Huddle up, it’s cold! was taken by West Australian photographer Gary Meredith in a remote area of the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia. The rainbow bee-eaters pictured roost together at night, flying out each morning to sit together in the warmth of the rising sun. In winter the birds huddle together to stay warm.

Mr Meredith said the behaviour displayed is quite rare, with very few documented occurrences.

“I have spent the last four years photographing this behaviour each winter once these birds have migrated north after breeding in the south of Australia over summer. These birds are spooked easily, so to minimise my chance of disturbing them, I set up a photography hide made out of branches and leaves in front of their favourite perch. I felt great pride in the fact that I never caused these beautiful birds to take flight when they were trying to warm up in the pursuit of photographing this behaviour.”

Mr Meredith said he was honoured to have won the People’s Choice award.

“What I am most pleased about is that this award is based solely on the general public visiting the South Australian Museum and voting on images that they can physically see in print. There are many wonderful images in this year’s exhibition so I am very grateful to those who felt my image deserved their vote,” Mr Meredith said.

Reflecting on the events of 2020 and the impact of COVID-19, Mr Meredith pondered if social distancing influenced people’s votes.

“In a year where we’ve not even been allowed to shake hands, it’s interesting that a photo that shows these rainbow bee-eaters huddled closely together would win the people's choice award. I do believe that certain images can draw emotion from whomever is viewing them, so it may be the case this year that visitors felt the image showed what many people were missing, and that is a feeling of togetherness.”

Director of the South Australian Museum Brian Oldman said that Mr Meredith’s photograph appealed on many levels.

“Not only does this photograph portray a lovely and rare moment in time, it also depicts a sense of closeness and connection - something that has been missed by many in 2020.”

Visitors to the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year at the South Australian Museum also had the chance to win a getaway to Kangaroo Island thanks to Exceptional Kangaroo Island and Australian Wildlife Journeys.

Executive Officer of Australian Wildlife Journeys says,

“On behalf of Australian Wildlife Journeys and Exceptional Kangaroo Island, we offer a big congratulations to the winner of the People’s Choice competition and all of the talented entrants that have done such a beautiful job of capturing why it is so important to protect and regenerate our wildlife habitats.”

The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition and resulting exhibition is run annually by the South Australian Museum.

The exhibition is open until Sunday 15 November. Visit the South Australian Museum’s website for more information or to purchase your ticket: https://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/event/NPOTY2020