Migfest Young Photographer Competition 2023

Over the Spurn Migration Festival 2023 weekend, we asked attendees aged 25 or under to submit up to three images captured during the weekend, explaining in a caption what the image meant to them. It was as much about what the image represented, explained in the caption, as it was the image itself. Thus, it was open to all, from those using borrowed cameras on mobile phones through to those donning fancy photography kit.

19 December 2023

The image needed to represent their connection to Spurn, how the Migration Festival made them feel, or why the scene captured illustrated the festival. We asked for anything from a landscape image of Spurns habitats, wildlife, a close up portrait of a bird or other wildlife, or a photo of Migfest in action.

The entries did not disappoint, with a huge variety of photographs and captions from young Migfest attendees aged between 10 and 24. Congratulations to all who submitted photographs; the images and their captions were anonymised and scored by our judges, taking into account both the caption and the photo itself.

We are delighted to announce that the winner of this year's Migfest Young Photographer Competition 2023 is Charlotte Foote, aged 22, with her atmospheric and very ‘Migfest 2023’ image of a Pied Flycatcher. Not only was the subject nicely framed and representative of the foggy start to Migfest 2023, the caption summarised the image, species and wonders of bird migration perfectly;

“A thick fog descended on Spurn at the beginning of the Migfest weekend. Migration temporarily came to a halt for many birds, leaving them grounded until the visibility improved. This soggy Pied flycatcher was just about visible through the mist, feeding along the fences. On its way to Africa it will face many challenges, but hopefully its pitstop at Spurn will help along the way.”

Winner, Charlotte Foote says “I would like to extend a massive thank you to both Spurn Bird Observatory and Zeiss for running the competition and I am very grateful to have been chosen as the winner amongst so many excellent submissions.”

Other images and captions identified as particularly notable and scoring highly overall included the following:

“The Swallows in this photo were eager to be a part of the Spurn Bird Observatory Migration Festival!”

Henry Pigott, aged 13 Judges comments: Iconic migrating birds - could only be taken at Spurn, nicely framed and exposed. And… “This photo captures it all, migrant birds, Autumnal weather, Spurn and the cobweb beneath”

“Life at the Point”

Josh Hedley, aged 21 Judges comments: “nice short informative caption, nice background” And “a well known Spurn landmark with an unusual species”

“Migfest always has an electric atmosphere…”

James Byatt, aged 16

Judges comments:

“Great caption - captures one of the main (not planned) events of Migfest” And “Short, sweet and to the point! A great sentiment and has a strong connection to Migfest 23. If you know, you know!”

”Five grams”

Toby Middlemist, aged 15

Judges comments: “Iconic Spurn image” And “Perfectly captioned! A clear, crisp photo of a well presented bird in the hand. The dark background really highlights the golden Goldcrest well. Clearly during a ringing demonstration too - judging by the hand in front of the photographer - which only adds the Migfest feel.”

Two additional images did not score highest overall, but were the chosen as the favourite by at least one of the judges and therefore need to be highlighted:

“Short range migration”

James Byatt, aged 16

Judges comment: “Captures perfectly the spectacle of autumn birding at Spurn”

“I captured this at sunrise on the 10th September, I think it perfectly sums up the beauty of Spurn and the anticipation of another day's birding.”

Georgie Wightman-Smith, aged 16

Judges comment: “The anticipation of another day is part of the first thing you think of waking up at Migfest or Spurn! The image is clearly taken from inside the tent and camping is part of the whole event, the sunrise is great too! Well timed!” And simply “Love this caption and nicely taken”

All the photos fitted the brief; capturing the magic of Spurn and Migfest and describing what the image means to the photographer perfectly. Thank you to all who took part, we already can’t wait to see what is captured at Migfest 2024!

Coordinator of the Migfest Young Photographer Competition 2023, Keir Chauhan, adds It was great to see so many great entries that really captured the nature of Spurn and what it can be.

Charlotte with her winning prize. Thank you to Zeiss for sponsoring this event by providing the prize of a pair of Zeiss Terra ED Pocket binoculars and to our judges; Andy Bunting, Mya Bambrick, Keir Chauhan, Sarah Harris, Rob Hunton, Martin Standley, Thomas Willoughby and Tom Wright.

Let us now enjoy the remainder of the fantastic images and equally importantly, the captions, submitted following an enjoyable Migfest 2023.

"This Woodpigeon picked a lovely spot for a nest, a view over the salt marsh and right by the path, to show she can take care of her eggs whatever the weather"

Henry Pigott, aged 13

"Finding this Corncrake on Sunday was one of my Migfest highlights"

William Lambourne, aged 14

"Birders twitching a juvenile Barred warbler. This photo shows the excitement and anticipation of twitching a rare bird, the very essence of Spurn! This Barred warbler was unusually showy, clearly enjoying the festival."

Milo Dawes, aged 10

"A Common Tern flying in front of wind turbines. This photo represents sustainability and the future of our planet. This Common Tern is powering itself up for a journey of thousands of kilometres."

Milo Dawes, aged 10

"Injured Guillemot that I found on the beach and was then rescued by Spurn after I reported it. This photo reminds us of the need for humans worldwide to value birds and work together to protect them and their habitats, on a small scale as well as a large scale"

Milo Dawes, aged 10

"Worth the wait"

James Byatt, aged 16

"A war by the sea"

Oliver Hargreaves, aged 11

"A defence in the dunes"

Oliver Hargreaves, aged 11

"Furry food for birds"

Oliver Hargreaves, aged 11

"Two Swallows sitting on a sign to the Spurn Footpath. I chose to photograph Swallows because these are one of our most beautiful and recognisable migrants"

Lucas Burfield, aged 13

"This Spoonbill really caught the eye in amongst a storm of wildfowl after being flushed by a Marsh Harrier at Kilnsea Wetlands"

Noah Bailey, aged 13

"A Common Blue in the garden of Chapel Cottage. This was a dazzling distraction whilst waiting for the elusive Barred Warbler"

Noah Bailey, aged 13

"A Highland Cattle cow emerged out of the Canal Scrape bushes on Saturday morning. 'Hairy Cows' mean a lot to me. I often walk around our local fens near Cambridge and one of these beasts will frequently emerge out of the mist. It was the same sort of moment when the Highland Cattle broke out of the bushes on Saturday and entered the scrape for a moment of self-reflection"

Noah Bailey, aged 13