David Pattyn / Mute swan (Cygnus olor) in a threathening territorial pose and attacking a rival, Lake Geneva, near Geneva, Switzerland, March

David Pattyn / Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) couple fighting in a tree Corcovado National Park, Osa peninsula, Costa Rica

David Pattyn / Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) couple fighting in a tree Corcovado National Park, Osa peninsula, Costa Rica

David Pattyn / Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) adult with freshly caught fish. Tench (Tinca tinca) to feed to its young chick, Valkenhorst Nature Reserve, Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, June

David Pattyn / Great white egret (Egretta Alba) preening its feathers, Valkenhorst Nature Reserve, Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, July

David Pattyn / Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) adult with young on its back and in the water, Valkenhorst Nature Reserve, Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, June

David Pattyn / Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) adult male feeding young, Oisterwijk, The Netherlands, June

David Pattyn / Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) adult with young on its back, Valkenhorst Nature Reserve, Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, June

David Pattyn / Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) adults courting and greeting each other to confirm their bond. Even with the young chicks already out they often show courtship behavior to each other, Valkenh...

David Pattyn / Mute swan (cygnus olor) family, Valkenhorst Nature Reserve, Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, June

David Pattyn / Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) adult males fighting in alpine landscape, Valsavarenche, Gran Paradiso National Park, Aosta Valley, Italy, May

David Pattyn / Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex) in its landscape, Valsavarenche, Gran Paradiso national park, Aosta Valley, Italy, May

David Pattyn / Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) struggling in deep snow on a steep slope, Valsavarenche, Gran Paradiso National Park, Aosta Valley, Italy, January

David Pattyn / Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in deep snow emerging from den, Valsavarenche valley, Gran Paradiso national Park, Aosta Valley, Alps, Italy, December

David Pattyn / Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) carrying grass and other nesting material across snow to its nest while another one is on the lookout, Gran Paradiso National Park, Aosta Valley, Italy, April

David Pattyn / Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) in flight in front of a vertical rocky mountain side, Gran Paradiso National Park, Aosta Valley, Italy, May

David Pattyn / Tayra (Eira barbara) climbing in a tree in rainforest habitat with fern covered trees, Bellavista private reserve, Mindo cloud forest area, Ecuador, July

David Pattyn / Tayra (Eira barbara) climbing in a tree in rainforest habitat with fern covered trees, Bellavista private reserve, Mindo cloud forest area, Ecuador, July

David Pattyn / Moriche palm tree (Mauritia flexuosa) at Laguna Grande in an area of flooded forest, Cuyabeno wildlife reserve, Sucumbios, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador, July, Cuyabeno wildlife reserve, Sucumbios, Amazo...

David Pattyn / Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) trying to steal fish from a fisherman coming on land with a fresh catch, Puerto Lopez , Santa Elena Peninsula, Manabi Province, Ecuador, July

David Pattyn / Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) trying to steal fish from fishermen coming on land with a fresh catch, Puerto Lopez , Santa Elena Peninsula, Manabi Province, Ecuador, July

David Pattyn / Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching in front of a tourist boat, Puerto Lopez , Santa Elena Peninsula, Manabi Province, Ecuador, July

David Pattyn / Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) two breaching at the same time together, Puerto Lopez , Santa Elena Peninsula, Manabi Province, Ecuador, July, Puerto Lopez , Santa Elena Peninsula, Manabi Prov...

David Pattyn / Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) trying to steal fish from fishermen coming on land with a fresh catch, Puerto Lopez , Santa Elena Peninsula, Manabi Province, Ecuador, July

David Pattyn / Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) camouflaged on tree with a young juvenile opposite it, Mindo cloud forest area, Ecuador, July

David Pattyn / Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan (Andigena laminirostris), Bellavista private reserve, Mindo cloud forest, Pichincha, Ecuador, July

David Pattyn / Landscape of Hills at the Melnik earth pyramids at sunrise, Foothills of Pirin Mountains, South West Bulgaria, April

David Pattyn / The Melnik Earth Pyramids, rock formations, known as hoodoos, situated at the foothills of the Pirin mountain range in south-western Bulgaria, Bulgaria, April

David Pattyn / Black and white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata variegata) hanging from branch, Vakona island, Andasibe area, Madagascar. Captive.

David Pattyn / Diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema diadema) pair, Maromizaha Reserve, Andasibe Mantadia area, eastern Madagascar. August.

David Pattyn / Common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus) jumping amongst branches, Anjajavy Private Reserve, north west Madagascar.

David Pattyn / Common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus) portrait, Anjajavy Private Reserve, north west Madagascar.

David Pattyn / Gannet (Morus bassanus) coming in to land in the colony in evening light, Great Saltee, Saltee Islands, County Wexford, Ireland, June

David Pattyn / Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) in deep snow, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. November. Commended in the Asferico Photography Competition 2016.

David Pattyn / Children snorkelling in the sea and swimming with bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) with boat approaching. Indian Ocean, Zanzibar, Tanzania, August 2014.

David Pattyn / Zanzibar red colobus monkey (Procolobus kirkii) crossing the main road through the Reserve, Jozani forest, Jozani Chwaka Bay NP, Zanzibar, Tanzania, August.

David Pattyn / Zanzibar red colobus monkey (Procolobus kirkii) portrait in a tree, Jozani forest, Jozani Chwaka Bay NP, Zanzibar, Tanzania, August

David Pattyn / Reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) mother grooming baby, Samburu Game Reserve, Kenya, Africa, August.

David Pattyn / Martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) perched on a branch. Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, Africa, August.

David Pattyn / Reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) young standing close to its mother, Samburu Game Reserve, Kenya, Africa, August.

David Pattyn / Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in grassland, The Netherlands, July.

David Pattyn / Trees in Hautes Fagnes Nature Reserve in winter after snowfall. This area - Noir Flohay was burnt a few years ago and some trees are still blackened, Hautes Fagnes, Belgian Ardennes, Belgium, February...

David Pattyn / European flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) bathing Camargue, France, May.

David Pattyn / Snow covered mountain sides in Valsavarenche Valley with European larch (Larix decidua) trees in autumn, Gran Paradiso National Parks, Italy, November 2014. Highly commended in the Portfolio category...

David Pattyn / Alpine chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) group in flight, Bernese Alps, Switzerland, November

David Pattyn / Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) on a mountain side in autumn with European larch tree (Larix decidua) trees in the back the Alps, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. November.

David Pattyn / Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), portrait of young male. Alps, Aosta Valley, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. September.

David Pattyn / Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) adult males resting on trail, in mountain landscape. Alps, Aosta Valley, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. September.