You've Chosen the 2025 Winners!

With over 43,000 votes cast, the people have spoken and the winners have been determined. Introducing your BirdSpotter 2025 contest winners! 

The winners receive gift certificates to Wild Birds Unlimited, the contest sponsor. 

"I never thought I would be a birder but after a work contract as a wildlife biologist I was hooked. Bird surveying was part of the job and it ended up becoming my favourite aspect of it. I loved watching the birds, listening to them, and learning their unique behaviours. Photography came soon after as I found it was equally rewarding capturing them. It felt like real life Pokémon.

With this photo in particular - the local quail were on their morning power walk through my grandpas absolutely immaculate lawn. I grabbed my camera, hid behind the nearest hedge, and waited… finally the most really really ridiculously good looking quail puffed up. How could I resist - his swagger was super effective. I took the shot."

- Gavin Howard

"I’ve been a birder my whole life (29 years to be exact), but have only just gotten into photography in the last 2 years. I use a Nikon D850 with a 500mm lens to take all my photos, and it’s been amazing so far!

I’m the president of Seattle’s Eastside Audubon Photography Club, and it’s so much fun to connect with and learn from my fellow Seattle-based bird photographers.

The Great Horned Owl photo was taken last spring in the greater Phoenix area— I was so lucky to get to photograph this active nest (inside a saguaro cactus) for a few hours at dawn, and observed the 3-week-old owlets interact with their mom while she brought them a rabbit for breakfast."

- Leah Turner

"I spotted this Greater Roadrunner at a local camping park in McKinney, Texas.  I parked my car, and just observed the bird for about 30 minutes.  What I quickly realized was that there were actually TWO roadrunners and they were a couple.  They had a nest nearby too.  The nest was up in a tree about 15 feet above the ground.  Anyway, the pair of roadrunners would head out into the surrounding fields to hunt.  And like clockwork, about every fifteen minutes one of the two would show up with food for the three little ones in the nest.  The roadrunners were extremely skilled at hunting and they would bring back a virtual buffet for the kids that consisted of various bugs, spiders, caterpillars, lizards and snakes too!

I was able to spend several outings with the roadrunner family over the next few weeks.  The roadrunners were extremely tolerant of my presence which did allow me to get many amazing shots.  The photo you see here of the RR with the five-lined skink is my favorite shot of them all.  This encounter was one I will never forget and I am thankful that I was in the right place at the right time to witness the action"

- Paul Marto