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Bence Máté's Image
Bence Máté (Hungary) watches a young brown noddy chick being attacked by ghost crabs looking for an easy meal.
Bence was photographing terns in the Seychelles when he was distracted by a distress call.
A helpless chick was floundering in the sand. Within minutes, the first horned ghost crab arrived and started nipping at its wings.
Soon after, the chick was surrounded by more crabs and dragged away.
There’s intense competition among noddies for nest sites. Adults are known to attack neighbours’ unguarded chicks, often pushing them out of nests.
Scavenging omnivores such as ghost crabs take advantage, preying on anything that cannot escape.
Behind the lens
Bence Máté
Hungary
Bence remains the only photographer to have won both the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the Wildlife Photographer of the Year titles. In 2005, he pioneered the one-way glass photography technique, which revolutionised the practice of hide photography worldwide, reducing human disturbance of wildlife. Bence is an advocate of rewilding and invests his earnings in acquiring agricultural land to restore it to its natural state, creating habitats that support the return of native wildlife.
Image details
- Panasonic Lumix S1R II
- Sigma 150–600mm f5–6.3 lens
- 1/2500 at f8 • ISO 3200
- Bird Island, Seychelles
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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