Tropical Audubon Society is pleased to announce the winners of our first Bird-Friendly Garden Photography Contest! We received more than 100 enchanting entries, each portraying a crucial pollinator whose presence is vital to our ecosystem and brightens our South Florida gardens. Choosing the winners was not easy! The field of entries was judged by staff master Gardener Amy Creekmur, who is also our Bird-friendly Garden project manager, and TAS board members Kirsten Hines, a nature writer and photographer with an M.Sc. in biology who co-authored the gardening reference bookAttracting Birds to South Florida Gardens and Elizabeth Smith, a photojournalist, photo editor, publicist and branding consultant.
The contest was open to amateur photographers only. Each entry was judged on composition, clarity and how vividly each bird or other pollinator was portrayed in its environment. Preference was given to native species. (Pollinator and flora are identified where provided by photographer)
Top Honors
First Place: Cape May Warbler by Bonnie Masdeu
Second Place: Atala Butterfly with Coontie by Colin Knight
Third Place: Honeybee with Firebush by Pam Goldberg
Honorable Mentions
Northern Parula by Kristin Fonseca
Honeybee with Wild Lime by John Ricisak
Queen Butterfly by Inna Malostovker
Cape May Warbler by Lauren Keller
Northern Cardinal with Bahama Cassia by Pam Goldberg
Eastern Screech Owl by Lynne Blustein
Great Southern White Butterfly with Jamaican Caper Tree by Hugh Ryan
The entire assemblage of powerful and beautiful submitted photos will help TAS message to Miami-Dade County residents with the goal of empowering them to regreen the region by recreating bird-friendly native habitat in their yards, or on patios or balconies. The nectar, fruit, seeds and insects native plants provide will attract and nourish birds and other pollinators year-round.
