National Wildlife Federation
2009 Photo Contest Winners
(Click on all photos to enlarge.)
Robert M. Palmer
Littleton , Colorado
Grand Prize, Professional
While watching a group of bald eagles that had congregated at a local cattle feed lot, Palmer noticed the raptors were climbing into the air to catch starlings and blackbirds not necessarily typical prey for the large birds. Palmer photographed this dramatic midair scene of an eagle and a starling before his week-long encounter with the birds ended and the raptors left the area.
Subharghya Das
Mysore , India
First Place , Mammals, Amateur
In the fading sunlight of India 's Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, this young Bengal tiger ventured down to Rajbag Lake to drink. Here she was quenching her thirst but still watching out for the activities around her, says Das.
John Eastcott and Yva Momatiuk
Hurley , New York
First Place , Mammals, Professional
On a visit to a Kenya watering hole, the husband-and-wife photography team spotted a female giraffe almost invisible in the gathering dusk standing over her newborn calf. The baby stared at us with amazement, says Momatiuk. We were the first humans she must have seen. The photographers decided not to approach any closer.
Debra Thomas
Edinburg , Texas
First Place , Landscapes and Plant Life, Amateur
Thomas made this photo of a night-blooming cereus flower also known as queen of the night on a private ranch in Texas . The grotto that housed the plants was also home to a skunk who made his presence known, says Thomas. She backlit the bloom for this digital image, which also happened to include a few nocturnal ants.
Holly Gordon
Bay Shore , New York
First Place , Global Warming, Amateur
Gordon was following what she calls a personal urgency to be in an extreme location when 1999 became 2000, when she landed in Antarctica at the turn of the last millennium. Struck by the frozen landscape As pure light, and captivated by its black-and-white avian residents, she says she was in a photographer’s paradise. This Adlie penguin, she adds, was king or queen of this ice chunk, having vocally blasted Off-limits to other penguin interlopers.
Arthur Morris
Indian Lake Estates , Florida
First Place , Birds, Professional
While coleading a photo trip to Canada 's Bonaventure Island , home to the world's largest gannetry, Morris found himself surrounded each day by thousands of nesting northern gannets. Each year, he says, a pair or two builds a nest atop one of the viewing shelters. Nearly all of the Bonaventure gannets build their nests on the ground or on the cliffs, says Morris, so it was a rare experience to photograph these birds at their shelter-top nest with a white sky background.
Brandon Cole
Spokane Valley , Washington
First Place , Global Warming, Professional
This stunningly colorful image of spawning sockeye salmon backed by fall foliage was no accident. Cole, who has made several trips to the Adams River in British Columbia to photograph its healthy salmon run, estimates that he spent at least six hours immersed in the frigid water on the day he made this image, allowing the fish to become acclimated to him and carefully positioning his camera to shoot both above and below the water. He used a wide-angle lens, an underwater housing and a flash, positioning the camera right at the surface of the water. Cole, who had to apply for a permit to photograph the protected fish during their fall spawning run, says that patience was key: There was a lot of waiting involved.
Steffen Binke
Mooroobool , Australia
Grand Prize, Amateur
Moments after its eyes emerged from the water for a spy shot, this dwarf minke whale approached for a closer look at Binke, who was on a dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef . Binke, working without a strobe, was only a few feet away when he used a fish-eye lens to make this digital image. It was a great moment and I am still sure I could hear his heartbeat and his breathing, he says.
Marcia M. Olinger
Caledonia , Michigan
First Place , Backyard Habitats, Amateur
Perhaps these squirrels are too young to read. Olinger and her husband built this bird feeder for their backyard and wood-burned different phrases on each side (another side reads Free Food). There were three baby squirrels trying to get into the feeder, says Olinger, who used a digital camera to photograph the scene. But the third one was too scared to make the leap.
Erkki Kesa
Tallinn , Estonia
Second Place , Other Wildlife, Amateur
On the beach of the Estonian island Saaremaa , Kesa spotted an unusual sight: two common blue butterflies sharing a single stem. A beautiful sunrise gave me a good background color to work with, says Kesa.
Cindy Goeddel
Big Timber, Montana
First Place , Landscapes and Plant Life, Professional
During a trip to Yellowstone National Park , Goeddel noticed this naturally occurring triangle of winter aspens against a backdrop of white snow and dark conifers. Geometry in nature has long been observed and even called sacred, says Goeddel.
Brian W. Pelkey
St. Regis Falls , New York
First Place , Other Wildlife, Amateur
While fishing in Upstate New York's Adirondack Park , Pelkey noticed a spot where rainbow trout were rising to the surface and jumping out of the water. I thought it would be neat if I could capture the scene for others to see, says Pelkey, who held his camera at water level and used a flash to do just that.
Guillaume Mazille
Montclus , France
First Place , Other Wildlife, Professional
Once a year, this species of frog vocalizes to find a mate, says Mazille. The calls can reach 100 decibels as loud as a chain saw. Mazille used a flash to make this digital image of the ballooning Phrynohyas while on a trip to northern Brazil .
Phillip Colla
Carlsbad , California
First Place , Connecting People and Nature, Professional
While hiking alone in Utah 's Canyonlands National Park , Colla photographed himself exulting in an orange-hued sunrise. He used a tripod, a self-timer and a 15mm fish-eye lens to make this glowing digital image.
I so appreciate beautiful photography...of any kind; and we have some pretty wonderful friends in the blogosphere who could easily have had winning work in this competition. A couple of my blogging buddies come to mind right away....Tara of If Mom Says So, and Janeywan of Life In Westcliffe; both exquisite photographers. And there are many others that I visit who post wonderful pictures on their blogs...all very talented behind the camera.
Pandas After An Earthquake in China
The earthquake was right in the area where giant pandas live. Most pandas in this area were rescued, and particular attention was given to the babies…all the pandas were scared. The photos were taken right after the earthquake and during rescue effort care. Every panda was released back into the wild and all of the bears stayed together. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
"Babies!"
Sweet little guys.....Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! ~Joy 
