Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Mateusz Piesiak (Poland)

Pester power

Mateusz wrapped his camera in a waterproof sack, dropped onto his belly and began to crawl along the wet sand. His aim was to get close to a small group of American oystercatchers on a beach on Long Island, New York. The birds were so absorbed in their foraging that they ignored him, sometimes scuttling almost to within arm's length in their search for shellfish. One young oystercatcher kept trying to find its own food. 'As soon as it saw an adult with a morsel,' says Mateusz, 'it would run over with loud, begging queep queep cries and try to snatch it from them. Sometimes the adult would give in. At other times, there would be a noisy quarrel.' Mateusz spent so long watching this pester power at work that he didn't notice the tide coming in until a big wave washed over him. 'I managed to hold my camera up high,' he says. 'I was cold and wet, with sand in my clothes, hair and ears, but I had my shot.'

Canon EOS 40D + 400mm f5.6 lens; 1/800 sec at f5.6 (-1.3 e/v); ISO 400.

This photograph is available to buy as a print.