James Cole, Falcon in flight (SINGLE SHOT 2022)

I'd spent three sunrises at a well-known coastal spot in NSW that is frequented by sharks. On this occasion, surprisingly I was unlucky, despite the perfect conditions. At one point I heard a bird call, looked up and saw something heading towards the drone. All I had time to do was move it above land, angle it up, and direct the camera to watch the show as the Peregrine Falcon circled around and headed straight for it. At the last second it flashed its talons and flew just above the camera. An altogether incredible, if accidental, sight.

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