Global Big Day (GBD) 2025 was a vibrant celebration of birds, Caribbean community, and spectacular photography! Thank you to everyone who participated in our GDB team competition, submitted stunning photographs, and helped make this year’s Global Big Day one to remember. We’re excited to unveil the winners of our GBD 2025 Photo Contest! These photos beautifully capture the essence of Caribbean birds and the power of collective action to protect our natural heritage.
If you missed the full Global Big Day 2025 report, click here to explore the highlights, team scores, and meet this year’s top birding team!
This day wouldn’t be possible without the infectious energy of our birding community, the dedication of our team leaders, and the generosity of our donors. Thank you for helping to keep our programs running, from youth education and conservation outreach, to research and habitat protection, especially this year as we face the loss of critical federal funding. If you’d like to #KeepBirdsCaribbeanSoaring, please consider making a donation at: https://givebutter.com/BCGBD2025
Photography Award Winners 2025
We especially congratulate this year’s First Place Best Bird Photo winner, Filippo Milani from Sint Maarten! One judge commented “I’m captivated by the lines and curves of the pelican’s body—the long wood-like beak, graceful curved neck. and the intricate patterns and textures across its body. The viewer is drawn to the bird’s clear, watchful blue eye, framed by delicate pinkish bare skin, and bordered by striking black and buffy yellow. Overall, I think the composition, detail, and color make this image truly outstanding.”
The Second Place Best Bird Photo goes to Gray Kingbird by Peter Rivera (Puerto Rico).
The Third Place Best Bird Photo goes to Green-throated Carib by Jerome Foster (St. Lucia).
The submissions we received were exceptional, and we couldn’t resist sharing even more stunning entries from the competition. In addition to our winning photo, the judges have chosen four standout images for honorable mention, featured below.
Photographers from almost every team and corner of the world are recognized for their stunning photos in the following categories.
Best Endemic Bird
Best Endemic Bird Photo goes to the eye-catching and ever-busy St. Lucia Warbler, captured by Jerome Foster in Gros Islet, St. Lucia. It’s a striking reminder that the Caribbean is home to, dare we say, the world’s most spectacular birds.
Best Landscape Photo
These photos showcase the essential natural places where birds feed, seek shelter and raise their families. These images highlight not only the skills of the photographers but also the need to protect the environments that provide such awe-inspiring moments.
Taking First Place for Best Landscape Photo is the stunning McKinnon’s Pond, Antigua, captured by Kendel Angol from the Wadadli Warblers Team!
Second Place Best Landscape Photo
Third Place Best Landscape Photo
We’d also like to extend an honorable mention to all the other talented photographers who submitted their breathtaking landscape entries. Your dedication to capturing the beauty of these natural bird habitats is truly commendable!
Best BTS Photos
GBD is no doubt about the birds but there’s also so much excitement going on behind-the-birds. We’re glad our GBD-ers decided to give us a peek into the funny, scary, and delightful moments of birding during the big day.
Standing on top of the competition (and a car) is First Place Behind The Scenes (BTS) winner Bibo Jayne from the TCI Royal Terns team with ‘Birding by car etiquette.’
Second Place Behind the Scenes Photo goes to Edward Hernandez Lara Parque La who took this photo of his teammate gettin’ real low at Parque La Esperanza, Cataño in Puerto Rico. Hey, sometimes you have to get low to shoot high!
Third Place Behind the Scenes Photo goes to Manuel López Salcedo. We’re really glad he kept snapping instead of helping his teammate Manuel Aroche who was clearly losing the battle for his boots with the mud.
Sometimes the birds make it easy and come to us, just ask BirdsCaribbean’s past president Andrew Dobson who was joined by a European Robin for lunch on GBD!
That’s one lucky Gull
GBD is all about spotting and helping birds. That’s exactly what happened at Great Salt Pond in Philipsburg. Filippo Milani’s group was enjoying a day of birdwatching when they noticed a Laughing Gull lying motionless in the water at the edge of the pond. It was clear the bird was in distress, so one of the birders carefully picked it up without resistance from the bird, a sign that it was truly unwell! They decided to take it to a veterinary clinic for an immediate check-up.
Filippo shared, “At the clinic, the vet gave the gull an anti-inflammatory injection and advised us to keep it in a secure, enclosed space for a few days of monitoring. We brought it home and kept it in a crate, where it, thankfully, ate well. However, it showed little interest in flying, which was concerning.
After a few days, we took the gull back for a veterinary follow-up. With the additional support of vitamin drops and the invaluable assistance of the Nature Foundation, the Laughing Gull eventually recovered. We were thrilled to be finally release it back into a safe, wild area.”
When Watchers Become the Watched
Don’t feel too bad if your target species decide to skip lunch with you (we can’t all be as lucky as Andrew) chances are they’re busy human-watching like these curious onlookers.
Flyest GBD Team
The Wadadli Warblers understood the assignment. They absolutely showed up and showed out. Rocking their yellow tees and black pants (which, sidebar, is just their Defence Force uniform but we’re totally here for that accidental match with their endemic bird, the Barbuda Warbler). Peak birding season + peak fashion = peak birding energy.
Sending out a SOS
Before the end of the birding bonanza the Cuban team sounded the alarm to ‘Save Our Soles!’ We know with the terrain and weather our sneakers, slippers, boots can take a hit, but theirs really took a beating—just look at the photo below taken by Yaro Rodriguez!
Hardly Driving, Mostly Birding
Dead batteries, slippery falls, snacks left behind on the kitchen counter. These are fieldwork mishaps we bounce back from. But what if your only ride gets stuck or blows a tire? For the ‘BVI Birders’ and ‘Piping Pawis’ teams, that nightmare came true. Still, not even car trouble could stop their birding. Binoculars stayed out and checklists kept rolling. After all, GBD only comes once a year!
It’s So Fluffy!
Filippo Milani captured this adorable moment at Emilio Wilson Park in St. Maarten—a Green Heron chick, described by our Waterbird Program Manager (no surprise) as the “sweetest, fluffiest bird.”
Flyest GBD Kit
José Guillermo de la Rosa came through with the flyest GBD fit, rocking the BCDR conference buff and t-shirt like a true style icon.
Shorebird Showstopper
Spotting these shorebirds might be easy, but getting great photos of them is a real challenge! However Karlos Ross from Cuba captured this Killdeer in flight almost effortlessly.
The Ultimate GBD Companion
Here we have the always supportive, always down for a nice long walk and oh-so-stylish Daisy wearing that BC buff better than most of us! She definitely passed the vibe check with the ‘Piping Pawis’ team.
Youngest Global Big Day-er 2025
We love to see when young people connect with the incredible bird communities in their home countries and we hope to see more young naturalists participating in next year’s GBD!
Birds on the Corner
These photos remind us that some birds aren’t visitors. They’re neighbors, sharing our fences and utility poles. It’s a reminder that our communities need clean, green spaces to keep ourselves, our birds, and other wildlife, thriving.
Best Selfie
Are selfies still a thing? Yes! And we love seeing them. To enjoy the photos full size, click on the first one, then click the right arrow to advance through the gallery.
Bonus batch of GBD photos
Birds, people, and habitat photos from the Caribbean and across the globe! To enjoy the photos full size, click on the first one, then click the right arrow to advance through the gallery.
Este fue el mejor día del año, felicidades para todos los premiados, excelente esas fotos de Manuel y Yaro, muchos tuvimos alegrías y percances, lo más importante fue la gran cantidad de Aves contadas en un solo día. Espectacular experiencia y espero que días como éste se sigan disfrutando por el bienestar de las Aves que son las que siempre ganan. Un saludo especial para todos
Muchas gracias por sus amables comentarios, Marleny. ¡Estamos de acuerdo! ¡Las fotos son espectaculares! También agradecemos su participación en nuestro Concurso y Recaudación de Fondos para Equipos del Gran Día Global 2025. ¡Nos alegra mucho que hayan disfrutado de la experiencia! ¡Ya estamos deseando que llegue el año que viene!