When I saw a group of Dunlin struggling with a small sandstorm, I decided to risk my equipment and attempt to photograph them. However, the opportunity to observe all kind of shorebirds made up for the conditions. The weather was quite bad and I didn’t see a single nice sunrise.

The Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2022 was awarded to 17-year-old Swiss photographer Levi Fitze for his image of a dunlin struggling against a sandstorm.įitze explained, ‘ Last autumn I spent a week on the tiny North Sea island of Heligoland. © Erlend Haarberg / Bird Photographer of the Year Gold Award Winner and Bird Photographer of the Year 2022. Category: Overall Winner and Birds in the Environment. Rock Ptarmigan Flight, Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus muta.

From behind a rock, a small head appeared, and seconds later it took to the wing with the mountains and fjord landscape in the background, setting the scene perfectly.’ I had almost reached the summit when I spotted some ptarmigan tracks criss-crossing between the rocks, where the wind had uncovered some sparse vegetation. ‘On this particular winter day, I was on my way to a mountain top by Tysfjorden to photograph landscapes.

This is where Rock Ptarmigan thrive, small white feather-balls in an endless white landscape,’ says Haarberg. ‘High above the tree-line, the wind, snow and cold maintain the iron grip of winter for months on end. Norwegian photographer Erlend Haarberg was declared this year’s grand prize winner for his beautiful image taken above Tysfjorden. Photographers from all over the world entered more than 20,000 images into the competition, each with their eyes on the £5,000 grand prize. An image of a rock ptarmigan in winter plumage taking flight above the snow-covered mountains of Tysfjord, Norway, takes the grand prize in the world’s largest bird photography competition. The Bird Photographer of the Year 2022 winners have been unveiled.

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