Another year has passed… And once again, the results of the Big Year haven't been finalized even for the previous one...
So, allow me first to summarize the results of the 2024 season, the third year under conditions of full-scale war and losses. (And don't let me postpone the 2025 results indefinitely again). Despite the circumstances and thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, this year the site's participants managed to record and publish photos of 312 bird species, which is 10 more than the previous year. This result was made possible thanks to the work of 58 site participants (as well as those who commented, liked, or simply viewed the images, motivating photographers to share their photos).
The winners of the "Big Year 2024" contest are:
I place – SHEREMET Oleh and 266 photographed bird species for the year II place – SAMOKHIN Ihor and 259 photographed species for the year III place – LOBODA Yehor and 225 photographed species for the year.
Sincerest congratulations to the winners and wishes for new achievements, pleasant impressions from birdwatching, and new finds and interesting encounters!!!
And according to established tradition, a bit more statistical data:
The number of participants who were able to photograph more than 200 species this year equals 3! More than 100 species were recorded by 16 people this year.
An innovation from the end of 2018 allowed all site participants to join in evaluating photos. The best photos of each month were the following: January - Waxwing | Andrii Miskov | 13, February - Long-eared Owl | Oleh Sheremet | 16, March - Pygmy Owl | Vlad Hedziuk | 13, April - Capercaillie | Oleh Sheremet | 9, May - Collared Pratincole | Ihor Samokhin | 7, June - Griffon Vulture | Oleh Sheremet | 8, July – Grey Partridge | Denys Shandar | 12, August - Montagu's Harrier | Vlada Kosmyna | 12, September – Red-footed Falcon | Iryna Ortik | 11, October - Golden Eagle | Oleh Sheremet | 12, November - Kittiwake | Oleh Sheremet | 14, December - Long-tailed Duck | Ihor Samokhin | 9 and Peregrine Falcon | Hlib Koval | 9!
Thus, the BEST PHOTO OF THE YEAR is the photo of the Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), taken by Oleh Sheremet on February 04, 2024, in the Zolotonosha district of the Cherkasy region. All monthly winning photos are published in the gallery attached to this post. We wish everyone a pleasant viewing!
And, as always, in conclusion of the post, I want to wish everyone interesting observations, unexpected encounters, high-quality photos, identifiable birds, and a good mood, and most importantly, the fastest and undeniable victory!!!
(Translated by GEMINI)
1. Best photo of the month: January - Waxwing | Andrii Miskov | 13
2. Best photo of the month: February - Long-eared Owl | Oleh Sheremet | 16
3. Best photo of the month: March - Pygmy Owl | Vlad Hedziuk | 13
4. Best photo of the month: April - Capercaillie | Oleh Sheremet | 9
5. Best photo of the month: May - Collared Pratincole | Ihor Samokhin | 7
6. Best photo of the month: June - Griffon Vulture | Oleh Sheremet | 8
7. Best photo of the month: July – Grey Partridge | Denys Shandar | 12
8. Best photo of the month: August - Montagu's Harrier | Vlada Kosmyna | 12
9. Best photo of the month: September – Red-footed Falcon | Iryna Ortik | 11
10. Best photo of the month: October - Golden Eagle | Oleh Sheremet | 12
11. Best photo of the month: November - Kittiwake | Oleh Sheremet | 14
12. Best photo of the month: December - Long-tailed Duck | Ihor Samokhin | 9
13. Best photo of the month: December - Peregrine Falcon | Hlib Koval | 9