The Northern Lights glow green in a spectacular light show above a field of trees frozen solid with snow. (Photo by Jaak Sarv/Solent News & Photo Agency)

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)

With less than a week before Election Day, a Halloween skeleton holds a vote sign outside a home in Falls Church, Virginia, October 29, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Models present creations by LaQuan Smith at the Intrepid during fashion week in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 12, 2022. (Photo by Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

A penguin (Manchots Royaux) walks on the basement area, early morning on December 25, 2022, at the Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the sub-Antarctic. (Photo by Patrick Hertzog/AFP Photo)

Karen Dunn and the nuns from Nun of That Convent at Trailer Park during the final day of Electric Picnic 2023 in Co Laois, Ireland on September 3, 2023. (Photo by Alan Betson/The Irish Times)

Farmers dry red peppers in Gaotai County, Zhangye City, Gansu Province, China, September 13, 2023. It is reported that Gaotai County pepper planting has a history of 300 years. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Surfers and others spend a day at Rockaway Beach as impact from Hurricane Lee delvers large surf and rip tides to much of the Northeast on September 14, 2023 in New York City. Hurricane Lee is predicted to make landfall from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick and also parts Maine this weekend. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)