Aston Hall, Emus in the Wild (ANIMALS 2026)

An emu, standing in the middle of a clearing, almost like a football field, with shrubs and weeds, but not too thick to block my view. The bird stands big and tall when it takes a break from pecking at the ground, to scan the surroundings for danger. I duck down, gripping my camera tight, and slowly make my way toward the majestic bird. I am crouched behind a dead bush, my camera pointed towards the huge, wild emu less than 20 meters away. It seems so calm, for a wild animal. The emu spots me. I am completely still, and the emu senses that I am not a threat. Slowly, it walks towards me, curious as to what I am doing so close to it. As it approached, I captured three amazing photographs.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.