Not many kookaburras live high enough to get snowed on, but one small blizzard struck family are the exception and their cuteness has captured people’s hearts.

Photographed in Kosciuszko National Park by New South Wales photographer Charles Davis, the image titled Better Together has been crowned the People’s Choice winner in the 2021 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition at the South Australian Museum.

This is not the first time Mr Davis has pulled at people’s heartstrings through his signature snow snaps, having won People’s Choice in both 2017 and 2019 for his photographs of wombats in the snow.

Reflecting on his third People’s Choice accolade, Mr Davis said it’s a great honour to know that his images are consistently connecting with people. 

“To win a category is a great feeling on the night, but to receive People’s Choice is its own special feeling – in some ways it is the greatest prize on offer.”

The behaviour displayed in the photograph is quite rare, with Mr Davis explaining that only by chance did he get to witness it firsthand.

“I had seen kookaburras huddle like this only twice before – always at night and always in the rain. To see a family huddled in the day, the weather must be truly cold and brutal, as was this day’s blizzard. This photo happened more by luck than anything else. I had seen kookaburras there before, but the only reason I was pulled over on that bit of the road was to take the chains off a bus. I saw only one kookaburra at first, grabbed my camera and took a quick shot. That kookaburra flew off fast but joined another two on a higher branch. Two more flew in straight after and they all shuffled along and huddled up for about another five minutes, it was truly cute.”

When considering what influenced people’s votes, Mr Davis pondered if social distancing and the lockdowns associated with COVID-19 had an impact.

“Perhaps it shows something about people craving connection and touch.”

“I have this photo up in my gallery and people tend to resonate with it if they are the youngest child, the mother, the person who cares in the family or the one who feels squished in by their siblings.” 

“People love photos for many reasons – certain life events for one person will make you love a photo for reasons no one else will ever understand. We all see different meanings in an image, and we place love and emotions on it in different ways.”

Director of the South Australian Museum Brian Oldman congratulated Mr Davis on his achievement and acknowledged the photograph’s collective appeal.

“This photograph captures a touching moment in time and depicts an important and timely underlying message that we are better together – one that I think is relevant now more than ever given the challenges people continue to face in light of COVID-19.”

Visitors to the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition at the South Australian Museum also had the chance to win one of two prizes:

• A one-year subscription to Australian Geographic magazine AND a copy of Australian Geographic’s photographic book, A Portrait of Australia.

• A one-year subscription to Australian Geographic Explorers magazine (for kids aged 8–12) AND a copy of Australian Geographic’s children’s book, Stuff you Should Know About the Human Body.

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