Commended. In late May, about a quarter of a million snow geese arrive from North America to nest on Wrangel Island, in northeastern Russia. They form the world's largest breeding colony of snow geese. Photographer Sergey Gorshkov spent two months on the remote island photographing the unfolding dramas. Arctic foxes take advantage of the abundance of eggs, caching surplus eggs for leaner times. But a goose (here the gander) is easily a match for a fox, which must rely on speed and guile to steal eggs. “The battles were fairly equal”, notes Sergey, “and I only saw a fox succeed in grabbing an egg on a couple of occasions, despite many attempts”. Surprisingly, “the geese lacked any sense of community spirit”, he adds, “and never reacted when a fox harassed a neighboring pair nesting close by”. (Photo by Sergey Gorshkov/Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer)

A man watches a wave hit a rock pool at Curl Curl beach as large swell hits the East Coast of Australia on June 6, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. Torrential rain over the weekend saw streets and homes flooded while wind gusts up to 120km per hour brought down trees and powerlines. A king tide has also seen beachside homes evacuated on Sydney's northern beaches as large waves erode the coast. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

“Sunward”. When the Mediterrenean Mantis opened its wings, It seemed very impressive at the sunshine... Photo location: Nicosia, Cyprus. (Photo and caption by Hasan Baglar/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Labourers work at the installation site of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) pipeline on May Day or Labour Day in Chandigarh, India, May 1, 2015. (Photo by Ajay Verma/Reuters)

Svetlana Tseyko feeds a 10-month-old moose named Grisha in the courtyard in the village of Abramy, some 160 km northwest of Minsk, on February 21, 2017. (Photo by Sergei Gapon/AFP Photo)

Festival-goers enjoy a fairground ride at Reading Festival in Reading, west of London, on August 27, 2021. As coronavirus covid-19 infection levels rise across the country, vaccines will be offered to revellers throughout the weekend. The organiser of Reading and Leeds Festivals has said such events are arguably “safer places to be” because attendees have been tested for covid-19. The festivals are returning this year with headliners including Stormzy, after being cancelled last year due to the pandemic. (Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP Photo)

Jaida Zuniga #5 returns a volley against Northview during a girls volleyball match on grass as part of the newly formed Grass Valley League at Northview High School in West Covina on Thursday, March 4, 2021. South Hills defeated Northview (21-25), 25-13, 25-9, 25-12. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

On the festival of Krishna Janmashtami, a girl costumed as Lord Krishna poses for a photo in Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 19, 2022. (Photo by Nayem Shaan/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)