#HTE

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 (13 photos)

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, founded in 1965, is an annual international showcase of the best in nature photography. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. This year, the contest attracted nearly 50,000 entries from 92 countries. The owners and sponsors have once again been kind enough to share the following 13 finalists from this year’s competition. Their website has images from previous years and more information about the current competition and exhibition. Captions provided by the photographers and WPY organizers, and lightly edited for style.

Winter pause - The red squirrel closed its eyes for just a moment, paws together, fur fluffed, then resumed its search for food. Winter is a tough time for northern animals. Some hibernate to escape its rigors, but not red squirrels. Andersson walks every day in the forest near his home in southern Sweden, often stopping to watch the squirrels foraging in the spruce trees. Though their mainly vegetarian diet is varied, their winter survival is linked to a good crop of spruce cones, and they favor woodland with conifers. They also store food to help see them through lean times. On this cold, February morning, the squirrel’s demeanor encapsulated the spirit of winter, captured by Andersson using the soft-light grain of black and white. (© Copyright Mats Andersson / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/09/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-2017/539853/