I have been at a bit of a loss for motivation to do Saturday Surprise posts of late, so I haven’t. But last week, this years Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists were announced, and that’s always fun stuff!
The annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are fun, sure, but there is a deeper purpose behind the project. The project began when co-founder Paul Joynson-Hicks, a professional wildlife photographer who was living and working in East Africa at the time, was going through some of the photos he had taken and found himself laughing at a few of them. At that point, he realized that the humour of these photographs was both entertaining and a means to engage people with the threats facing these same animals. Says Mr. Joynson-Hicks …
“Our world is extraordinarily beautiful and interconnected, yet the human race is doing its best to over-exploit and damage it. Issues of wildlife conservation and sustainability are gaining momentum globally, yet the messages and images tend to be negative, depressing and enervating.”
If you have time, check out their website … you’ll find not only lots of fun pictures from the current competition, but from years past as well, and a number of ideas for things you can do to help protect and preserve wildlife! And now, for the fun pictures!
“Talk To The Fin!” By Jennifer Hadley — This was shot on the Falkland Islands. These two gentoo penguins were hanging out on the beach when one shook himself off and gave his mate the snub.
“Tight Fit!” By Mark Schocken — I was going to see and photograph this eastern screech owl nest in a local park in Florida. One morning, a few days before the two owlets fledged, one owlet tried to squeeze into the nest hole with Mom, maybe to see the outside world for the first time. It was hilarious and I was glad I was there that morning to photograph it. The moment lasted only a few seconds as Mom didn’t seem very happy with the arrangement. Check out the expression on her face.
“The Wink” By Kevin Lohman — An American Red Fox casually walked up to the edge of the woods and sat down, then turned around and gave a wink. Moments later, this sly fox disappeared into the trees.
“Mum Life” By Sophie Hart — A baby long-tailed macaque clings on to its weary mother.
“Pegasus, The Flying Horse” By Jagdeep Rajput — Actually this is Indian Saras Crane attacking a Bluebull from behind, the bull happened to venture close to Saras’s nest, where in, it had laid a single egg. The Saras Crane, which is tallest flying bird in the world, opened it’s huge wings and attacked the bull from behind, driving the bull away from the nest.
“Curtain Call II” By Dave Shaffer — This little guy had a blast playing with a stick . I also had a very good time watching him .
“Fight Back” By John Chaney — This salmon decides to punch the bear in the face rather than be lunch.
“Not So Cat-Like Reflexes” By Jennifer Hadley — This 3 month old cub and his sibling were in a tree. The other lionesses were in other trees and on the ground. He wanted to get down and walked all over the branches looking for the right spot and finally just went for it. It was probably his first time in a tree and his descent didn’t go so well. He was just fine though after landing on the ground. He got up and ran off with some other cubs.
“Jumping Jack” By Alex Pansier — A red squirrel jumps during a rainstorm, so you can see the drops flying around.
“Maniacs” By Saverio Gatto — Lappet-faced Vultures in display.
“What Shall I Write Next” By Torie Hilley — Most bear cubs do cub-like things. Like, follow mom around, nurse, and be generally cute. But this cub took it to another level of cuteness. She found an eagle feather and started to play with it for a good 10 minutes! As she danced and rolled with the feather, she held it in her mouth for a moment – as if she was thinking of what to write next! Cuteness overload!
“Say Cheeeese” By Arturo Telle Thiemann — A couple of triggerfish looking into the camera, captured at the Azores.Even they may look funny, these fish can be quite aggressive. In this case they didn’t attempt to bite me, but the domeport of my camera housing ended up with some scratches… life is hard… at least it wasn’t me who was hurt.
“Rushing Little Owl Fledgeling” By Shuli Greenstein — I was told that I can find a lot of little owls in the Judean Lowlands in Israel. So, I went on a journey early in the morning and really, I found a lot of little owls standing on the ground, on stones, near the nest and on tree branches. Suddenly, my eyes were caught by two fledgelings that were playing with each other on the ground. One of them crossed my field of vision. I started taking pictures in sequence and this is what came out…
“It’s All Kicking Off!” By Michael Eastwell — Apart from its beauty, Cape Hillsborough is renowned for its resident kangaroos and wallabies. I visited the area for three consecutive sunrises, but it was on my final morning that I captured this beautiful spectacle, two wallabies playing / fighting on the beach as the sun burst through the surrounding clouds.
“I’m Gonna Strangle You!” By Emmanuel Do Linh San — I was following a group of meerkats on foot in the Kalahari Trails Game Reserve, in South Africa. Most individuals, including adults, were in a playful mood. It gave me a unique opportunity to capture very interesting and dynamic interactions between some members of the group. In the photo that I have selected, there is no aggression between individuals, but rather an interaction that reminds us of humans when one of your friends jokes about you and you pretend to strangle them and, in response, they open their mouth like a simpleton.
“Uncomfortable Pillow” By Andrew Peacock — These elephant seal weaners were practising their jousting skills for many minutes before they collapsed in exhaustion. One looks to be resting far more comfortably than the other!
“Monkey Wellness Centre” By Federica Vinci — Walking near a cambodian temple where groups of wild monkeys lived, I came across this scene: a wild monkey in total relax, while its friend was taking care of it.
“Misleading African Viewpoints 2” By Jean Jacques Alcalay — Hippo yawning next to a heron standing on the back of another hippo.
“Stop And Stare” By Andy Evans — After hearing Borneo’s borders would reopen again in April 2022 I couldn’t wait to visit and photograph some of the weird and wonderful wildlife on the island. After 2 years with no tourists it seemed like the wildlife was just as shocked to see me as I was to see them. This young proboscis monkey watched in amazement as I cruised by on the kinabatangan river.
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