9 Best Audubon Society Photos of 2014

Do you love outdoor creatures? Check out these winning images snapped by amateur photographers on Audubon refuges throughout Rhode Island.
Jen McCaffery

Rhode Island has no shortage of beautiful land and creatures, and the Audubon Society celebrates that bounty. Each year on Earth Day, the society kicks off a photo contest to highlight the state's natural beauty.

"It's a way of doing something to celebrate that day and encourage people to get outside, get out on our refuges, just enjoy nature and then send back to us what they're experiencing," says Hope Foley, a spokeswoman for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.

There are some rules. It has to be a photograph in nature, or with wildlife, though it can include people. The pictures have to be shot on one of Audubon's wildlife refuges that are open to the public. And no shots of captive birds are allowed. They are judged by photographers and a nature writer for the Providence Journal.

Here are 2014's winning images:

 

First place: "Clouded Sulphur on Daisy" by David Uliss. Shot at the Audubon Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife Refuge in Bristol.

 

 

Second Place: "Red-Winged Blackbird by Pam Marsden. Shot at the McIntosh Wildlife Refuge in Bristol.

 

 

Third Place: "Butterfly on a Flower," by Elliot Waterman. Shot at the McIntosh Wildlife Refuge in Bristol.

 

 

Honorable Mention: "Willet in Flight over Winnapaug Pond," by David Uliss. Shot at Audubon Lathrop Wildlife Refuge in Westerly.

 

 

Honorable Mention: "American Toad," by Stephen Frye. Shot at the Audubon Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge in Coventry.

 

 

Honorable Mention: "Tussock Moth Caterpillar," by Stephen Frye. Shot at the Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge in Coventry.

 

 

Honorable Mention: "Frog," by Merrilyn Parry. Shot at the McIntosh Wildlife Refuge in Bristol.

 

 

Honorable Mention: "House Sparrow Feeding Her Young," by Merrilyn Parry. Shot at the McIntosh Wildlife Refuge in Bristol.

 

 

Honorable Mention: "Long-Tailed Skimmer," by Heidi Piccerelli. Shot at the McIntosh Wildlife Refuge in Bristol. 

 

 

First Place, Under 18: "Beetle," by Samantha Evans. Shot at the McIntosh Wildlife Refuge in Bristol.

 

 

Second Place, Under 18: "Great Blue Heron," by Meghan Frye. Shot at the Audubon Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge in Exeter.

You can check out other great Audubon images throughout the year or contribute your own at the society's Facebook page.