. December. Second place in the Man and Nature Category of the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards 2017.

“In winter, the spring spawning herring gather in the fjords of Northern Norway. The herring are predated upon by a large num-ber of humpback and killer whales. There is also extensive fish-ing taking place. The picture shows a humpback whale circling around a fishing net full of herring. It was probably curious of the content, and was probably able to eat some of the fish escaping the net.

The whales often gather around the herring boats when they have fish in the net. There were lots of gulls having an easy meal inside the net too. The image was captured using a drone, close to the city of Tromsø in December, which is the darkest month of the year. The darkness forces long exposure time to be used, and in this image, it has an interesting effect on the flying gulls, appear-ing like white streaks. I think this image in a good way reflects the ‘fight’ between whales and humans over a common resource – the herring.”

Photographer: Espen BergersenImage number: 1585883

Special Delivery

Female kestrel (Falco tunniculus) taking lizard prey gift from male, France.

“These photos were taken in my garden in France, this pair of Kestrels live in the wall of my barn, and have done for the last ten years. I have a hide in my barn, and I took these pictures through a window, about 7m from the perch. This is a male and female adult pair and the male has caught a Common Wall Lizard, (Podarcis muralis). The male arrived on the perch with the prey, called for the female, she promptly arrived and hovered in front of him and took the lizard gift. The whole sequence only lasted about 20 seconds. It was a lovely sight to experience as I’ve never seen anything like this in the wild before, or pictures showing this behaviour.”

Photographer: Eric MedardImage number: 1587273 & 1587274

The Green Empire

Weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina), two workers holding leaf while another one is weaving them by the use of a larva to glue the leaves using silk. Kota Kinabalu Wetlands, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

“In the world of weaver ants, everyone works for the empire. The major workers join forces to fold leaves together, while the minor workers glue the seams using what could only be considered child labour - the leaves are secured with silk secreted by the larvae, meaning the baby ants are vital to the creation of each nest. Weaver ants are predators, and a single large colony can live across a number of trees, with multiple nests and more than one queen. The queens don’t really work outside the nest, but they’re precious because they’re the ones who give birth to new generations, making their green empire even greater.”

Photographer: Emanuele BiggiImage number: 1590074 and 1590077

Spring Clean

Black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) excavating nest hole in tree trunk, Valga County, Estonia. April. Highly commended in the Portfolio category of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards 2017.

“Black woodpeckers are an interesting species that I’d sought to photograph for years. They are associated with large forest massifs and feed primarily on ants. Their main natural enemy is the pine marten, which is doing very well in Estonia, since hunting for its fur has all but stopped. This has led to a situation where the black woodpeckers choose to nest out in the open, where pine martens are reluctant to venture. Sometimes, the birds choose a tree in the middle of a clear-cut area, or sometimes they nest at the edge of the forest, near to a human house.

After years of searching, I finally found a pair of woodpeckers I could photograph. They’d chosen to nest in an aspen tree right on the edge of the forest, near to my summer cottage. So, in the end, you could say they found me! This meant I had the chance to photograph the woodpeckers for four years, before the aspen tree was felled by a summer storm.

As they were re-using the nesting holes they’d built during the first year, I was unable to photograph the actual nest building process. Luckily, in the final year, they decided to excavate a new hole. The biggest challenge was the extremely cold spring, which meant snow and hail hammered down as late as May, disrupting the nesting activities. This photo depicts the last two days of the building process, where the birds were inside the nest and only came to the opening to spit out the chips they had carved from inside the cavity.

Good things come to those who wait!”

Photographer: Sven ZacekImage number: 1585350

“The 3 cm tall creature at the top of this photo may look like a spider, but it is actually the larval form of a slipper lobster, a tropical crusta-cean. While the adult hides in the crevices of coral reefs on the sea floor, the larval form drifts in the plankton of the open ocean, migrat-ing to great depths by day, and rising upward to the surface at night. The seemingly delicate organism, with a body only 2-3 mm thick, is not balancing precariously, as it might appear, on a mauve stinger or purple jellyfish. It is actually clutching and controlling the venomous sea jelly. It consumes the jelly as a food source, controls the jelly’s di-

Photographer: Doug Perrine Image number: 1587266 & 1587264

rection as a form of passenger transportation, and uses the jelly as a weapon for self-defence. When approached by something threat-ening, such as a predatory fish or underwater photographer, the little larva will flip the jelly upwards to direct the stinging tentacles toward the threat. The stinging cells on these tentacles are power-ful enough to cause serious injury to a human.”

Purple RiderPhyllosoma larva of Spiny lobster (Palinurus sp.) riding a Purple jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca), at night in surface waters of the deep ocean off Kailua Kona, Hawaii, USA.

An Exciting Episode

African lion (Panthera leo) male escaping from charging Cape buf-falo herd (Syncerus caffer caffer), Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

“The story: a lion and lioness had killed a buffalo which was trapped in the mud of a marsh. A little later, a herd of buffalo arrived. The lioness swiftly fled but the lion was caught in a trap between the marsh and the herd. The lion lay down on the ground to hide himself but the buffalo scented him and approached to charge him. The lion leapt and fled to take refuge a bit further into the marsh. Protected by the mud of the marsh, the buffa-los couldn’t reach him. Sadly, at this point we had to leave them because it was the end of day, and after a certain time regulation dictated that we had to return to our camp.

The next morning, we found the lion near the marsh, but the herd of buffalo had disappeared.”

Photographer: Eric BaccegaImage number: 1597543

Eye Spy

Juvenile of Amazon Tree-Boa (Corallus hortulanus) in defensive position. Yasuni National Park, Orellana, Ecuador.

“Boas are undoubtedly one of the most temperamental groups of snakes. Luckily, they are not venomous! Their quickness to defend themselves against any threat is very striking. When they are young, however, they are much more vulnerable and quicker to assume defensive positions like coiling their body around their head. Imagine my surprise when I found this juvenile Amazon Tree Boa, totally wrapped around itself on a branch but with its alert and watchful eye clearly visible. Another unforgettable encounter in the Ecuadorian Amazon!”

Photographer: Lucas BustamanteImage number: 1584709

Striped Mackerel Choir

Striped mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) with mouths wide open as they swim through the water, filtering zoopankton with their gill rakers. Marsa Shouna, Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam, Egypt. Red Sea.

“These mackerel aren’t singing but feeding. This is a filter feeding fish, which gapes its mouth like this and then swims through the water to sift out a mouthful of plankton. In fact, they are always on the move, and the challenge of taking this photo was to predict their movements and position myself so that they would be swimming towards my lens.”

Photographer: Alex MustardImage number: 1588060 & 1588059

Seeing Double

Double rainbow over Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa.

“Thunderstorms in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, are intense, dramatic and extremely photogenic. The clouds darken like bruises, the rain drills down, then the sun burns through with scorching intensity, until - if you’re lucky - you find yourself staring at a vivid double rainbow arching over the vast expanse of the Kalahari landscape. That’s when the frantic chase, to find a foreground subject against which to measure and show off this stunning natural spectacle before it dims and dissolves, is on.

You need to act fast, all the while battling to keep precious camera equipment dry. On this occasion, we remembered a land-mark camelthorn tree we’ve photographed often in the past, and got there as fast as we could. It’s notable not only for its towering height, but also for the huge sociable weavers’ nest it carries high in its boughs. We hoped a shot of this magnificent tree and equally impressive nest, both dwarfed and framed by the rainbow’s arc, would convey our sense of the storm’s powerful beauty and all-pervading nature.”

Photographer: Ann & Steve ToonImage number: 1575492

A Cat With Altitude

Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul) Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai, China

“These are some of the final pictures of a long series that took me over 6 hours to shoot, where myself and a couple of other wildlife lovers slowly edged towards these almost fully-grown kittens near their burrow. We sat on the frozen ground, at high altitude, and waited until they left the chill of the windy tundra, and went back down again into their comfortable burrow. Every time the cats went down, we advanced a little closer. We then tried to sit very still, so that when they came back up again they didn’t see us as a threat but got used to our presence, continuing to play with each other and even test-stalking us, as well as some snow finches nearby. Finally, they were completely relaxed in our presence and really didn’t seem to care that we were there.

Spending this long session with these very relaxed and charismatic kittens is one of the most powerful and amazing wildlife experiences I have ever had. Although, despite triple layers of pants, woollen ther-mals, heavy woollen socks, sturdy boots, a big down jacket and Arctic style gloves, we were still frozen and were quite pleased to retreat to our own cosy hideaway!”

Photographer: Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of ChinaImage number: 1579003, 1579054, 1579053

A Watchful Eye

Maremma Sheepdog wearing traditional anti-wolf spiked collar, locally known as “vreccale”. Gran Sasso National Park, Abruzzo, Italy, June.

“Anti-wolf collars are quite rare nowadays and they’re used less and less in Western Europe. However, I’ve seen them regularly used in the Carpathians and in the Caucasus mountains. Usually, they are applied to protect guard dogs during fights with large carnivores (such as wolves and bears) but mostly to protect dogs from other dogs! Such was the case with the dog in this picture, who was constantly harassed by the other sheepdogs living on the farm.

Opportunistic animals like wolves do prey on livestock sometimes - more frequently in areas where wild prey is absent or livestock is not constantly guarded by pastoralists or dogs. There is no better way to prevent attacks on livestock from large carnivores (and the resulting conflict and retaliation from farmers) than having tough mastiffs watching over the flock. These are bred especially to deter predators and alert humans with their barking. Unguarded livestock wouldn’t survive otherwise.”

Photographer: Bruno D’AmicisImage number: 1586199

Ghostly Hippo

Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) at waterhole at night, Mkuze, South Africa. Third place in the Nature Portfolio category of the World Press Photo Awards 2017.

“When taking this photo, the biggest difficulty was due to the fact that there were 40-second exposure times, and hippos very rarely stay still for that long! The equipment was set up on a hilltop so that I could see the stars. In spite of all that, due to the huge drought in the area, there were two nights when I was able to shoot hippos too.”

Photographer: Bence MateImage number: 1581208

Pincers & Pitchers

Land crab (Geosesarma sp.) raids Pitcher plant (Nepenthes am-pullaria) for prey, Sarawak. Borneo.

“A land crab (of a possibly still undescribed species) pops out from the pitcher of an insectivorous plant into the Kerangas forest of Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo. This particular species of plant is known to be more vegetarian than carnivorous, trapping the leaves that fall from the canopy. The water contained inside the pitcher is nevertheless full of dead insects that this crab eats, and it also provides the moisture it needs to breathe in an otherwise dry environment. The location is kept hidden for this particular image because Geosesarma crabs are heavily collected for the pet trade and some populations have been totally wiped out. These crabs survive far from sea because they’re ovoviviparous and give birth to fully formed small land crabs.”

Photographer: Emanuele BiggiImage number: 1590139

The Blue Hour

Limpets (Patellidae) exposed at low tide on the coast of Playa de Ursa, Portugal. Finalist in the Animals in their Environment Category of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards (WPOY) Competition 2017.

“I had this picture in mind for years before I finally discovered the perfect location at Ursa beach in Portugal, with lots of limpets and a skyline of dramatic cliffs in the background. I took the steep descent down to the beach in the pitch dark to be there in time for the blue hour, and had just enough time to work on this image before the tide rose again and I had to leave this secluded part of the beach.”

Photographer: Theo BosboomImage number: 1581251

Funny Feet!

Slavonian / Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) male escaping by walking across the iced surface of the lake after being driven off by the dominant male holding territory. Kolvik, Porsanger, Finmark, Norway

“It is extremely rare for grebes to walk upright across a solid surface. Like other grebes, the horned grebe is a specialised diver, using its large feet to propel and steer its body underwater, where it is remarkably agile. The feet are set far back on the body, making these birds efficient swimmers but quite clumsy on land.”

Photographer: Roger PowellImage numbers: 1597597 and 1597598

Donkey Junction

Ouled Rachid tribeswoman with baby, surrounded by domestic donkeys , Kashkasha village near Zakouma National Park, Chad, 2010.

“An Ouled Rachid tribeswoman collects her donkey from the animal ‘parking lot’ outside Kashkasha village, located close to the Zakouma National Park in Chad. A weekly market means that tribespeople from the immediate vicinity of Kashkasha arrive to trade wares, cloth, clothing, food supplies and other items that are essential for them to continue with their daily existence in this arid terrain. However, there simply isn’t the space for everyone to take their animals into the market centre. Instead, they must all be ‘parked’ outside the village. Masses of animals tied-up side by side, and the animals’ owners seem to have no difficulty whatsoev-er in picking out their own animals from the crowd.

Being a foreigner in a region like this means that it’s not easy to re-main hidden, especially when out and about taking photographs. I kept visiting the market over a period of time and eventually the locals dropped their guard and become more accepting of my presence, and me using a camera. The biggest problem I encountered was the dust. There was just so much of it and I was continually amazed by the fact that it seemed to get everywhere!”

Photographer: JabrusonImage number: 1582044

Now You See Me...

Leaf tailed gecko (Uroplatus sicorae), close up of camouflage skin, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Moramanga, Madagascar.

“For me, this is the craziest animal that I have ever seen. Its cam-ouflage is just perfect and almost completely undetectable. So, the first major challenge when you want to photograph these guys is to find them. Our local guides were able to find them because the geckos each have their favourite logs, and the guides know where they’ve been spotted before. A good job really, otherwise I’d have stood no chance!

These amazing reptiles not have only a perfect camouflage pattern in their resting spots, but they also have dermal flaps which break up their outline making their disguise even more effective. And, as if that is not enough, they can also change colour to better match the surface that they are resting on. A true jewel of evolution.”

Photographer: Lucas BustamanteImage number: 1584668

Spitting Sand

Yellowhead jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) spitting out sand as it digs its burrow. East End, Grand Cayman, Caribbean Sea.

“Yellowhead jawfish live in burrows in the sand, so need to spend part of their day tidying up, grabbing mouthfuls of sand from deep inside their home and then carrying it out and spitting them over the seabed. Jawfish are confident in their burrows, but I needed to spend a lot of time staying still underwater and waiting for this individual to get used to me, so that it would return to its normal routine. I always like revealing these little secrets about the lives of fish. People expect mammals and birds to have elaborate and interesting behaviours but are often surprised that fish do too.”

Photographer: Alex MustardImage number: 1588103

Albatross in a Dell

Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos). nesting amid Blechnum palmiforme tree ferns. Gough Island, Gough and Inaccessible Islands UNESCO World Heritage Site, South Atlantic.

“Albatross are birds of wind and wave. Most of the world’s 17 spe-cies nest on remote islands in sub Antarctic regions. But there are a few exceptions. Nothing could be more startling that seeing one of the most elegant of them all, the Yellow-nosed albatross, sitting calmly in a tiny clearing amongst tree ferns and lichen-laden dwarf trees on a volcanic speck of an island, roughly half way between South Africa and Uruguay.

Few people have ever heard of Gough Island, and fewer still, apart from staffers at a small South African met station, have ever been there. It took me a week sailing from Cape Town on a cray-fishing vessel to reach Tristan da Cunha Island, and another overnight sail to Gough, where landing consisted of an unceremonious hoist on a cargo crane. Three weeks exploring this fairy-tale wilderness was a dream come true.”

Photographer: Tui De RoyImage number: 1579739

Wing Tips

Pair of Emerald damselflies (Lestes sponsa) resting on a reed, with only tips of wings in focus, Cornwall, England, UK, August.

“I shoot many of my images close to home – not only to reduce my carbon footprint, but in order to get a more intimate knowledge of my local wildlife. I discovered these male and female emerald damselflies, perched almost eye-to-eye, clinging to the same stem, by the water’s edge of one of my ponds. By taking photos early in the day, while the temperature is still low, I reduce the risk of my subjects flying away.

I carefully positioned my camera parallel to the damselflies and took a series of more conventional images with both insects sharp-ly focused. However, I’m always looking to adopt a more creative approach with my photography whenever possible and so I de-cided to select a large aperture to create a very shallow depth of field in order to highlight just the insects’ wing tips. I felt doing so placed extra emphasis on the delicacy and design of the damsel-fly’s wings. I like the result, but this is a truly Marmite image – you will either love or hate it!”

Photographer: Ross HoddinottImage number: 1558620

Watch Out For Bears!

Harding icefield receeding rapidly due to global warming,Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska, USA, September 2004.

“Alpine Bearberry (Arctostaphylos alpine) is also known as moun-tain bearberry, black bearberry and ptarmigan berry. This dwarf member of the heather family puts on a bright crimson display when the leaves turn colour in the autumn time, the berries are a favourite food for birds as well as hungry bears feeding up before hibernation. To take this shot involved climbing over 2,000 feet above Exit Glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.

My climb up there was primarily to photograph the receding Hard-ing Icefield, as part of my epic fourteen-year journey to document the impacts of climate change on every continent on the planet. The start of a trail had a warning sign for bears and advising that you walk in at least groups of three and make plenty of noise, so you don’t suddenly surprise a bear. This was a little disconcerting as I was on my own! I did see a Black Bear, but very distant on the other side of the valley. I hope this image conveys both the beauty and the fragility of nature and how we all have a responsibility to look after this one small planet, that is our life support system.”

Photographer: Ashley CooperImage number: 1592232

Sealion in the Forest

Californian Sealion (Zalophus californianus) in kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forest, San Benito del Este Island, Baja California Penin-sula Pacific Islands Biosphere Reserve, Baja California, Mexico.

As I approached my boat after a long dive this Californian Sea Lion pup intercepted me and started playing. I quickly took off my scuba equipment and waited snorkelling at the surface. For almost two hours the pup played in the water, hiding amongst the stands of Giant Kelp and coming full speed towards me, only veering off at the last moment. He repeated this over and over again until nightfall when finally, exhausted, he ended sleeping right next to me between some kelp stands. This image was taken near Eastern San Benito Island, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, as part of a mission called ‘Mares Mexicanos’ to document and promote the protection of critical marine areas in Mexico. Fortunately, now-adays these islands are protected as a Biosphere Reserve.

Photographer: Claudio ContrerasImage number: 1585174

Wagtail Cottage

White wagtail (Motacilla alba alba) nesting in cupboard in house, Lofoten, Norway, June. Highly commended in the Urban Wildlife Category of the Wildlife Photograher of the Year Awards (WPOY) Competition 2017.

“While viewing the photographic potential of an abandoned house on Gimsøya, one of the Norwegian Lofoten islands, Pål noticed a bird flying in and out of a broken window. Investigating, he discov-ered that a pair of white wagtails had picked the perfect nesting spot – on top of an old mop on a cupboard shelf. Snug inside a cup of twigs, roots and moss was a brood of half-grown chicks that both parents were feeding regularly with beakfuls of insects. The adults were shy and kept out of the house when he was there, so in order to not disturb the birds, he quickly set up a remote camera with a monitor that he could control from his car, allowing him to spend a few days with the family. His quiet image drew together the birds’ story, their benefit from the built environment, their sheltered nest and a glimpse of nature outside, bringing a sense of freedom and summer. “

Photographer: Pal HermansenImage number: 1585364

Bejewelled

Frontal view of a metallic jewel beetle (Buprestidae) in Aiuruoca, Minas Gerais, Brazil. South-east Atlantic forest.

“The close-up of this colourful beetle was taken in Aiuruoca, Bra-zil, an area where the Atlantic forest almost starts blending with the Cerrado in Minas Gerais. Only about 7% of the original Atlantic forest cover is left and yet it’s still a biodiversity hotspot, I consider it an urgent task to raise awareness about the diversity that can still be found here, and highlight that a lot of it remains unknown - insects represent much of this diversity and displaying beautiful, colourful examples, such as this beetle, is a good way of grabbing the public’s attention.

Busprestid beetles (jewel beetles) are usually only remembered for their jewel-like carapace and metallic colours, but some species in this family possess an unusual and interesting trait that most people have never even heard of in insects, organs that can act as heat detectors on their coxae (a leg segment). We still don’t have a definitive answer about why they exist, but it’s thought they might be an adaptation to help the beetles gather and reproduce in the vicinity of forest fires.

Despite this being a portrait shot at high magnification, an actual macro lens wasn’t involved, I used the alternative method of lens reversing, using a wide focal length lens. This offers great mag-nification but at the cost of the lack of light due a permanently closed aperture, short working distance and a lack of any electri-cal communication between the lens and camera. In other words, everything manual like the old days, on a dark viewfinder!”

Photographer: Joao BuriniImage number: 1594083

Incoming...

Common eider (Somateria mollissima) male landing, seen from above, Trondelag Norway, January. Winner of the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2017.

“This image is part of a wider story about eider ducks, covering both biology and the unique relation to humans. The eider was the first domestic bird in the Norse culture. In summer the birds can be seen in close proximity to humans, as they benefit from their protection, while in other parts of the year they are much more shy.In Norway, eiders gather in wintertime at strong tidal currents with access to plenty of food, which means mainly crabs and sea urchins. This image is taken from a bridge over a tidal current in central Norway, Trøndelag district. The birds repeatedly flew under the bridge, creating opportunities for flight shots, this male bird was about to land on the still water just below the bridge.”

For more images from the story search ‘Hermansen eider’

Photographer: Pal HermansenImage number: 1585263

Small But Mighty

Broad-nosed weevil (Compsus sp.) about to take off with wing elytra raised and wings extended, Yasuni National Park, Orellana, Ecuador.

“Yasuni National Park is an earthly paradise for insects. More than 100,000 formally described species await on any given hike through the Amazon. When I was walking down the trail, I found this very colourful weevil. I fell in love with his yellowish body colour mixed with his reddish wings and blue feet. I really wanted to capture a portrait of its face, but the creature was too restless. The only moment that it held still for a couple of seconds was when it was perched on a log. As I lined up my shot, it opened its wings to fly away. I took a hopeful burst with my camera and got this image.”

Photographer: Lucas BustamanteImage number: 1584713

Waterlily Forest

Waterlilies (Nymphaea alba) underwater in lake. Alps, Ain, France.

“Waterlily ‘forests’ are important places for fish to find shelter and food - but they also make for very graphic scenery, both above and below water. I have a wonderful memory of the first time I ever dived into this environment: penetrated by the sun’s rays, each leaf glowed, revealing its veins, and flooding the depths with surreal fluorescent light that brought to mind a giant vegetated stained glass window. It took me several years to successfully capture in an image what I experienced that day.”

Photographer: Remi MassonImage number: 1587221

Gannet Gifts

Gannet (Morus bassanus) couple offering nesting material to each other. Great Saltee, Saltee Islands, County Wexford, Ireland.

“I visited the Saltee Islands three times in a five-year period. Each time for three full days with the goal of photographing gannets because there is a stunningly beautiful colony there. On my first visit I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t manage any really beautiful images. Only during my second and third visits was I able to get better results. The last visit when both of these images were made I spent whole days mostly on the same spot just to observe and photograph all the different behaviour there was to be seen.The problem sometimes is that there is so much happening at the same time and while there are opportunities everywhere it is a challenge to get ‘different’ and beautiful images. It was also a challenge for my photo equipment, as there was dust from the bird droppings everywhere, and with the wind blowing it was rather tricky to change lenses. I always tried to do this as little as possible to try to avoid getting too much dust on the sensor.

One day some gannets started collecting plant material from the island itself. They would then fly away with it to circle above the colony several times. As the birds are so tightly packed in the colony, landing can be difficult. However, it resulted in several opportunities for me to photograph the landing attempts of this bird with nesting material. When the bird finally landed, both birds erupted in a very warm confirmation of their bond, the incoming bird offering the plant material as a gift and both birds nodding their heads against each other. The bird on the nest would accept the nest material and try to put it on the nest although a lot of it got lost because of the wild nodding with the heads and the wind. I saw this happening many times but here I was finally lucky to have it at the perfect distance for an intimate portrait while they were looking in my direction.”

Photographer: David PattynImage number: 1588312

Divebomb!

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus) diving, Isle of Noss, Shetland Islands, Scotland.

“Around 8,500 pairs of northern gannets (Morus bassanus) breed on the Isle of Noss, which lies just to the east of mainland Shetland. They are masters of the art of aerial diving, cruising at heights of up to 40 metres on a wingspan of nearly two metres. But once they spot fish, they can turn themselves into precision mis-siles. By folding in their wings, they plummet seawards, hitting the water at breakneck speeds of up to 90km/h.Gannets have three times as many bones in their necks as humans, which is one of the reasons they don’t buckle as soon as the bird hits the water. They are probably also very good at gauging the right speed; enough to reach the fish, yet not so fast it would break their necks.

I took this image from a boat, designed to allow shooting from a low angle, close to the water. Gannet sightings were almost guaranteed, since the birds know they will be offered some fish, and they quickly gather when they see the boats approaching their colony. At their peak, I’d estimate there were as many as 2,000 gannets flying around our boat! I’ve photographed gannet feeding frenzies before, and it’s always an amazing spectacle. They generally have no fear of people so they come really close to the boat. There is always a lot of squab-bling and sometimes a few surprised expressions when the birds surface right next to the camera!”

Photographer: Guy EdwardesImage number: 1582542

Goggle Eyes (left)

Swallow-tailed gull (Creagrus furcatus) calling, Genovesa Island, Galapagos

“The Swallow-tailed gull is one of the most beautiful endemic birds of the Galapagos Islands. It is also the world’s most unusual gull, having forsaken its brethren’s land-based, daytime feeding habits. Instead, the swallow-tailed gull feeds at night, flying far out to sea to capture squid and deep-ocean fish that rise to the surface under the cover of darkness. This explains its gigantic eyes, which are even more prominent during the breeding season, when the eye-rings turn bright red. Since I live in the Galapagos Islands, I’ve been able to photo-graph this elegant bird many hundreds of times, but it took the soft light very early one morning on a dull, overcast day for its eyes to be sufficiently relaxed to reveal their full goggle-like proportions.”

Photographer: Tui De RoyImage number: 1583212

Say Cheese! (right)

Morgan horse mouth open yawning against black background.

“I just happened to be walking past the stable - which is adjacent to my studio - with my camera around my neck, when the horse popped its head out and yawned at me! I took the shot and by sheer luck the camera settings were spot-on. A total contrast to the planning and effort that goes into 95% of my photography.”

Photographer: Stephen DaltonImage number: 1575636

The Panda of Spiders

Deserta Grande wolf spider (Hogna ingens), Deserta Grande, Ma-deira, Portugal. Critically endangered.

“The Deserta Grande wolf spider is one of the biggest wolf spiders in the world, but its population is suffering. Living in the confined territory of the Castanheira valley, on Deserta Grande Island (Madeira, Portugal), it is vulnerable to environmental changes, including the impact of humans. When rabbits and goats were introduced to the island, they started to eat all the local, endemic vegetation. This fragile ecosystem was then put under further pressure by an invasive grass species, which outcompeted local vegetation and reduced the available habitat for the spiders. The arachnids typically shelter under rocks, or in cracks or crevices that are now blocked by the grass. The Deserta Grande wolf spider is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and a conservation project is currently underway to help save this unique species from extinction.”

Photographer: Emanuele BiggiImage number: 1579599

The Essence of Summer

Low angle view of Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) Gotland, Sweden, June.

“The common poppy is a favourite amongst many photographers. This agricultural weed was once widespread in fields and meadows, before the intense use of herbicides. These days, poppy fields are a rare sight, so when I spotted a field of rye dotted with red blooms, I knew I had to capture it. I tried various compositions and different exposures, before finally settling on a low angle perspective. With the sun just below the frame, the light streaked through the vegetation, capturing the essence of summer.”

Photographer: Sandra BartochaImage number: 1589263

Life Unfurled

Close-up of a Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum) lamina unfurling, Redwood National Park, Prairie Creek, California, USA. May 2017.

“In the dense, dimly lit understory, beneath ancient towering redwood trees, there’s a constant regeneration of life. Sword ferns uncoil new emerald greenery, just as they’ve done since the dinosaurs ruled the earth. The eye is often drawn to the giant trees that make up this vast, temperate rainforest - yet right at our feet, life plays out tiny, timeless miracles.

Photographing sword ferns is often made difficult by the occasional coastal breezes that blow in from the Pacific Ocean. In terms of macro photography, moving plants means blurry photos. One needs patience to record sharp images. Somehow, such slow-paced photography seems appropriate for plants that can take days to unfurl their delicate greenery.”

Photographer: Jack DykingaImage number: 1583496

Sand Serpent

Sidewinding adder (Bitis peringueyi) hidden in the sand. Swakopmund, Namibia.

“I was walking through the dunes looking for Desert Chameleons when I found this perfectly camouflaged Sidewinding adder (Bitis peringueyi). I knew that they occurred here, but I’d never imagined I’d be able to find one, especially one hiding in the sand!

Few examples come to my mind of such good camouflage in the animal kingdom. Sadly, camouflage doesn’t protect against all threats including the increasing number of jeeps that drive all over the dunes, without respecting marked trails.

The most impressive aspect of this animal is its camouflage, which is also what makes it so challenging to photograph - they are generally impossible to find unless they are moving! Like all desert animals, they have to develop perfect strategies for attack and defence. If their camouflage isn’t up to scratch, it can be a long wait before more prey crosses their path, or they themselves may be eaten.”

Photographer: Lucas BustamanteImage number: 1584680

While Mum’s Away...

Tibetan Fox (Vulpes ferrilata) cub, Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, Qinghai Hoh Xil UNESCO World Heritage Site, Qinghai-Ti-bet Plateau, Qinghai Province, China.

“In the summer of 2014, I participated in a photography project on the Qinghai plateau, which is the most important water source in China, and the point of origin for three major rivers. I found a Tibetan fox’s den in the open grassland, and I spent a day quietly observing from a distance. I discovered that the mother Tibetan fox was busy during the day, hunting pika and rarely coming back to the den. That meant her three small kits were left to their own devices, and they seemed reluctant to stay hidden in their den.The young Tibetan foxes were very cute, and I found that they were not really afraid of me. They would sometimes retreat to their den, but would always peep out again to spy on me, and then return to their play. This little fox was the largest of the three kits, and it was the least willing to hide in the den, so I called him ‘little big man’. It was wonderful to see him playing and practicing hunting. The little fox found something on the grass that interested him, and I watched him crawl on the grass as if he was about to pounce!”

Photographer: Dong LeiImage numbers: 1577495, 1577496 , 1577497

‘Belonging to the Wind’

Domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) five walking in line, Sarek National Park, Laponia World Heritage Site, Swedish Lapland, Sweden.

“In Sápmi, the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people, each reindeer has a human owner. But no matter how skilled a herder is, the reindeer are in the hands of another master—the wind. Extremely mild winter weather in the mountains, followed by a cold spell, makes it impossible for the animals to access food under the hard layer of ice. Therefore, if the wind so decides, it can cause a whole reindeer herd to starve to death. For this reason, herders often refer to their reindeer as ‘belonging to the wind.’”

Photographer: Orsolya HaarbergImage number: 1578339

A Goodnight Kiss

Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) female and two males huddling together for warmth before going to sleep, Finland, May.

“These pictures were taken in mid-May in the Finnish archipelago. The blackcaps (two males and one female) were tired after migration, and a very cold night was coming. They found a spot in a pine tree, where the sun was still shining just before sunset, and they huddled together to keep themselves warm - something I had never seen before! Very slowly and carefully, I edged closer and finally reached a suitable distance to photograph them. I was lucky to get close enough without spooking them. Next morning, they were gone, all in good health - I hope. Nature is wonderful, you never know what you’ll see when you go out with open eyes and ears.”

Photographer: Jussi MurtosaariImage number: 1583462 and 1583463

Autumn Taiga

Taiga forest photographed from air, Finland, September 2016. Highly commended in the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards 2017 and Honorable mention in Beauty of Nature Category of the Siena International Photography Awards 2017.

“I had been driving for almost 800km through the endless taiga of Finland, seeing nothing other than forest in the flat country. There was not even a small hill where you could get a clear view over the landscape. Autumn colours were at their most intense, and to get a different perspective, I decided to send up my drone. Once up in the air, I became aware of a lake with a nicely shaped shoreline and a small island close by. I felt this was something special, and tried different compositions before achieving a satisfying result.”

Photographer: Espen BergersenImage number: 1585880

Masked Tree Frog

New Granada cross-banded tree frog (Smilisca phaeota) in the rain, Costa Rica

“The New Granada cross-banded tree frog (also known as the masked tree frog) is easily identified by the dark mask-like stripe across its face. Here, I wanted to capture the feeling of the wet cloud forest environment these frogs inhabit. The ‘rain’ was produced artificially using a spray gun and I used natural light and a high ISO setting to obtain an exposure time of 1/250th sec to show a little movement in the falling water droplets. The underside of the frog was illuminated by a reflector. As with most frog photography, the technical side is the easy bit. Once I was set up, I had to wait a long time for the frog to move into a good position.”

Photographer: Guy EdwardesImage number: 1582471

Chinese Wonderland

Travertine terraces in Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sichuan, China. August .

“Situated in the north-west of Sichuan Province, the Huanglong Valley is made up of snow-capped peaks of the Min Shan Range. In addition to the mountain landscape, spectacular limestone formations, waterfalls and hot springs can be found.

Tectonic activity, in the form of earthquakes, is fairly frequent. One of the sites of greatest geological interest is the 3.6 km long Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), where extensive slopes of active calcite deposits are covered by a thin layer of flowing water. And there are travertine pools, with proliferating algae and bacteria, giving a wide range of colours from orange and yellow to green and blue.

To work here, I had to walk every day from the park entrance at 300m up to 3600m altitude, in the thin and cold air at the end of spring, and in the midst of thousands of Chinese visitors. It was almost impossible to shoot images of this stunning landscape without people. Finally, I was able to capture the spirit of this land-scape, with its soft colours and strong graphical elements, evoking traditional Chinese characters.”

Photographer: Michel RoggoImage number: 1584138

Stocking Up

Pika (Ochotona princeps) gathering plants to store for winter, Bridger National Forest, Wyoming, USA. August.

“The pika is one of the most endearing creatures on the planet. It takes some time to gain their trust, but they eventually get used to having you around. They seem to have two speeds: stop and full-steam ahead. They work hard, collecting vegetation for their hay piles, mostly during the cooler hours. These high-altitude rodents are ‘dressed’ for cold weather, and by mid-day they often get too hot, retreating under rocks and the comfort of shade.

Pikas have been directly affected by climate change. As temperatures have increased, they’ve had to move to higher elevations to find suitable habitat. But availability is limited. As they cannot easily migrate in response to climate change, their habitat is restricted to small, disconnected ‘islands’ in numerous mountain ranges. For this reason, the pika may be one of the first mammals to go extinct because of climate change.”

Photographer: Jeff FoottImage number: 1579436

The Cutie of the Forest

Juvenile of Three-Toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) hanging on a tree. Yasuni National Park, Orellana, Ecuador.

“This is one of the most emblematic species in the Amazon, but I was actually looking for snakes on the shore when I found this guy climbing back up to the canopy. Sloths spend the vast majority of their time in the treetops, but they need to return to ground level about once a week to defecate. They are nervous on the ground, where they’re vulnerable to predators, and they waste no time returning to the safety of the trees. Their mottled pattern, and the green algae that grows on their fur, helps them blend in to their surroundings, hiding them from the beady eyes of harpy eagles and other potential predators.”

Photographer: Lucas BustamanteImage number: 1584694

Shiny

Metallic leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) with rain droplets, frontal view, in Aiuruoca, Minas Gerais, Brazil. South-east Atlantic forest.

“Despite the flashy carapace of the adult metallic leaf beetle, these showy insects spend most of their lifetime spent under-ground, hidden from sight. The larvae feed on roots, but the adults consume leaves, sometimes even toxic ones.

This beetle was found and photographed at night, between short showers of rain. Sweeping a trail with my headlamp in the Matutu valley, in Aiuruoca, Brazil, I was drawn to the beetle’s bright colouration. The rain droplets on its carapace show how the iridescent colours change, depending on which angle the light hits the surface.

To light this scene, I used two independent flashes. One was on top of the camera, and the second one was a slave without a bracket, held in my left hand. This made steady framing difficult as I was holding the camera with only one hand, but what I lost in stability I gained in speed, allowing me to take this shot before the opportunity - and the beetle - were gone.”

Photographer: Joao BuriniImage number: 1594082

Photographer: Edwin GiesbersImage numbers: 1588975, 1588974, 1588970, 1588963, 1588968

Swan Upping

“Swan upping is the annual practice of catching the swans on the River Thames and marking them to indicate ownership by the Crown or a corporation. Swan upping plays an important role in the conservation of the mute swan, and involves The Queen’s Swan Warden, David Barber, collecting data, assessing the health of young cygnets, and examining them for any injuries.

It was a very hot and sunny summer’s day when I took these images. Not typical English weather, I would say! The morning be-gan with an explanation about swan upping from David Barber to a group of school children. Afterwards, his team set off in rowing boats along the River Thames to begin their work. I sailed along-side in a press boat, taking in the beautiful natural banks and the passion with which the team rowed. It was a working day for me, but with the refreshing breeze on my face it felt like a holiday!

Swans are threatened in lots of ways. They can become entangled in plastic pollution and fishing lines. They are vulnerable to hobby fishermen, dogs, minks, birds and amateur hunters. But the fact that they are royal property ensures that vandals can be punished more severely for harming them. David Barber and his team carry out their responsibilities and royal tradition with lots of passion, colour, and flag displays. In five days, he and his team of eighteen swan uppers covered a hundred and fifty kilometres in rowing boats, from Middlesex to Oxfordshire.”

The Little Treasure of the Torrents

European bullhead (Cottus gobio) camouflaged among rocks and aquatic plants, Ain, Alps, France.

“The European bullhead is a small freshwater fish that lives in fast-flowing streams, or torrents. It is very sensitive to pollution and only found in pristine waters. It walks along the bottom of riverbeds, invisible among the aquatic vegetation, and resists the current with the help of its large fins. To photograph this individual I found in a shallow spring, I had to use a small camera housing in order to get very close. Although there was very little water, the spring was incredibly rich with life. A true paradise for wildlife and for the photographer!”

Photographer: Remi MassonImage number: 1587173

The Lightness of Being

Liverleaf (Hepatica nobilis), Mon, Denmark, March.

“The liverleaf (also known as liverwort) is amongst the earliest plants to appear on the forest floor in spring. It loves limestone and clay soil and prefers half-shady spots in oak and beech forests. I look forward to photographing these beautiful flowers every year.This image was taken at the limestone cliffs of the island of Møn in Denmark. I wanted to convey the feeling of spring with this image - the first warm days and the first spots of colour in a still leafless forest. The light dancing and reflecting from the Baltic Sea in the background builds a perfect backdrop for the elegant blossom and the dry grasses next to it, so that the whole scene appears to be a spring dance.”

Photographer: Sandra BartochaImage number: 1589190

Slipping and Sliding

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) sliding on ice. Acadia National Park, Maine, USA.

“My home borders Acadia National Park and my backyard is encompassed by a small beaver pond. As a result, ironically, I get great wildlife photography opportunities by staying at home! Deer often take shortcuts across the pond in winter, and sometimes misjudge how treacherous the ice can be. They are extremely ath-letic however, and usually have no problem recovering their bal-ance after a slip. As you can see, they spread their hooves wide for better traction. I’m happy to say, this deer survived its slide across the ice with no injuries!”

Photographer: George SankerImage number: 1582029

Eye-to-Eye

Two small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies (Boloria selene) resting on bluebell, Marsland mouth, North Devon, UK. May 2017.

“Small pearl-bordered fritillaries are stunning little butterflies. They love grassy habitats and woodland clearings, but sadly (like many British species) their numbers have declined steeply in recent years. I know of a large colony at a nature reserve close to where I live in North Cornwall. Last year they were abundant locally and were mesmerising to watch as they fluttered by and basked in the spring sunshine.

They often like to roost close together – I’ve found as many as 7 butterflies roosting next to each other on one plant in the past. I take many of my insect close-ups early in the morning when they are still cold and inactive. This image was the result of an early alarm call, eagle eyes and a decent slice of good fortune – something you always need as a wildlife photographer!”

Photographer: Ross HoddinottImage number: 1578394

Animal Barcode

Black and white view of Plains Zebra (Equus quagga) herd, Etosha National Park, Kunene, Namibia.

“Noon in Etosha National Park. The sun is high in the sky and the animals are thirsty. A large herd of zebra approaches a waterhole for a much-needed drink. Zebra are great to photograph; the only difficulty was waiting for the perfect moment to get the frame I wanted. While the rest of the herd were drinking, one animal lifted its head and broke the uniformity beautifully. That was the decisive moment I’d been waiting for.”

Photographer: Lucas BustamanteImage number: 1584597

Hanging Around (left)Ghost glass frog (Sachatamia ilex), Costa Rica.

“The ghost glass frog is the largest species of glass frog in Central America and can grow up to 37mm in length. It has large, highly patterned, forward-pointing eyes. As with most glass frogs the skin is slightly transparent, making the bones and internal organs visible, especially when backlit. This is what I wanted to illustrate. I used two off-camera flashes behind the subject to obtain the correct amount of backlighting. Normally, I would focus manually for a close-up image like this. However, a slight breeze was causing the delicate vine upon which the frog was clinging to sway constantly. Therefore, I had no choice but to use continuous autofocus to keep the frog in focus.”

Photographer: Guy EdwardesImage number: 1582488

Frosted Bison (right)Bison (Bison bison) on frost covered ground, Yellowstone National Park, USA, February

“Before the arrival of Europeans to the American continent, bison roamed over the great plains of North America. Some estimates of the total population exceed 45 million. Within a 200-year period, after years of overhunting and habitat loss, bison were nearly driven to extinction. Thankfully, a few survived this great slaughter, and now one of the best places to see them is Yellowstone National Park. The American bison is one of the hardiest animals and can withstand extremely cold winter temperatures. In Yellowstone, they congregate in the geyser basins to spend the night, and the hot steam from the geysers turns into a thick hoar frost on their fur. On the morning I took this picture, the temperature was -35 degrees Celsius. When working in such temperatures, it can be extremely difficult operating the camera. If you take your gloves off for a few minutes, you can feel the intense cold which can cause frost bite, and touching the cold metal of the camera and tripod can cause you problems too. I thrive working in these extreme conditions, as I like the challenge!”

Photographer: Danny GreenImage number: 1583569

Aquatic Garden of Eden

Piraputanga (Brycon hilarii) in Burhead (Echinodorus macrophyl-lus) Aquario Natural, Rio Baja Bonito, Serra da Bodoquena (Bodo-quena Mountain Range), Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

“In the Serra da Bodoquena mountain range of the Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, crystal clear rivers flow through dense forests. Parrots and monkeys can be found sitting in the trees, feeding on fruits, while fish such as the Piraputanga are patiently waiting for something to land on the water’s surface.

For me, as an underwater photographer, this really was a dream location: plenty of light, intense colours, and masses of fish. I just had to float motionless on the surface, until the fish got used to me, and then I could shoot for as long as I wanted, working on the composition and playing with the reflection on the surface of the water. And all this with a tropical water temperature of 26 degrees Celsius!

Finally, I got the perfect shot of this aquatic garden of Eden - an abundance of life in lush, tropical scenery.”

Photographer: Michel RoggoImage number: 1584464

The Temple Monkeys

Hanuman Langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) group sitting in front of cenotaph, sunrise, Mandore Garden, Jodhpur, India. March 2015.

“I went to India - and specifically to Mandore Garden - to film hanuman langurs for the BBC television series Planet Earth II. I spent two weeks filming and photographing these graceful and beautiful monkeys. They are highly dynamic and impulsive creatures, shifting from moments of total relaxation to huge bursts of speed and power!

When filming or photographing animals, I like to take time to observe them before I start to document, so I can get a feel for the individual personalities and behaviours they exhibit. My first encounters with these langurs simply involved sitting close and watching them. Slowly, as they accepted me as part of the furniture, I began to take pictures. The langurs allowed me to get closer and amongst the group to capture the more intimate moments of their lives. This image (left) was taken early one morning, at sunrise. A group of langurs had gathered on a column to sunbathe, waiting for the sun to rise and warm them up in preparation for the day ahead.

What I noticed during my time with these animals is that, in India, these monkeys were treated with respect and reverence. People travelled to see them and brought small gifts of flowers or food for them. They were seen as something to be enjoyed and I felt privileged to be around them. It was really refreshing to see. Whereas in much of the modern world, where urban wildlife is seen as a pest or annoyance, here in Mandore Garden it was embraced - even celebrated. It showed me that there are ways we can all look to welcome wildlife into our lives and cities - and that both we and the animals can benefit equally from a more nurturing relationship.”

Photographer: Mark MacEwenImage numbers: 1578778 and 1578755

Love is in the Air?

Springbok ram (Antidorcas marsupialis) exhibiting flehmen response, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa.

“With no online dating sites in the animal kingdom, finding a mate can prove tricky - but nature has evolved its own clever matching service. This springbok ram in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, is making faces to help him check out precisely which females might be receptive to his advances, as the herd passes through his territory. It’s a neat bit of reproductive behaviour, known as the flehmen response, from the German verb ‘to bare the teeth’, and involves curling the lip back in this rather odd and comical way, and raising the head to better investigate the scents made by female members of the same species. This olfactory response allows the male to quickly evaluate which of the females is in heat and ready to mate with him.”

Photographer: Ann & Steve ToonImage number: 1575495

Light Lunch

African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) feeding on water lilies, Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Botswana. May.

“The African buffalo, which can weigh up to a ton, is considered one of Africa’s most dangerous animals, and is responsible for over 200 fatal attacks on humans every year. Predators such as lions have found to their cost that if you mess with one African buffalo, you mess with the whole herd!Buffalo spend up to 18 hours a day moving and grazing. They prefer to eat grasses and herbs but will also feed on other plant matter, such as water lilies, particularly if they are fresh and growing in cool water!In this case, a herd of about two hundred buffalo had come down to the water of the Chobe River, Botswana, to drink and feed. I was in a very small boat, which enabled me to get close enough to take this image, but not too close that I interrupted the buffalo’s meal. Sitting on the floor of the boat meant a lower and better camera angle. It’s great to see wildlife from the water instead of always being in a safari vehicle.”

Photographer: Tony HealdImage number: 1578256

Slippery Supper

Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) eating a fish, Lake Clarke National Park, Alaska, August

“One of the greatest spectacles in the natural world occurs on the coastal range of Southern Alaska during late August, when the salmon begin their annual migration back to their spawning grounds. This mass movement is hugely important for brown bears, as it provides a glut of food that helps them fatten up before their winter hibernation. It’s an exhilarating experience watching a brown bear chasing through the shallow waters of an estuary, trying to catch salmon as they make their way upstream. The great thing for photographers is that the bears are totally unphased by their human audience, and don’t even give you a second glance. They are so intent on catching their prize that it’s possible to capture their natural behaviour. I have been photographing this particular bear for the past seven years, and know her well. On this occasion she came up really close, which allowed me to capture an intimate image of her in action.”

Photographer: Danny GreenImage number: 1583533

Poppy Wreath

Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) flowers growing in a circle, France. June.

“The poppy is known to favour soil that has been newly turned over. After the First World War, the battlefields in France were covered with the common poppy, and it has since become a symbol of remembrance. I found this circle of poppies growing on a sandbar in the middle of the Tarn River in France. The sandbar is reshaped every winter when the river floods, so is constantly changing year on year.To capture the shape, I took a picture from a bird’s eye view and used a wide-angle lens – I enjoy showing common subjects from a different perspective.”

Photographer: Cyril RuosoImage number: 1579871

Snapper Ball

School of Bohar snapper (Lutjanus bohar) in open water close to a coral reef. Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed, Sinai, Egypt. Red Sea.

“Bohar snappers are large (80cm) predators on the coral reef and usually live alone. But in the Egyptian Red Sea in summer they gather in impressive schools to spawn. Fortunately, the gathering is protected within the Ras Mohammed National Park at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula. The fish spawn at night (when the park is closed to diving), but during the day I was able to swim with this huge gathering of large predator fish, hanging in the blue off the coral reef. Below them is a school of bigeye trevally, each of these is 60cm long, bit it is dwarfed by the ball of snappers. The main photographic challenge was capturing the scale of the school, fortunately the clear waters of the Red Sea helped me shoot such a grand scene.”

Photographer: Alex MustardImage numbers: 1588054 and 1588167

The Andean Singer

Andean Gull (Chroicocephalus serranus) calling in flight, Cotopaxi, Ecuador

“Unlike its coastal relatives, the Andean gull breeds inland, in mountainous areas - usually at elevations of over 3,000 metres. On a trip to Ecuador, I found a large flock of these gulls flying over a lagoon. I really wanted a portrait of one of these characterful birds, so I spent over an hour trying to get this picture. Andean gulls are very agile birds, and they maneuvered through the air at lightning speed, making it difficult to get the shot. The weather at this elevation didn’t help either, a lot of cold wind and rain didn’t exactly make for ideal conditions.”

Photographer: Lucas BustamanteImage number: 1584596

Saffron, the Red Gold

Saffron crocuses (Crocus sativus), cultivated for saffron, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.

“Just three pistils, spindly and bright red in colour, are enough to turn a small crocus plant into the most expensive flower in the world. Why? Because those richly-coloured threads are where saffron comes from: the spice used throughout the world. Since ancient times, humans have used saffron not only as a seasoning, but as a colouring agent. It has been used in Greek and Roman festivities, and even in Egyptian embalming rituals. The richly characteristic yellow hue it confers has been likened to gold.

Saffron commands a high price, partly because cultivation must be carried out by hand. The plant flowers in mid-autumn and harvesting is, be necessity, a speedy affair. After blossoming at dawn, the flowers quickly wilt as the day passes. The crimson pistils - the female reproductive organs of the plant - are collected and dried within hours of the flowers opening.

These photos were taken at Les Garrigues, in the Province of Lleida, one of four provinces in Catalonia, Spain. In the 14th Century, many villages in Catalonia were at the forefront of saffron production and trading, but over time production spread to other parts of Spain. In the last 50 years there has been a reduction in Spanish production of saffron, but here in Les Garrigues, a local entrepreneur has started to successfully grow the saffron crocus again. Now, several years later, there are more and more organic farmers following suit.”

Photographer: Juan Carlso MunozImage numbers: 1582417, 1582426, 1582432 and 1582441

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