BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE
Elanus axillaris

The black-shouldered kite is a small raptor commonly seen in agricultural areas. When hunting, they appear to float in one spot while rapidly flapping their wings with their eyes fixated on their prey. Moments after this was captured, the kite dropped into tall grass to collect some lunch.

Toora, Victoria

Canon EOS R5, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Canon EF Extender 1.4x III, 1/1250, f/11, ISO 1000, handheld

HUMPBACK WHALE
Megaptera novaeangliae

A mother humpback and new season male calf take a surface break for air in warm tropical waters. He is totally dependent on his mother’s nurturing skills and blubber reserves with her fat-rich milk during the winter fast
until she returns to the feeding grounds in Antarctic waters.

Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga

Canon EOS 5D Mk IV, Canon EF 16–35mm f2.8L III USM 31mm, 1/120, f/8, ISO 500, Nauticam underwater housing with Zen 230mm superdome

LEOPARD SHARK
Stegostoma tigrinum

Every summer, Julian Rocks is home to probably the largest aggregation of leopard sharks in the world. I usually seek to shoot the interaction between multiple sharks, but I found this lone graceful swimmer beautifully matched the gentle lines of the pure white sand trench for a more abstract composition.

Julian Rocks, Byron Bay, New South Wales

Canon 5DsR, Canon 14mm, 1/100, f/6.3, ISO 400, handheld, Isotta underwater housing

WEST AUSTRALIAN SEAHORSE
Hippocampus subelongatus

The West Australian seahorse
is found only on the west coast of Australia, from Cape Leeuwin to Shark Bay. This species loves muddy, silty habitats – places like the Swan River Estuary and Cockburn Sound (where this photo was taken under the Kwinana Grain Jetty).

Cockburn Sound, Western Australia

Sony A7RIV, Sony FE 90mm f2.8 macro G OSS, 1/200, f/16, ISO 200, single Retra flash pro with Retra LSD Snoot mounted on a small tripod, handheld

BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE
Elanus axillaris

I had been observing this black-shouldered kite over a number of weeks before I had a chance to spend about two hours photographing it hunting at Herdsman Lake. I love the tension of the image, the wings set high as the kite comes to land on this slender stick. Will it make it?

Herdsman Lake, Herdsman, Western Australia

Nikon D500, Nikon 200–500mm f5.6 500mm, 1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 1100, handheld, +2.3 stop overexposure

WHITETIP REEF SHARK
Triaenodon obesus

Close-up view of the eye of a whitetip reef shark. During the day, whitetip reef sharks spend much of their time resting inside caves. This shark was resting in
a small cave with a gap adjacent to its head, which allowed me to get this shot.

Ningaloo Reef, Exmouth, Western Australia

Canon EOS 7D Mk II, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro USM, 1/80, f/13, ISO 200, 2 x original Retra flash, handheld

A storm passed in front of our house. I have never been so close to lightning strikes. The thunder rolled like undulating galvanised steel sheets. This is a single frame capturing the ferocity of the downpour and the energy released from the lightning strikes.

Middleton, South Australia

Nikon D810A, Sigma Art 50mm f1.4, 30 seconds, f/8, ISO 200, tripod

PACIFIC BLACK DUCK
Anas superciliosa

EURASION COOT
Fulica atra

A Pacific black duck sits alone amongst a large flock of coots as they search for food on what is normally a lake and is now a stretch of ice.

Lake Crackenback, New South Wales

Nikon D850, Nikon 24–70mm f2.8 VR, 1/1250, f/10, ISO 1000, handheld

GIANT OCEANIC MANTA RAY
Mobula birostris

There are many locations called ‘manta point’ in seas around the world, but not everywhere is it possible to observe scenes like the one captured in this shot. Here, the beautiful free flight of this oceanic manta is framed by a wall of myriad jackfish.

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Canon EOS 5D Mk IV, EF 8–15mm f/4L USM fisheye 15mm, 1/160, f/13, ISO 200, Sea&Sea YS-D2, Orcatorch D900V, Easydive Leo III housing

BIGBELLY SEAHORSE
Hippocampus abdominalis

Faced with losses of their natural habitats (seagrass, sponges, soft corals) caused by unsustainable development, seahorses are adopting urban structures as replacement habitat. This bigbelly seahorse is living on a swimming enclosure net in Sydney Harbour. Sensitive management is required
to minimise disturbance to seahorses when nets are replaced.

Manly Cove, New South Wales

Nikon D850, Nikon 28–70mm f/3.5–4.5D 35mm, 1/160, f/11, ISO 200, 2 x Inon Z330 underwater strobes, handheld, Nauticam NA-D850 underwater housing with WACP1 port