"I spotted a female Common Merganser with a flatfish take to the air to protect her catch from other mergansers. I was thrilled to snap this frame, but I worried it wouldn’t be tack sharp. It was!" says award-winning photographer
Photographer captures a female Common Merganser in razor-sharp flight at 1/2500sec in Nova Scotia, Canada, adding another prestigious international award to her growing collection
Award-winning photographer Gail Bisson, who retired as a doctor, captured a stunning image of a female Common Merganser clutching a flatfish in her beak, having flown over the water to protect her catch from other mergansers. The photograph, taken on a cold winter day at East Bay Sandbar in Nova Scotia, Canada, has won the Female Bird Prize in the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards.
Bisson almost missed the shot, but when she returned to her camera after a break, she was rewarded with a tack-sharp frame. The Canon EOS R5 II and EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens played crucial roles in bringing this extraordinary moment to life. The judges praised the composition, the subject's actions, and the bright lighting that illuminated the ice and snow, creating a field guide-worthy portrait and an extraordinary action shot.
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