An Evening Meal | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Parham Pourahmad's Image

Parham Pourahmad (USA) watches as the last rays of the setting sun illuminate a young Cooper’s hawk eating a squirrel.

Parham visited Ed R. Levin Country Park most weekends during the summer when he took this image. He wanted to showcase the variety of wildlife living within a busy metropolitan city, and to show that “nature will always be wild and unpredictable”.

For Editor and Chair of the Jury Kathy Moran, “light and intimacy pull this photograph together. The hawk and the squirrel are beautifully lit. The light feels like a spotlight; they’re so perfectly framed, and the way in which the hawk holds the squirrel feels more like an embrace than predation.”

The Cooper’s hawk is a common species across southern Canada, the USA and central Mexico. It is found in mature and open woodlands.

These adaptable birds also live in urban spaces, where they nest in tall trees and prey on smaller birds attracted by bird feeders.

They hunt by stealth, using dense cover to ambush their prey before a burst of speed takes them by surprise.

Behind the lens

Parham Pourahmad

USA

Parham first began wildlife photography during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he observed wildlife at a park near his house. Since then, his passion for wildlife photography has grown, and he’s constantly finding new ways to pursue his hobby. His favourite photography subjects include coyotes, foxes, raptors and owls. When he’s taking photos, his goal is to incorporate lighting and scenery into his imagery in order to get the most creative image possible.

Image details

Nikon D3500
Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 lens at 210mm
1/400 at f6.3 • ISO 800
Ed R. Levin County Park, California, USA

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Parham Pourahmad's Image

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