Here Are 31 Finalists Of This Year’s Bird Photographer Of The Year Contest
#27 Southern Rockhopper Penguin By Mark Sisson
Southern rockhopper penguins are among the most resilient birds I have spent any time with and watching their exploits as they return from fishing expeditions to take over nesting duties is alarming and awe-inspiring in equal measure. On this particular evening at one of their colonies in the Falkland Islands, I had tentatively made my way down cliffs whose ascent and descent the birds made look so easy, and awaited the returning birds. I knew that preening was always the first priority on reaching the safety of land and, given the orientation of the site, that a silhouette image might be possible. I stopped down my aperture to help highlight the subtle lens flare on this bird as it stood on a rock. As the penguin bent over in the course of preening, it seemed as if he was bowing to the sun itself.
Southern rockhopper penguins are among the most resilient birds I have spent any time with and watching their exploits as they return from fishing expeditions to take over nesting duties is alarming and awe-inspiring in equal measure. On this particular evening at one of their colonies in the Falkland Islands, I had tentatively made my way down cliffs whose ascent and descent the birds made look so easy, and awaited the returning birds. I knew that preening was always the first priority on reaching the safety of land and, given the orientation of the site, that a silhouette image might be possible. I stopped down my aperture to help highlight the subtle lens flare on this bird as it stood on a rock. As the penguin bent over in the course of preening, it seemed as if he was bowing to the sun itself.
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04 September 2023
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