Robert Anderson, Wise Eyes of the World (ANIMALS 2026)

This portfolio focuses on the wise eyes of owls at the opposite sides of the world. I always feel a thrill when a bird looks straight into my eyes, especially large birds such as owls and raptors. I always wonder what they are thinking and feeling. Included here are: (i) The smallest and most common owl in Australia, the very cute Southern Boobook Owl, taken near where I live in Sydney. Having said that, I’ve only ever seen two. (ii) The largest owl in Australia, the Powerful Owl, also taken near where I live in Sydney. I have seen quite a number of these owls, and with their prey, typically possums and the occasional bird. (iii) One of the world’s largest owls, the Eurasian Eagle Owl, taken at the Kielder Birds of Prey Centre in Northumberland, UK, near to my family home. This is one of my favourite raptor education centres when I visit my family. In flight, this owl is magnificent with a wingspan of about 1.8m and whisper quiet.

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