Mongolia Wild Bird Photo Contest Winners

The goal of the 2010 Mongolia Wild Bird Photo Contest was to raise public awareness, knowledge and appreciation of the bird and their habitat conservation and to promote bird watching in Mongolia. This was the first kind of contest in the country and was organized in respect to the United Nations’ declaration of 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. Organizers believed such contest will bring people together in bird conservation and awareness in the country.

GO TO THE PHOTO CONTEST PAGE TO SEE ALL SUBMITTED PHOTOS

For this year’s contest, we have received over 90 photos (excluding disqualified photos) of 65 species from 26 people in 8 countries, Germany, USA, UK, South Korea, Hungary, France, Russia, and Mongolia. The participants were from many different backgrounds, from amateur birdwatchers to professional ornithologists and biologists. The winners have been selected based on the quality and uniqueness of photos submitted by participants.

The winning photo and photographer are the picture of a male Altai Snowcock Tetraogallus altaicus taken by Tumendelger Humbaa from Mongolia. He took this photo in Zuun Saikhan Mountain which is the one of three mountains of the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park in Omnogobi aimag. His photo of Altai Snowcock is probably one of the best shots of this high mountain species we have seen so far. He also submitted several superb photos of Himalayan Griffons and Wallcreeper.




The second place winner is Dr.Paek Won Kee from South Korea. He encountered with a Eurasian Dotterel Charadrius morinellus in a high mountain top Alag-Erdene, Khovsgol aimag and took this superb photo.



Third place goes to Steve Klasan from Germany. Steve Klasan made a wonderful shot of two fighting Red-necked Stints Calidris ruficollis while he was birdwatching at Buir Lake in eastern Mongolia.



Tudevvaanchig Battulga from Mongolia recieves the special prize. He is a young amateur local bird watcher and participated in the contest with several photos inclduing a nice close shot of a Eurasian Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes. One of his photo shows displaying whooper swans Cygnus cygnus at a lake with a nomad’s ger in the background. He took this photo in Tsengel sum, Bayan-Ulgii aimag. Truly beautiful image of contryside in Mongolia.




Prizes for winning photos and participants are:

1st place prize: Certificate, Mark Brazil’s book “Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia: Eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Eastern Russia ”, which is one of the best field guides for use in East Asia and Mongolia, the book “Important Bird Areas in Mongolia”.

2nd place prize: Certificate, The book “Important Bird Areas in Mongolia”

3rd place prize: Certificate, The book “Important Bird Areas in Mongolia”

Special place prize: Certificate, book “National Geographic Birding Essentials”, and “Important Bird Areas in Mongolia”

In addition, each winner gets a copy of the newly published local language field guide “The field guide to common birds in Mongolia” by Tseveenmyadag et al. 2010.


GO TO THE PHOTO CONTEST PAGE TO SEE ALL SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Download contest announcement in Mongolian or in English here.