Here Are 31 Finalists Of This Year’s Bird Photographer Of The Year Contest

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