Johnny Hendrikus, Wings Of The Southern Alps (NATURE WILDERNESS 2024)

The New Zealand Kea, the cheeky alpine parrot that soars the skies of New Zealand's southern mountain range. In full flight, framed by the Southern Alps, I captured this Kea at 70mm, f/3.5, and a lightning-fast shutter speed of 1/2500. Just moments before, a circus of these mischievous parrots were attacking our car’s windscreen and door rubbers. With the road ahead closing and reopening just in time for us, the chaos perfectly matched the wild beauty of the scene.

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