BirdLife Australia and BirdLife Photography have just announced the winners of the seventh annual BirdLife Australia Photography Awards.


The ’Jabirus’ of Corroboree by Nathan Watson won the major portfolio prize, which consisted of a Nikon Z 8 camera valued at $7,449 RRP, courtesy of the Principal Sponsor Nikon Australia. © Nathan Watson.

According to winner, Nathan Watson, Corroboree Billabong in the Northern Territory is a pristine freshwater ecosystem within the Mary River wetlands. With native lotus and nymphaea water lilies flowering across the expansive floodplain, it is teeming with birdlife. Standing head and shoulders above them all are the Black-necked Storks, more commonly called ‘Jabirus’. “Spending five days with a local guide on the billabong”, he commented, “I observed many wonderful moments of these majestic but sometimes gawky birds. My goal was to take a series of images that captures the character and elegance of the Jabirus of Australia’s Top End.”

Winners of the other categories are as follows:

  • Backyard Birds – Charlotte Scavarda with a shot of a Northern Rosella, taken in the East Kimberley, WA;
  • Bird Behaviour – Richard Arculus with a photo of a Welcome Swallows feeding its young at the Jerrabomberra Wetlands in Canberra;
  • Bird Portrait – Heather Thorning, who photographed a Cockatiel perching on a dead branch in Derby, WA.
  • Birds in Flight – Sharon Jones for an action shot of a Pied Heron fishing wile on the wing, taken at the Knuckey Lagoon in the Northern Territory;
  • Birds in the Landscape – Kelly Asmus Albornoz for a shot of a Royal Spoonbill, taken on a foggy morning at Lake Broadwater, QLD;
  • Human Impact – Jennifer Noble who captured a male Western Bowerbird adding a can tab to his bower, taken in the Northern Goldfields, WA;
  • Special Theme – Maria Coleman for a shot of an Eastern Ground Parrot feeding on fresh grass seeds, taken in the Shoalhaven region of NSW; and
  • Youth – Matthew Wu (aged 15), who captured the mating dance of Paradise Riflebirds, at Mt Glorious in QLD.

Last year’s competition attracted thousands of entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels – including some of Australia’s finest. The special theme for the contest was ‘Land of the Parrots’. Funds raised through entry fees support BirdLife Australia’s bird conservation work. Proceeds from the 2025 competition will support the organisation’s work with migratory shorebirds. Click here to view the 2024 winners’ gallery.