Steve Chivers, Australian shag shrugs off the cold, Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra (ANIMALS 2025)

After sunset, an Australian shag shakes its wings after swimming through the cold water of Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra, in the cold month of May, 2025. The National Carillon is in the distant background, and the receding glow of blue hour gives light to the shags white areas of plumage. I wonder whether the shaking is not just to dry off, but to also warm up. To get the shot, I had to lay on my belly on the raised concrete walkway, and hold my camera with one hand as low as possible over the water, a few metres away from the bird. My dog waited patiently between my legs, familiar with frequent long stops to photograph wildlife.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.