Bird Madness: Matchup #5

In four rounds of play so far, we’ve had surfing birds, fighting eagles, a peak-a-boo black-crowned night heron and a dive-bombing peregrine falcon all prevail.

We’re now halfway through the initial matchups—four more first round picks to go—and then we’ll move on to pairing the winners. As always, a HUGE thanks to those of you who have voted in each round. Keep ’em coming. Without you, there would be no competition.

For anyone new to our game, for the next month or so, we’ll be putting two entries from this year’s Audubon Magazine Photo Awards head to head in a which-is-best photo competition. The ultimate winner of Bird Madness will appear on our website, along with a story about how he or she captured the shot. Our Jan-Feb 2012 issue will feature the awards’ official winners, selected by our panel of judges.

Vote here! Voting for this matchup will close on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 11:59 eastern time. The next round starts on Thursday, Dec.8.

Click here for more images from the “In the Balance” gallery, composed of ten images from this year’s Photo Awards entries.                

                                Previous winners

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4