Dutch photographer Alex Pansier has won the 2021 Close-up Photographer of the Year Challenge: Two of a Kind with his heart-warming picture of a pair of European ground squirrels sharing a faded poppy on a lawn in Vienna. These animals are classified as vulnerable, mainly due to habitat loss and changes of land use in agriculture.
"I really enjoyed watching them working together, like father and son," explains Alex. "For me, observing and photographing nature is a great way to unwind and share the beauty that’s all around us."
The challenge runs throughout November, outside the annual competition of Close-up Photographer of the Year, and has a different theme each year. This time the challenge was to photograph two similar things - anything from a pair of animals to flowers.
While Alex took the top spot, British photographer Barry Webb took second place with his image of a pair of slime moulds. "Although these slime moulds are miniscule," said competition co-founder Tracy Calder, "Barry has transformed them into majestic trees making us wonder what else we pass by without noticing."
Two of a kind - Winner
European ground squirrels busy eating a faded poppy on a lawn in Vienna, Austria.Photo by Alex Pansier
Dysdercus Concinnus Coitus - Finalist
Cotton bugs of the speciesDysdercus concinnusmating in the woods. Photographed at Rajada Stone Reserve, San Antonio del Tequendama, Cundinamarca, Colombia. Photo by Hugo Camacho
Harlequin shrimps - Finalist
These Harlequin shrimps (Hymenocera picta) are feasting on a blue star (Linckia laevigata) in the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. Breeding pairs stay close together, remaining active and hunting for starfish during the day. They stand on top of their prey to immobilise it and then flip it over to access its tube feet. Photo by Adriano Morettin
The kiss - Finalist
Unfurling heads of these cyclamen form a wonderful heart shape in this photo taken in a British garden. Photo by Angi Wallace
Eating perch - Finalist
This photo was taken during a night dive in Domein Muisbroek, Antwerp, Belgium. The big perch didn't swallow the smaller perch right away, allowing the photographer enough time to take a series of photos before the smaller fish is eaten. Cannibalism is very common in Eurasian perch. Photo by Luc Rooman
Blue Beauty Morning - Finalist
Damselflies are attracted to running water, and these males are no exception, warming themselves up on a nearby leaf in the early morning. Photo by Roelof de Hoog
Sonchus Asper - Finalist
This photomicrograph image shows a flower stem from a spiny sowthistle (Sonchus asper), a common thistle with wonderful yellow blooms. All over the plant stem, in a high density on the flower stems, these plants have tiny little hairs with red, small tips. Photo by Gerd Gunther
Two toads- Finalist
Two common toads (Bufo bufo)mating in the Buèges river, France. Photo by Mathieu Foulquié
German Wasps - Finalist
German wasps (Vespula germanica) like these are similar in appearance to common wasps, but tend to be larger. They can often be seen gnawing on exposed wood, which they chew and mix with water from puddles which they turn into building materials for their nests. These two were spotted in a garden in Lancashire, UK, and photographed from a hide near their nest.Photo by Alan Clark
The couple - Finalist
These liverleaves of the buttercup family are early bloomers and one of the first wildflowers to emerge each spring. Photographed in Germany. Photo by Henrik Spranz
Teamwork- Finalist
Two ants work together to carry a dead weevil in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Photo by Roman Willi
Bee together - Finalist
These lovely Gold-tailed Melitta bees (Melittahaemorrhoidalis) are photographed taking a very cosy nap inside a flower. This European species of ground-nesting bee forages for pollen exclusively from bellflowers. Photo by Joris Vegter
Two yellow ladybirds (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata) photographed on a wall in Calamocha, Teruel, Spain. The insects sit above mineral precipitations of manganese oxide, which have formed a plant-like pattern. Photo by Carlos Pérez Naval
The pear-fect pair - Finalist
The pears were grown in the photographer's garden and picked before they reached the peak of ripeness. The photograph has the feel of a still-life painting by the old Dutch Masters. Photo by Heidi Egerman
Hidden treasures - Finalist
Two butterflies of the speciesZerynthia rumina warn up with the first rays of sunlight in the morning in Bustarviejo, Madrid, Spain.Photo by Javier Lafuente
Diderma Floriforme - Runner-up
These 3mmDiderma floriforme slime moulds were found on the Ashridge Estate in September 2021, on the underside of a large, rotten beech branch on the woodland floor. The peridium has split into delicate petal like structures, giving a flower-like appearance. Photo by Barry Webb
These magnificent birds are New Zealand King shags (Leucocarbo carunculatus), endemic to New Zealand and only occurring in one small area know as Marlborough Sounds. It’s a situation that hasn't changed for more than 240 years. Unfortunately, this type of restricted distribution makes the species incredibly vulnerable. Photo by Noelle Bennett
Toad love - Finalist
Two common toads of the speciesBufo bufocome to mate in a small lake in Drenthe, the Netherlands. Here, the male is clutching the female in a tight embrace. When they’re not mating, common toads tend to live away from water, preferring moist, shady places like damp wood piles and deep leaf litter. Photo by Rob Blanken
The fight - Finalist
Male European stag beetles of the speciesLucanus cervususe their large mandibles to impress potential mates and fight off rival males. These two individuals are photographed sparring in southern Sweden, one of only a few locations in Scandinavia where populations can still be found. In early June the males appear in the oak forest, but their arrival is tinged with sadness because this iconic species is now on the IUNC red list. Photo by Pal Hermansen
Mature Comatricha - Finalist
These 2mm-tall slime moulds were found on a dead apple branch, from a log pile in a garden in Buckinghamshire, UK.The spores had dispersed, leaving the delicate, thread-like capillitium. Photo by Barry Webb
Leaves of lace - Finalist
The amazing detail and intricate patterns found in leaf skeletons are reminiscent of lace, as seen in this delicate image photographed in a conservatory in the UK. Photo by Julia Briggs
Mushrooms in the spotlight - Finalist
In the background is a seedling of an American oak which is giving shelter to these two little mushroomsat the Wamberg Estate in Berlicum, Netherlands. Photo by Ria Bloemendaal
James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.
