The mesmerizing winners of the 2022 Bird Photographer of the Year awards revealed

A flock of talented photographers! The mesmerizing winners of the 2022 Bird Photographer of the Year awards have been revealedThis year the awards received over 20,000 entries, with photographers competing for a £5,000 prize Norwegian photographer Erlend Haarberg wins the first prize for his photo of a rock ptarmigan in flight The winning images 'shed light on the incredible diversity of birds with which we share our planet'

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< p class="byline-section"> Posted: 22:00 BST, 8 Sep 2022 | Updated: 08:03 BST, 09 Sep 2022

These are images from a talented group of photographers.

They were all honored in the Bird Prize for Photographer of the Year 2022, an annual competition celebrating bird life which this year received more than 20,000 submissions from around the world.

An adorable photo of a couple of kissing puffins, a breathtaking image of a great crested cormorant soaring above a huge wave, and a heartbreaking photo of a little owl playing in a landfill are among the images that impressed the judges.

However, this is a stunning photo of a rock ptarmigan in flight above the Tysfjorden fjord in Norway by Erlend Haarberg which reigns supreme overall, earning the Norwegian photographer the grand prize of £5,000 and the title of Bird Photographer of the Year.

Commenting on the results, Will Nicholls, Director of Bird Photographer of the Year, says: “Once again our talented photographers have brought to light the incredible diversity of birds with which we share our planet. But it's also a stark reminder of what we stand to lose if we don't continue to care for the natural world and fight for its protection from the many threats that exist today.'

Below are the gorgeous winners - scroll to the bottom to see the top-place image.