Global Big Day 2024 was an electrifying celebration of birding, fundraising, and phenomenal photography! We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who participated and shared their incredible photos with us. We are thrilled to announce the winners of our annual Global Big Day Photography Awards. This year’s photos beautifully capture the splendor of Caribbean birds and the unifying spirit of our community.

If you missed our Global Big Day 2024 report—click here to catch up on the teams’ performances and find out who the new reigning champ is! 

When great people, birds, and art converge, extraordinary achievements are within reach! A massive thank you to everyone, especially our exceptional team leaders and generous donors, for propelling Global Big Day 2024 to unparalleled success. With a record-breaking 29 teams participating, we soared past our $25,000 fundraising goal to support Caribbean nationals attending our 24th International Conference this July—absolutely amazing! We’re stretching our ambitions and raising our goal to $30,000 to support as many dedicated Caribbean conservationists as possible! If you’d like to contribute to these travel scholarships, please visit: https://givebutter.com/BCGBD2024 

Photography Award Winners 2024

We especially congratulate this year’s First Place Best Bird Photo winner, Northern Mockingbird by Jose Alberto (Cuba). 

The Second Place Best Bird Photo goes to Rufescent Tiger-Heron by Jerome Foster (Trinidad and Tobago). 

The Third Place Best Bird Photo goes to White-cheeked Pintail by Rondel Smith (British Virgin Islands). 

The photos we received were outstanding and we couldn’t not share more stunning photos from the competition. Along with the winning photos, the judges selected the three honorable mentions below.

Photographers from almost every team and corner of the world are recognized for their stunning photos in the following categories. 

Best Endemic Bird

There were teams named after warblers, ducks, and even cuckoos. The Trinidad and Tobago team decided to mix it up a bit by adding a guan. But not just any guan—one that is endemic to the island and quite restricted in its range, the Trinidad Piping-Guan, locally known as the “Pawi.” Josh Bajnath, a member of the reigning GBD 2024 team—the Piping Pawis—submitted this photo of the Pawi and secured another victory for his team. We imagine that the moment Josh snapped this photo and exquisitely captured the rare and elusive Pawi must have felt like magic—his stunning shot certainly looks like it! 

Best Camouflage

Rondel Smith, a member of the BVI Birders team, didn’t just come to play; he came to hide, and he did so well, ultimately helping him to capture some amazing shots of birdlife in the British Virgin Islands.

When Watchers Become the Watched

Sometimes you do the bird watching, other times you’re being watched!

Click the arrows to scroll through the images.

Youngest Global Big Day-er 2024

We love to see when young people connect with the incredible bird communities in their home countries and we hope to see more young naturalists participating in next year’s GBD! Perhaps, we should add a ‘Junior Birderwatchers’ team to the competition next year?!  

The Calming Effect 

Science suggests that viewing pictures of nature and seascapes can induce relaxation. Take a look at the photos below and let us know if the science holds true.

Sublime Silhouettes

Silhouettes are a beautiful way to play with light and add variety and drama to your photos.

Worst Camouflage 

This bird needs to figure out if it wants to be seen or not! 

Spectacular Shorebirds

Spotting these great travelers might be easy, but getting great photos of shorebirds is a real challenge! However the following photographers have captured their beauty almost effortlessly!

Maritime Masterpiece 

While some of our teams birded by land, other birders took to the seas and left the shore behind—far behind! Backyard birds, forest birds, waterbirds, and even seabirds were all accounted for during the Global Big Day count in the Caribbean. We certainly have the most dedicated and thorough community of birders! 

Photographer spotlight: Jose Alberto

Cuban photographer and our First Place Best Bird Photo winner Jose Alberto knows how to perfectly frame a moment, an especially impressive feat when dealing with erratic and challenging subjects—birds! ​​Our judges were awed by Jose’s keen eye for “the little things”—the subtlest movements, changes in posture, and the way light gracefully illuminates the colorful feathers of the birds. Enjoy more of his photos below. 

Click the arrows to scroll through the images.

Best Selfie

We couldn’t just choose one! See who you can spot.

Members of Flying Pintails birding in the Chicago suburbs. (Photo by Steve Costantelos)

Grand Bahama Island Birders team. (Photo by Charmaine Francis)

Members of Havana’s Bird Watchers Club, Cuba. (Photo by Samuel Núñez)

Members of Havana’s Bird Watchers Club at Playa del Chivo, Cuba. (Photo by Samuel Núñez)

Marjel Morales and Marjel Morales Jr.. members of Club de Observacion de Aves Holguin, in Mayabe, Cuba.

Noelia Nieves Colón and José Colón López birding in Puerto Rico.

Cuban photographer-Samuel Núñez getting a photo of a Stilt Sandpiper.

A member of Team Gundlach, in Santiago de Cuba. (Photo by Alexander Coronado Torné)

Members of Imperial Seekers in Dominica stop to take a selfie before beginning their GBD count. (Photo by Jeanelle Brisbane)

LGBT team members en route to count birds on La Désirade, Guadeloupe. (Photo by Anthony Levesque)

Members of The Palmchatters taking a break from birding in the Dominican Republic.

Members of Wadadli Warblers in Antigua got in on the early birding action for GBD 2024. Photo by Shanna Challenger

One Love Jamaica Birders team leader Justin with his team at Hope Botanical Gardens, Jamaica. (Photo by Justin Saunders)

Subgroup of the Whistling Warblers taking a break from birding at the Botanical Gardens in Kingstown St Vincent. (Photo by Glenroy Gaymes)

A young member of the Piping Pawis team birdwatching in Brasso Seco, Trinidad for Global Big Day. (Photo by Giselle Ragoonanan)

A subgroup of the Gundlach Team in Cuba ready to dominate the competition on the morning of GBD 2024.

Members of Gundlach Team in matching birding kit. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)

Members of The Palmchatters. (Photo by Andrea Thomen)

Our President, Adrianne Tossas, in her favorite birding spot in Puerto Rico.

Members of President’s Perch birding in Bermuda. (Photo by Andrew Dobson)

Flying Pintails leaders Mike and Lisa Sorenson birding in Boston. (Photo by Mike Sorenson)

Our eBird guru Jeff Gerbracht.

Xavier Ragbir birding in Trinidad.

ENJOY THIS GALLERY OF BIRD AND SCENERY PHOTOS TAKEN ON GLOBAL BIG DAY BY VARIOUS TEAM MEMBERS IN THE CARIBBEAN, US,  AND MORE!

Short-billed Dowitcher, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Noelia Nieves Colón)

Grasshopper Sparrow, Bonaire. (Photo by Steve Schnoll)

Cattle Egret, Anegada, BVI. (Photo by Rondel Smith)

Semipalmated Plover feeding with peeps, Fosters, St. Lucy, Barbados. (Photo by Julian Moore)

American Oystercatcher, Cataño, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Edward Hernández Lara)

Puerto Rican Woodpecker. (Photo by Noelia Nieves Colón)

Caribbean Elaenia in nest, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Noelia Nieves Colón)

Ruddy Turnstone, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Dimaris Colón Molina)

Northern Lights, Montana. (Photo by Holly Garrod)

Tundra Swan landing, Corey Marsh, Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Jamie Jacob and Dave Ewert)

White-beared Manakin, Trinidad. (Photo by Jerome Foster)

Yellow-faced Grassquit building a nest, Holguin-Cuba. (Photo by Marjel Morales)

Horse Back Ridge, Kalinago Territory, Dominica. (Photo by Derzan Peltier)

Kalinago Barana Aute, Dominica. (Photo by Derzan Peltier)

Black-necked Stilts, Holguín, Cuba. (Photo by Freddy Cobas Agilera)

Green Heron, Arecibo, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Edward Hernández Lara)

Pinnated Bittern, Trinidad. (Photo by Jerome Foster)

Eastern Meadowlark, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. (Photo by Alexander Coronado Torné)

Greater Roadrunner, Hagerman NWR, Texas. (Photo by John Thomlinson)

Hagerman NWR underwater, Texas. (Photo by John Thomlinson)

Purple Gallinule, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Noelia Nieves Colón)

Female Hooded Merganser with chicks, Huntley Meadows, Virginia. (Photo by Ducky Nguyen)

Mangrove Warbler, Cuba. (Photo by Jesus Molina and Alejendro Sautié)

Loubiere, Dominica. (Photo by Derzan Peltier)

Adrianne’s favorite birding spot in Puerto Rico.

A rare spring visitor to Barbados- a White-rumped Sandpiper. (Photo by Julian Moore)

Scotts Head, Dominica. (Photo by Derzan Peltier)

Cuban Tody, Holguín, Cuba. (Photo by Freddy Cobas Agilera)

Kalinago Territory, Dominica. (Photo by Derzan Peltier)

Tundra Swan, Corey Marsh, Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Jamie Jacob and Dave Ewert)

Burrowing Owl nest, Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas. (Photo by Charmaine Francis)

Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Trinidad. (Photo by Jerome Foster)

Trumpeter-Swan, Tommy Thompson Park, Canada. (Photo by Nicole Gutierrez)

Caribbean Martin, Layou, Dominica. (Photo by Garry Auguiste)

Long-tailed Hawk, Havana, Cuba. (Photo by Jesús Molina and Alejendro Sautié)

Gray Kingbird feeding, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Edgardo Cruz)

Montana, USA. (Photo by Holly Garrod)

Roseate Tern, Bonaire. (Photo by Steve Schnoll)

Black-bellied Plover, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Maria Irizarry González)

Loggerhead Kingbird, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Edgardo Cruz)

Juvenile Little Blue Heron, McKinnons Pond, Antigua. (Photo by Nick Hollands)

Black-necked Stilt, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Noelia Nieves-Colón)

Common Gallinule chick, Trinidad. (Photo by Jerome Foster)