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Liina Heikkinen's Image
Liina and her father spent the day at a fox hotspot on one of Helsinki’s islands. She watched as two adults came and went, delivering food to their ever-alert and relentlessly hungry cubs. When one brought home a barnacle goose, the cubs began to fight over it excitedly. Liina followed the ‘winner’ as it retreated to devour its prize.
Foxes are born in the spring and are similar to adult size by summer. At around four weeks old, they start to hunt insects and earthworms, but that isn’t enough to sustain them, so their parents provide mammals and birds. Foxes’ diets vary depending on their home: crabs, rabbits, fruit, birds and household waste are all potential food options.
Behind the lens
Liina Heikkinen
Finland
The youngest of a family of wildlife photographers, Liina spent much of her childhood immersed in Finland's nature. Birds are her passion, especially forest birds but also whooper swans and black‑throated divers. She began taking photographs aged eight and - as is family tradition - was given her first SLR camera at age 10. Like her brothers, she has already been a winner.
Image details
- Nikon D4
- 28–300mm f3.5–5.6 lens
- 1/125 sec at f5.6 (-0.3 e/v) • ISO 1600
- Lehtisaari, Uusimaa, Finland
Copyright in WPY competition photographs remains the property of the respective photographers. You may not copy, share, reproduce or republish the photographs except as expressly permitted by copyright law. For media image usage enquiries, please contact us.
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