Kathryn Kelton, The fragility of life (DOCO 2023)

This colony of Magellanic cormorants off the coast of Ushuaia, Chile. When I took these images I thought I was just capturing nesting pairs and their thriving chicks. On reviewing the photos later I discovered I had captured the harsh reality of life. Survival of the fittest took on a new meaning as I realised I had captured life's enduring struggle for survival both between siblings and against nature.

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