Bird photo wins Nature Conservancy contest

A female Northern Cardinal recently landed in first place in The Nature Conservancy's 2008 Nature Photo Contest. The bird, captured in flight by Howard Cheek of Kempner, Texas, won the most votes amid more than 14,000 submissions.


Posted on the conservancy's website, "Waterhole Landing" garnered the most attention from 19,000 voters. Cheek created the image after "birdscaping" his 6-acre property in the Hill Country. Flower beds, fruit trees, forage grasses and a small pond bring resident and migratory animals to his camera.

Congratulations to Cheek! Very nice to see a bird photo win a nature photography contest.

Want to see more awesome bird photos? Peruse the 2008 winners of WildBird's annual photo contest.

WildBird's contest is going on now! The 16 prizes include a Canon EOS 50D, and participants can submit two entries for each of the five categories. The rules, entry form and prizes appear in the March/April and May/June issues (not online). The entry deadline is May 15.