Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife - Winner
The look of a jaguar
By Tom Schandy
In a small, protected area of swamp-forest in the western area of the Pantanal wetland, in Mato Grosso, Brazil, jaguars still roam free from human harassment. They're notoriously difficult to see, and pawprints are as lucky as most people get. Along the riverbanks, though, it's possible to spot them. When Tom took a boat down the Rio Paraguay, he saw four jaguars in three days. This male had picked a slightly concealed spot where he could watch for prey such as capybara. Tom observed him for an hour. 'He was totally calm, even though he was aware of us.' At sunset, the jaguar rose, yawned and scent-marked. Then he faded back into the dense forest.
Equipment : Canon EOS-ID Mark III; 500mm f4 lens; 1/250 sec at f4; ISO 400; Beanbag
Image Credit : Tom Schandy, Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009



Animal Behaviour: All Other Animals - Winner
Raindrop refresher
By András Mészáros
After a summer shower, András headed off to his local forest to take photographs. He specializes in pictures taken around his home near Lake Velence in Hungary – in particular, close-ups. In a sunny glade, he noticed lots of red ants running up and down a flowering common mallow, feeding on the sugar secretions of aphids sucking from the buds. Here, one of the ants sips from a raindrop balanced on a mallow petal. 'The beauty of macro-photography,' says András, 'is the worlds it reveals – all the activity going on in miniature that you otherwise would never see.'
Equipment : Canon EOS-5D; Canon EF 50mm f1.8 lens reversed; 2 sets of extension tubes; Canon EF 1.4x teleconverter; 1/200 sec at f9; ISO 200; Gitzo 143 tripod; Manfrotto 469 Ball Head; Canon 420EX flash; Beanbag
Image Credit : András Mészáros, Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009



Nature in Black and White - Winner
Starling wave
By Danny Green
Starling populations in the UK swell in December and January as birds from the Continent head for milder wintering areas. Huge flocks roost in many spots throughout the country, and as Danny has been working on a long-term project to photograph these impressive roosts, he has visited most of them. 'This gathering,' says Danny, 'was by far the most impressive I have ever seen.' The location was Gretna Green, Scotland. The stage was set: a perfect evening, hundreds upon thousands of starlings. And then the main character appeared, off stage-left – a peregrine falcon, which sent ripples of pulsating panic throughout the entire flock. 'I used a slow shutter-speed,' says Danny, 'so I could accentuate this lovely sweeping movement as the birds exploded over farmland and trees to escape the hunting peregrine.'
Equipment : Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II; Canon 70-200mm lens; 1/3 sec at f2.8; ISO 400.
Image Credit : Danny Green, Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009



15-17 years old - Winner
Clash of the yellowhammers
By Fergus Gill
The planning for this picture started in the summer, when Fergus collected sheaves of oats from a local farmer specifically as winter food for the yellowhammers. One evening in February, hearing that snow was forecast for the next morning, Fergus set up his hide in the garden, hung out feeders and carefully positioned a sheaf of oats. 'I woke early and got into the hide to wait. After a few hours, the garden was full of birds. At one point I counted 32 yellowhammers feeding on the ground.' After another couple of hours, more snow fell and the yellowhammers began jumping up and feeding on the sheaf. 'Every so often I would see a fight between two males over ownership of the oats,' says Fergus, 'but the spats were incredibly fast.' This, however, was the event he decided to concentrate on. Two days later, Fergus got his shot, capturing both the clash and the composition he'd planned.
Equipment : Nikon D300; Nikon 200-400mm f4 lens at 220mm; 1/1000 sec at f5.6; ISO 500
Image Credit : Fergus Gill, Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009