A decapitated squirrel hangs lifeless in the talons of a barred owl. A red-necked grebe chick stretches its neck to gobble up a meal of fish, freshly delivered by its parent. Hundreds of grackles perch on power lines as the sun sets in Texas.
The winners of the 2024 Audubon Photography Awards document the fascinating behavior of birds in stunning detail. This year’s winners were selected from 8,500 entries and awarded in nine categories including Youth, Amateur, Plants For Birds and the newly created Birds in Landscapes.
Photographer Mathew Malwitz earned the Grand Winner award for his photo (seen below) of feuding Blackburnian warblers, taken at Promised Land State Park in Greentown, Pennsylvania.
“While walking, I was following the song of a Magnolia Warbler along a trail when two feuding Blackburnian Warblers fell from the trees above,” Malwitz said. “They landed a few feet in front of me, prompting me to take a cautious step back. They remained motionless and I feared that the fall had injured them, but a moment later they began to fight again. Once I realized the couple was too busy to notice me, I slowly dropped to the floor at their level to get a better glimpse into their world. I adjusted my settings for action and snapped as they fought. The scene lasted a few minutes before they let each other go and returned to the canopy.
