Bernard Shore, Rifleman Stare (NATURE WILDERNESS 2024)

The Rifleman or Tītitipounamu of the New Zealand Southern Alps don’t stay still for very long. I found a small group of them after hiking 4 hours into the Alpine area of New Zealands South Island. They are incredible birds, although small they have a great intensity about them, through their inquisitive stare. I managed, after a long morning and many failed attempts to find a rifleman staring straight down the lens. Due to its imposing stance and direct stare, I managed to capture the character of the Rifleman I have not captured in this species before. This image was shot on my Nikon Z8 and 800mm Z PF 6.3

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.