2012: Behaviour: Birds - Commended
Stefan Huwiler (Switzerland)
Snatch and grab
Stefan hiked for five kilometres in thick snow in the Sinite Kamani National Park in Bulgaria to reach a hide known to be a golden eagle hotspot. It was one of the coldest winters in recent years, and using a vehicle was out of the question. On the second day, he spent a long while watching a golden eagle eating a carcass. ‘I was able to get some great portrait shots,’ says Stefan, ‘but what happened next took me by surprise.’ A red fox sidled up and tried to snatch the meal, but the eagle was having none of it. ‘After a short, fierce spat, the fox fled with the eagle literally hard on its heels.’ A golden eagle can kill prey even bigger than a fox, but with a carcass to defend, the eagle was almost certainly just trying to scare the fox away rather than grab it.
Nikon D3 + 600mm f4 lens; 1/1000 sec at f5.6; ISO 400; Gitzo tripod; hide.
View other winners in this category
-
Winner Frozen moment Paul Nicklen
View
-
Runner-up The eye of the baitball Cristóbal Serrano
View
-
Commended The duel Sergey Gorshkov
View
-
Commended Dive robbers Jean Tresfon
View
Search the online gallery
Enter a keyword to search for images from this year's competition
Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year is co-owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.
All intellectual property rights in the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition images are retained by the photographer. Any reproduction of the images without prior written consent will constitute an actionable infringement. For information regarding permission to use competition images please email us.