2008: One Earth Award - Highly Commended
Martijn de Jonge (The Netherlands)
Flight-paths
'One hot August morning, I drove to a dump in Extremadura in Spain, a vital feeding station for migrants such as white storks. As the first storks flew overhead, an aircraft slashed across the azure sky. I waited for when the paths of the migrants crossed and took this shot to illustrate the contrast between human and bird migration.' White storks save energy on long migrations by riding warm columns of air, called thermals, across Europe and to their wintering grounds in Africa. Migration is synchronised and flocks can contain many thousands of birds. Along the way, the waste tips of Spain provide vital feeding grounds. If the pickings are good, some will even choose to stay in Spain for the winter.
Nikon D2x + 24-85mm lens at 85mm; 1/1000 sec at f6.3; ISO 320.
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