2021 BirdWatching Photography Awards first place: Short-eared Owl and Northern Harrier

Kathy McCulloch Wade, of Lake Forest Park, Washington, won first place in the 2021 BirdWatching Photography Awards with this stunning image of a Short-eared Owl facing off against a Northern Harrier, which has its back to the camera. She shot the photo in mid-March 2021 in Skagit County, Washington, a great location for wintering owls and raptors. She said she went to the site to test a new piece of camera gear, and immediately the Short-ear landed in a field near her with a vole in its talons.

“The owl perked up its ears and was very alert, staring in my direction,” she said. “It became clear that it was alert because a Northern Harrier was fast approaching, and this owl wanted to protect its meal. The owl flew up just as the harrier got very close, and this is the resulting image. The owl successfully scared the harrier off its meal this day.”

One of our judges, founding editor Eldon Greij, noted: “I can’t imagine the odds of actually seeing this behavior.”

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