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)

Afghan women and a boy make their way in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

A performer wears a face shield at a shopping center on New Year's Eve during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand on December 31, 2020. (Photo by Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

A fisherman throws his net beside a half-submerged M/V Palawan Pearl after it collided with a Cyprus-flagged BKM 104 dredger in Manila bay, Philippines on Thursday, July 8, 2021. A Philippine cargo vessel and a Cyprus-flagged dredger collided in a Manila Bay anchorage area early Thursday, resulting in no injuries but causing the cargo vessel to list and lie half-submerged in the busy waters. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

Female military officers of Gendarmerie Special Public Security Command (JOAK) attend an exercise in Ankara, Turkey on March 6, 2020. Female gendarmeries give “There is nothing that a woman cannot achieve if she wants”. message with their difficult tasks ahead of the International Women's Day. (Photo by Mustafa Murat Kaynak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

An member of the group “Pause the System” wears a face mask as she protests in front of the entrance to Downing Street in London, Friday, March 20, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (Photo by Frank Augstein/AP Photo)

A man wearing a Spiderman costume jumps across Shibuya crossing in Tokyo on June 8, 2020. (Photo by Charly Triballeau/AFP Photo)

Costumed attendees participate in the Dragon Con Parade, during the annual science fiction, pop culture and fantasy convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 02 September 2023. Thousands of attendees, some costumed, crowd downtown Atlanta for the annual Labor Day Weekend gathering. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA/EFE)