Soaring Winners of the 2022 Bird Photographer of the Year Competition

Birds in Flight, Bronze Award Winner – Aaron Baggenstos, “Schalow's Turaco.” © Aaron Baggenstos | Bird Photographer of the Year
“In more than a decade of wildlife photography I’ve never seen a decent photo of a Schalow’s Turaco in flight. Google it for yourself if you don’t believe me. These stunningly dressed birds spend most of their time high in the dark jungle canopy and are extremely fast in flight – I think of them as ‘bullet’ birds. This combination makes them almost impossible to photograph in flight. You can imagine my excitement when I found out a few birds were flying across the river in front of my safari tent each morning at eye level! My heart pounded as I stood on the bank waiting patiently as they called out from the tree tops. I just knew this was the opportunity of a lifetime. The river setting was a unique window of opportunity that provided just a split second to acquire focus. A green bird on a green background is a nightmare for an autofocus system, but I knew my new camera’s tracking system, and a decade of photographing birds in flight gave me a fighting chance. On my last morning in camp the diffused overcast light was just beautiful. This is it, I thought. The colour of the birds’ vibrant red wings popped out from the tree tops at a distance. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I saw this individual emerging from the canopy like a bullet and coming diagonally straight towards me. I panned, my thumb glued to the back button as the camera tried to grab initial focus. Nothing… then bam! I couldn’t believe it. I acquired focus just before the bird flew out the edge of the frame. But was it sharp? Reviewing the image on the back of the camera, my face lit up. This image captured the moment, and what a remarkably beautiful avian creature it was. It was a true gem to witness and I am thrilled to share the photographic outcome with the rest of the world.”