Great Egret Ardea alba. Kiskunsag National Park, Hungary.
Photographer: Bence Máté, Hungary. Category: Bird Behaviour. HONOURABLE MENTION.
Photographer’s Story: ‘Bird photographers rarely get the opportunity to shoot white birds in a white environment. I had planned for more than ten years to capture Great White Egrets in the snow, with snow clouds in the background so that their black legs and yellow beaks dominated the image. Lots of environmental factors needed to coincide at the same time for such an image to be possible. The European population of Great White Egrets is very resilient: in temperatures of -15° C they are protected by their thick plumage, while in temperatures as high as +40°C their colour reflects the sun’s rays.’
Canon EOS 1DX MkII with Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM lens. 200mm focal length; 1/2,500 second; f/3.5; ISO 3,200. Tripod. Hide with one-way glass.
