The Bird Photographer of the Year award has been announced, with Canadian photographer Patricia Homonylo scooping the top prize for her thought-provoking image titled When Worlds Collide. The picture was taken in Toronto and beat more than 23,000 entries to claim the prize. The photograph shows more than 4,000 birds that died colliding with windows and other reflective surfaces in the city.
“Each year more than one billion birds die in North America alone due to collisions with windows,” says Homonylo. “I am a conservation photojournalist and have been working with the Fatal Light Awareness Program, where we save window-collision survivors in Toronto. "Sadly, most of the birds we find are already dead.
"They are collected and at the end of the year we create this impactful display to honour the lives lost and increase public awareness.” Homonylo's entry was also among the winners selected for the Conservation (Single Image) category. The Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 was awarded to 14-year-old Spanish photographer Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco for his creative angle on a nuthatch scrambling down an oak tree.
Photographers competed in a eight of different categories in the adult competition, including a Conservation Award, Portfolio Award, and Video Award. Here is a selection of the pictures that were awarded a gold, silver or bronze, with descriptions by the photographers. "This Peregrine Falcon fledgling had been flying for over a week and his skills ha.