(French translation coming soon/Traduction française à venir)
This fall, photographers of all levels submitted their favorite photos of KBAs as part of the 2024 KBA Canada Photo Contest. The contest was a huge success, collecting more than double the number of submissions from last year (230 in total!) from over 60 amateur and professional photographers across the country. Photos came in from all corners of Canada, from almost every province and territory. Submissions across the four categories – Fauna, Flora and Fungi, Landscapes and Ecosystems, and People and Conservation – spotlighted the incredible variety and beauty of KBAs. A heartfelt thank you to the talented photographers who submitted their entries and to the judges at KBA Canada, who faced the challenging task of selecting favourites. For your enjoyment, we’ve gathered the top photos from each category, along with an extensive list of Honorable Mentions that capture the stunning variety of landscapes and scenes captured by the photographers.
The top winners in each category will be receiving a KBA Canada Prize Package, and runner-ups and honorable mentions will be featured across the KBA social media channels.
Fauna
The Fauna category showcased the diversity and behaviours of wildlife within KBAs. The winning image, Cairang Jia’s gorgeous photo of a Long-billed Curlew stretching its wings beneath a rainbow in Grasslands National Park and Area KBA, captures the ethereal beauty to be found in Canada’s prairies. Meanwhile, the runner-ups in this category display the beauty of Canada’s coasts, with Nicole Harrington’s second place image of a grey seal pup sleeping through a sandstorm on Sable Island National Park Reserve Candidate KBA and Ken Langelier’s third place image of a Humpback Whale feeding on Pacific Herring in the Johnstone Strait – Southeast Queen Charlotte Strait Candidate KBA.
1st place – Under the Rainbow by Cairang Jia.
After the rainstorm, the elegant Long-billed Curlew stretched its wing under the beautiful rainbow. (Grasslands National Park and Area KBA)
2nd place – Sleeping through a Sandstorm by Nicole Harrington.
A Grey Seal pup on Sable Island National Park, sleeps soundly through a sandstorm as it is cocooned by the sand drift that builds up around them. (Sable Island National Park Reserve Candidate KBA)
3rd place – Humpback Whale feeding on Herring by Ken Langelier.
I watched as a herring ball surfaced due to a bubble net cast by a Humpback Whale. I focused on the herring anticipating an assortment of birds to come forage and wondered why they didn’t. Suddenly, the Humpback Whale surfaced with an open mouth scooping up the herring. (Johnstone Strait – Southeast Queen Charlotte Strait Candidate KBA)
Flora and Fungi
Photos in the Flora and Fungi category showed viewers new perspectives on species that don’t always get a lot of attention. Lauren Pitt’s colourful and beautifully composed winning photo transports viewers to a whole new world in the threatened sand dunes of Saskatchewan’s Great Sandhills Candidate KBA. Second and third place runner-ups, Abigail Hyde and Steve Rasmussen, both submitted stunning images that allow us to slow down and appreciate the changing of seasons and the beauty in a commonplace fungus.
1st place – Sand and Scarlet by Lauren Pitt.
A bright red Winged Dock leaf rests in the sandy dunes of Great Sandhills KBA. This striking plant thrives in one of Canada’s unique and fragile ecosystems. (Great Sandhills Candidate KBA)
2nd place – Spring Transition by Abigail Hyde.
Sitka Spruce, Picea sitchensis budding in the KBA Tofino at the edge of a beach. (Tofino Mudflats KBA)
3rd place – Turkey Tail Fungus by Steve Rasmussen.
I found this large mat of turkey tail fungus at Alaksen National Wildlife Area growing on an alder stump. This photo is taken with a macro lens and is a stack of 20 photos to increase the depth of focus. (Fraser River Estuary KBA)
Landscapes and Ecosystems
The photos in the Landscapes and Ecosystems category displayed the breathtaking beauty of KBAs, highlighting their striking vistas as well as their habitat characteristics. These photos offered a vivid portrayal of the unique character of each site itself, instead of focusing on its inhabitants. Nicole Harrington’s winning photo in this category gives an incredible shot of one of Canada’s more remote KBAs: Sable Island National Park Reserve KBA. Meanwhile, Liam Brennan and Nicholas Ypelaar’s second and third place images provide an amazing nocturnal view of an aurora and the Milky Way above Canadian Lake Superior KBA and Grasslands National Park and Area KBA.
1st place – A Sliver of Life – Nicole Harrington.
This is the first heart-stopping image of Western-most tip of Sable Island National Park, taken from the Canadian coast guard helicopter flying scientists in for another field season of studying Grey Seals. (Sable Island National Park Reserve KBA)
2nd place – Superior Stars by Liam Brennan.
This image was created in Pukaskwa National Park, in the Lake Superior biodiversity region. The milky way hangs over the coast. (Canadian Lake Superior KBA)
3rd place – Night in the Native Mixed-Grass Prairie by Nicholas Ypelaar.
Aurora Borealis in the native mixed-grass prairie of Grasslands National Park. This photo took hours of preparation, many failed attempts, and finally some good luck and timing. In the foreground some sagebrush and slender wheatgrass are visible. The silhouette of Eagle Butte, a prominent post-glacial feature is also present. (Grasslands National Park and Area KBA)
People and Conservation
If a picture is worth 1000 words, submissions in the People and Conservation category were essays describing the efforts, initiatives and people dedicated to conserving (and enjoying!) KBAs in Canada. Two of Jason Headley’s photos were selected by judges as the first and third place images in this category, and the photos tell a quiet and captivating story of what bat monitoring is like. Patricia Homonylo’s second place image shows a different view of monitoring, as she captures the energy of a Ring-billed Gull survey in Toronto’s Leslie Street Spit KBA.
1st place – Counting Shadows by Jason Headley
This photo captures a group of biologists conducting a winter bat count in Cadomin Caves, a vital hibernaculum within the Whitehorse Wildland Key Biodiversity Area. The data gathered contributes to a deeper understanding of colony health and supports efforts to mitigate threats like White-Nose Syndrome. (Whitehorse Wildland KBA)
2nd place – Too Many or Too Few: When Numbers Matter by Patricia Homonylo
At Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto, Chip Weseloh does new counts of Ring-billed Gulls. (Leslie Street Spit Candidate KBA)
3rd place – A Night in the Rosebud Valley by Jason Headley
This photo captures a bat survey in the Rosebud Valley in March, where biologists and local residents gathered to search for bats emerging from the steep cliffs along the valley. This location, the site of the first bat call recorded in 2024, is notable for having some of the highest winter bat activity known in Alberta. The Rosebud Valley serves as an important wildlife corridor and a vital ecosystem for many species at risk in Alberta. While not yet designated as a Key Biodiversity Area, this site holds significant potential to be recognized as a Candidate KBA. (Rosebud Valley Candidate KBA)
