Long-billed Curlew wins 2025 California Watchable Wildlife Photo Competition!

I was thrilled to learn my image of a long-billed curlew about to swallow a sand crab won the 2025 California Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest.

Captured on Morro Strand in 2024 while attending the annual Morro Bay Bird Festival, I submitted the image to the contest  in January 2025 and at that time was selected as one of the top three photos submitted for the January/February period.

Submissions throughout the year are broken down into six, two month periods with the three top photos announced every two months. These 18 photos at the end of the year are then judged with a final three overall winners announced in January of the following year. 

The three winning categories are "California Wildlife Photo of the Year", "Sierra Nevada Conservancy Winner" and in my case, "California Watchable Wildlife Winner". 

I will be honored locally by my council member Jean Rasch in Monterey at the next meeting in February.