{"id":35905,"date":"2024-02-07T02:02:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T01:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9e0b10a4-1b83-4c85-83fd-f08958e910e3"},"modified":"2024-02-07T03:35:39","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T02:35:39","slug":"dreamy-image-of-a-polar-bear-snoozing-on-a-bed-of-ice-wins-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-peoples-choice-award-2023","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/dreamy-image-of-a-polar-bear-snoozing-on-a-bed-of-ice-wins-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-peoples-choice-award-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Dreamy image of a polar bear snoozing on a bed of ice wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year People\u2019s Choice Award 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Runners up for the prestigious photography competition include a swarm of moon jellyfish illuminated by the aurora borealis, a pair of lionesses grooming their cubs, a mass of swirling starlings and a very happy turtle. <\/p>

By BBC Wildlife Magazine\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 07 February 2024 at 01:02 AM<\/p>

\n\n

The winners of this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People\u2019s Choice Award<\/a> have been revealed. <\/p>

The 25 images in the running for this year’s competition received over 75,000 votes, with British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani eventually clinching top spot.<\/p>

“Nima\u2019s breathtaking and poignant image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet,” says Director of the Natural History Museum, Dr Douglas Gurr.\u00a0<\/p>

“His thought- provoking image is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat and serves as a visual representation of the detrimental impacts of climate warming and habitat loss.”<\/p>

The four \u2018Highly Commended\u2019 finalists that also charmed wildlife lovers include \u2018The Happy Turtle\u2019 by Tzahi Finkelstein, \u2018Starling Murmuration\u2019 by Daniel Dencescu, \u2018Shared Parenting\u2019 by Mark Boyd and ‘Aurora Jellies\u2019 by Audun Rikardsen.<\/p>

Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/a> is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum<\/a> in London.<\/p>

Ice Bed by Nima Sarikhani <\/h3>
‘Ice Bed’ \u2013 Winner. Credit: Nima Sarikhani, Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A polar bear carves out a bed from a small iceberg before drifting off to sleep in the far north, off Norway\u2019s Svalbard archipelago. Having spent three days desperately searching for polar bears through thick fog in the far north off Norway\u2019s Svalbard archipelago, the expedition vessel Nima was on decided to change course. It turned and headed to the southeast, where there was still some sea ice. Here they encountered a younger and an older male. Just before midnight, the young male clambered onto a small iceberg and, using his strong paws, clawed away at it to carve out a bed for himself before drifting off to sleep. <\/p>

Location: Off Norway\u2019s Svalbard archipelago, Norway<\/em><\/p>

Aurora Jellies by Audun Rikardsen<\/h3>
\"Aurora
‘Aurora Jellies’ \u2013 Highly Commended. Credit: Audun Rikardsen, Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Moon jellyfish swarm in the cool autumnal waters of a fjord outside Troms\u00f8 in northern Norway illuminated by the aurora borealis. It\u2019s common for this species to gather in their hundreds under the aurora borealis. Sheltering his equipment in a self-made waterproof housing, Audun used a single exposure as well as his own system for adjusting the focus and aperture during the exposure. This enabled him to capture the reflection of the sky\u2019s colours on the surface of the water and at the same time light up the jellyfish with flashes. Moon jellyfish are common in all oceans and are easily recognised by their four rings, which are in fact their genitals. <\/p>

Location: Troms\u00f8, Northern Norway <\/em><\/p>

Shared Parenting by Mark Boyd<\/h3>
\"Shared
‘Shared Parenting’ \u2013 Highly Commended. Credit: Mark Boyd, Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A pair of lionesses devotedly groom one of the pride\u2019s five cubs in Kenya\u2019s Maasai Mara. Early in the morning, Mark watched as these lionesses groomed one of their five cubs in their territory in Kenya\u2019s Maasai Mara. The evening before they\u2019d set off to hunt, leaving the cubs hidden overnight in dense bushes. Returning from their unsuccessful mission, they\u2019d called the cubs out onto the open grassland. Females raise each other\u2019s cubs as their own, sharing parenting duties. Here the youngster was clearly enjoying the moment of affection and attention. <\/p>

Location: Maasai Mara, Kenya<\/em><\/p>

Starling Murmuration by Daniel Dencescu<\/h3>
\"Starling
‘Starling Murmuration’ \u2013 Highly Commended. Credit: Daniel Dencescu, Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A mesmerising mass of starlings swirl into the shape of a giant bird on their way to communal roosts above the city of Rome, Italy. Daniel was mesmerised by the movements of the starlings as they formed colossal organic shapes in the sky. Each day, as they returned from foraging, they would gather in large numbers and perform spellbinding aerial shows, known as murmurations, on their flight home to their communal roosts. In a bid to locate the best roosting sites at which to capture the spectacle, Daniel spent hours following the starlings around the city and suburbs of Rome. Finally, on this cloudless winter\u2019s day, the flock didn\u2019t disappoint, swirling into the shape of a giant bird. <\/p>

Location: The city of Rome, Italy <\/em><\/p>

The Happy Turtle by Tzahi Finkelstein<\/h3>
\"Nima
‘The Happy Turtle’ \u2013 Highly Commended.Credit: Tzahi Finkelstein, Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A Balkan pond turtle shares a moment of peaceful coexistence with a northern banded groundling dragonfly in Israel\u2019s Jezreel Valley. Tzahi was positioned in his hide in Israel\u2019s Jezreel Valley photographing shore birds when he spotted a Balkan pond turtle walking in the shallow water. At first, he wasn\u2019t interested in it and carried on watching the birds. It wasn\u2019t until a northern banded groundling dragonfly flew past his lens in the direction of the turtle that his focus changed. The dragonfly unexpectedly landed on the turtle\u2019s nose, but instead of snapping up the insect, the turtle appeared to be experiencing pleasure from the interaction as they shared a moment of peaceful coexistence in the midst of the swamp\u2019s murky waters. <\/p>

Location: Jezreel Valley, Israel <\/em><\/p>