Syracuse.com - Finalists in 6th annual Wildlife Photography Contest announced

[HuntingNY-News]

Mother Nature never disappoints - particularly in Upstate New York.

Mother Nature never disappoints - particularly in Upstate New York.

There were a number of eye-opening entries for the 6th annual Wildlife Photography Contest. It was a tough call, but three stood out from the nearly 70 photos submitted by readers.

This year's winner is "Heron sunset," a stunning photo of a great blue heron sitting on top of a tree in a swampy area at the Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area in Baldwinsville.

"I was out shooting photos of cedar waxwings that evening, when suddenly I noticed the great sunset...and then the heron on top of the tree nearly 100 yards away," said Tony Carapella, of Baldwinsville. "I put on a telephoto lens, ran about 40 yards to center the bird in the sunset and was just able to snap just four photos before it flew away.

"I called my wife on the way home and told her I just got the shot of the century. I was stoked."

Second place this year went to Robert F. Cook, of Earlville, for his shot, "Who goes there?" Cook captured on film two Eastern screech owls peeking out of a hole on the side of a barn.

"A neighbor called me and said he had these two owls in his barn," Cook said. "I just sat across the road on his front porch about 50 yards away with my long, telephoto lens and just shot away. It was just down the road from my house. It was a lucky thing. I never see owls."

Cook also took third place honors with his "Playful coyotes" shot.

"There were four pups in my yard for about six week, eating berries off my mulberry tree," he said. "Nearly every day, I set up a blind from 6 to 9 a.m. and watched them play and run around. I took more than 1,000 photos. "

Other photos of note:

4). "Tired buck," shot by Tom Reimers of Ithaca

5). "Sitting still -- for now," shot by Laurel Butkins of Truxton

6). "Easy does it," by Lynn Cleveland of Frankfort Center, near Utica

7). "Albino squirrel," by Tom Bausterton of Rome

. "Looking for lunch," by Laurel Butkins

9). "Alert coyote" by Robert F. Cook

10). "Gotcha ya!" by David Scheider of Liverpool

11). "Energetic ermine," by Lynn Cleveland

12). "You talking to me?" by Tom Baustert

13)."Big eyes," by Colby Bowman

14). "Listen up," by Clifford Hopkins

Congratulations to everyone whose photo was chosen and thanks to all who entered

-- David Figura

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View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog