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Avian action shot wins Finland's nature photo of the year award

The nature photo of the year is Timo Mylläri's bird photo Ruuhka (Congestion).

A flock of white, flying birds photographed from below. The flock covers the whole picture.
"A unique and striking snapshot of a flying flock of ruffs". This is how the jury of the nature photo of the year competition described the winning photo. Image: Timo Mylläri
  • Yle News

The winners of this year's nature photo of the year competition have been revealed, with Timo Mylläri's image of a flock of ruffs taking flight winning both the overall prize and the birds category.

Mylläri captured the image during the spring floods. The flock of ruffs, spotted beside a field road, suddenly took off and flew directly toward him. The award-winning photo was taken just as the birds turned mid-air, right in front of the photographer.

According to the competition jury, the image conveys a breathtaking sense of speed, despite the movement being technically frozen.

"The entire surface of the image is filled with the intensity of spring, which spreads beyond the frame," the jury said in their statement. They also noted that capturing such a photo cannot be planned too far in advance — it's about being in the right place at the right time.

The other photos that won their respective category prizes can be seen below.

A brown leaf that is so dry and weathered that almost only the 'veins' of the leaf remain. Behind it grow bluebells.
A black and white image showing half an owl looking at the camera. To the right, three bright lines that appear to be made of wood. The image is black and white.
A yellow frog with brown spots photographed from below while swimming. Above the frog are brown straws of some kind, and below the frog are white bubbles. The background is black.
The picture is taken from above. Powder snow turning into fine sand, which then turns into water. A bright blue, cloud-covered sky is reflected on the water surface.
Three hares. One of them has jumped another's head, and the third stands behind them with raised ears. They are standing on a blanket of snow.
A green area surrounded by a small stream and fields. In the centre of the green area is a blue lake. The picture is taken from above.
Tree silhouettes against a yellowish sky. In front of the trees are even darker silhouettes of two deer. The image appears to be painted or edited on bark, there are black cracks running through the image and the surface looks uneven.
Four lynxes climbing on rocks under a rock wall or in a cave. The image is dark and the lynx are in the lower right edge, the rest of the image is covered by a rock wall towering over them, and a moss-covered rock with some yellow leaves in the left corner.

The Nature Photo of the Year competition is organised by the Finnish Nature Photographers Association (Suomen Luonnonvalokuvaajat SLV), which includes both amateur and professional nature photographers.

The competition aims to highlight Finnish nature and showcase the best photographs of it throughout the year. The top prize is 5,000 euros, with more than 20,000 euros awarded in total prizes.

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