Bird Photo Competition 6 2013 : Entry Number 72

This image captures an atmospheric sunrise scene as hundreds of cranes fill both foreground and background; in water, land and sky. The fine mist creates a real sense of depth and the wide range of poses provides a rich study of these elegant birds.

I took this photo at Hula Lake, in Israel. It was dawn, freezing cold, a crispy winter day. Migratory cranes were awakening from their sleeping location at a shallow marsh, slowly flying out to the main lake. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, truly breathtaking. I captured this moment with a AF-S Nikkor 70-300 mm, which turned out to be the right choice since it was forbidden to get any closer, in order to avoid disturbing the birds. Hula Lake is a nature reserve which sees an average of 500.000 migratory birds transiting every year on their route from Europe to Africa. Laura Chiesa