some of the 2017 entries

Newly fledged Little Terns in action at Mogareeka.

Photographer: Leo Berzins

Birds: Third place (tied)

Photograph taken at night of a beautiful Garden Orb Spider.

Photographer: Tess Poyner

Invertebrates: First place

Driving past the Merimbula Lake one cloudless & blue-skied morning, I brought my car to a near screeching halt when I spied this little flock of Spoonbills reflecting beautifully on the glassy water. In this pic they had just settled themselves down, then each placed their head beneath a wing for a mid-morning snooze, which also made a very cute image!

Photographer: Toni Ward

Overall: First place

Birds: First place

Eastern Grey Kangaroo running across the lagoon in the morning mist. Photograph taken in Tanja.

Photographer: Tess Poyner

Overall: Second place

Terrestrial vertebrates: First place

Close up of a water dragon

Photographer: Georgia Poyner

Terrestrial vertebrates: Third place

Curlew Sandpipers at Mogareeka. A small flock of these critically endangered birds visited Mogareeka for a few days last November.

Photographer: Leo Berzins

Birds: Second Place (tied)

A super cute, fluffy seal pup.

Photographer: Georgia Poyner

Overall: Third place

Marine & Intertidal: First place

Orange Caterpillar Parasite Wasp photographed while on a bush walk.

Photographer: Tess Poyner

Invertebrates: Third place

Note: although often confused with wasps, this is extraordinary insect is actually a lacewing (Order: Neuroptera)

A female orange blue groper.

Photographer: Georgia Poyner

Underwater: Second place

Beach Stone-curlew at Spencer Park, Merimbula. These birds are Critically Endangered in NSW and are rarely seen this far south.

Photographer: Leo Berzins

Birds: Third place (tied)

Photographer: Georgia Poyner

Underwater: First place

A pair of Common Dolphins surfacing to take a breath.

Photographer: Georgia Poyner

Marine & Intertidal: Third place (tied)

A young diamond python curled up on a rock before the sunrise

Photographer: Harrison Warne

Terrestrial Vertebrates: Second place

A Double-banded Plover enjoying a morning wing-stretch at Mogareeka.

Photographer: Leo Berzins

Birds: Second place (tied)

Humpback whale breaching off the coast of Eden

Photographer: David Rogers

Marine & Intertidal: Second place

I almost missed this amazing creature. Centipedes have only one pair of legs per body segment (while millipedes have two).

Photographer: Jakob Poyner

Invertebrates: Second place