The visitor centre at the Swiss Ornithological Institute is always worth a visit.

Overall winner 2023 | Wallcreeper | Andreas Volz
On a hike in the Tyrolean Alps, I observed a pair of Wallcreepers flying repeatedly along a rock face near the path. The birds were obviously used to the presence of humans, so all I had to do was wait for the right moment to photograph one of the Wallcreepers in flight.

1st place general | Common Crane | László Tóth
I was on my way home from a photo shoot down by the lake when I saw a family of Cranes from my car feeding on grain. I whipped out the camera and rolled down the window.

2nd place general | Mute Swan | Luca Lorenz
I was out by a small lake in Berlin with my wide-angle lens and photographed a very trusting Mute Swan. Whenever the swan dipped its head underwater, I photographed it from above. Since the water was much darker than the swan, I only needed to underexpose a little and everything around it turned completely black.

3rd place general | Common Starling | Sandra Schweizer
Starlings are my favourite birds and every spring I look forward to their return from their winter quarters. No sooner had they arrived than it was decided which pair would be allowed to occupy the two nest boxes installed in the garden. This gentleman in the picture made a special effort to attract attention. I was able to photograph him directly from the house through the open window.

1st place emotion | Brambling | Christoph Kaula
My last observations at Brambling roosts were overwhelming, and this time there would be significantly more Bramblings in Solling/Germany. It was a spectacle without equal. In the evening, ever larger, seemingly endless troops flew to the roost as the flocking began. The birds first gathered on some beech trees before moving to spruce trees to roost.

2nd place emotion | Mallard | Luca Lorenz
In a small harbour on a lake in Berlin, there are always lots of Mallards in the water. On a windy winter’s day, I was focused on a small group that was looking for food among the leaves in the water. I liked the undulating movement of the colourful leaves, and using long exposure times, I tried to photograph them as well as I could.

3rd place emotion | Eurasian Nuthatch | Łukasz Jabłoński
The limited number of sunny days last autumn led me to appreciate native bird species even more: all the different tits, woodpeckers and the subject of my photo – the Nuthatch. I spent every clear evening outdoors with my camera. I am really pleased that I managed to capture the Nuthatch in its most recognizable pose – against the light of the setting sun, no less.

1st place action | Yellow-billed Chough | Christoph Kaula
For several years I have dreamed of photographing Yellow-billed Choughs. In the mountains, these curious birds are commonly seen in tour- ist areas and let you get surprisingly close. All the more reason to use a wide-angle lens. At the cable car station at the top of the Dachstein in Austria, I managed to take this picture of a Yellow-billed Chough that rose into the air again and again.

2nd place action | Little Owl | Andrés Miguel Domínguez
This female Little Owl flew from an oak tree into a sunflower field to hunt. At dusk the bird flew from flower to flower, hunting the green grasshoppers that were present in abundance. This picture was taken in Arcos de la Frontera, southern Spain.

3rd place action | Common Redstart | Markus Varesvuo
It’s late September and this Redstart is busy building up its fat reserves in preparation for the long journey south. I caught it in mid-manoeuvre as it hunted for insects in the air.