WAS Member Awarded Honorable Mention in the National Audubon Society Photo Contest
By Karen Posner, Shorelines Editor
Photo by Lourdes Venard
She says: “This image offers a reminder that a roadway isn’t just a place for an eagle to find a meal—it’s also where the wild world risks a collision with our modern one.”
Lourdes Venard has been awarded Honorable Mention in the National Audubon Society’s 2026 photography contest. Her photo of a Bald Eagle was included in the Conservation category of the United States and Canada contest. Conservation photographs illustrate conservation challenges that birds face. Lourdes’ photograph of a Bald Eagle in Coupeville illustrates the challenges to survival for scavenging birds who may come into conflict with cars when scavenging roadkill. Congratulations to Lourdes Venard for her thought-provoking award-winning image. You can see other honorable mention photographs here.
Lourdes’ interest in wildlife photography drove her to become a birder. Photographing birds in their habitat helped her understand their behavior and better understand how the health of birds and the environment go hand-in-hand.
Lourdes has won numerous other photography awards and has her own website.
The Audubon photography contest receives many thousands of entries, with only one winner and one honorable mention in each category, so Lourdes’ honorable mention is quite an accomplishment.
Shorelines editor sat down with Lourdes for an interview about her photography and interest in birding:
Lourdes Venard, wildlife photographer.
Shorelines: Were you a birder first or photographer first? How long have you been a birder and how did you get interested in birding and observing nature?
Lourdes: Photography drove me to birding. I had long been interested in photography, but I didn't become serious until my husband, Dave, and I moved to Hawaii about 12 years ago. I bought a camera to photograph the beauty of Hawaii, but there was a wildlife refuge near us and I ended up falling in love with the birds there and photographing them. When you spend so much time photographing birds, you get to know their behaviors and also begin to care deeply about ensuring these species survive and thrive. So I am an accidental birder. Don't ask me to identify all the different gull species!
Shorelines: How did you get started in photography? Describe your background and development as a photographer.
Lourdes: I had a camera when I was in high school and college, and even took a photography course. But I put that aside as I went into a career in journalism. Now, in my later years, I have picked it up again. I'm mostly self-taught, having read a lot and taken a few courses. I've also worked with many great photographers and photo editors over the years at newspapers and learned from watching their selections.
Shorelines: You have won a number of honors as a photographer. What inspires you to enter photography contests? How does that fit into your development and inspiration as a nature photographer?
Lourdes: While I certainly enjoy the accolades—who doesn't?—entering contests allows me to critically look at my work and where I have grown as a photographer, as well as where I need to push myself further. I go back and look at those photos that didn't do well, even though I loved them, and ask myself why the judges didn't feel the same. This year, I'm trying for more creative photos because I'm very interested in entering a contest that rewards creativity, rather than the usual bird portrait. It's making me think much more deeply about what I hope to capture.
Shorelines: What was your reaction to receiving an honorable mention?
Lourdes: It was incredibly exciting! I was hoping to just make the Top 100, so this was almost as good as winning the main prize. In the U.S., there's only one main winner in the Conservation category and one honorable mention. I was notified in May and told to keep it under wraps for four months, which was difficult when I was bursting with excitement!
Shorelines: Anything else you would like to add about yourself and/or your photography?
Lourdes: Lately, I've been trying to incorporate more of the bird's habitat into my photos, which has helped me better understand how the health of birds and the environment go hand-in-hand. I'm glad there are organizations such as Audubon that appreciate the importance of this.
National Audubon Society Photography Award Description of Lourdes Venard’s Honorable Mention photograph:
Conservation: Lourdes Venard
Bald Eagle. Photo: Lourdes Venard
Contest: United States and Canada
Species: Bald Eagle
Location: Coupeville, Washington, United States
Camera: Canon EOS R10 with a Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z Lens; 1/1600 sec at f/2.8; ISO 400
Behind the Shot: Bald Eagles are a symbol of wild endurance, yet their survival increasingly depends on our human-created landscape. I frequently see them beside or even in the road scavenging roadkill, a dangerous behavior that brings them into conflict with drivers. I discovered this particular raptor feeding amid a cluster of wildflowers beside the pavement. I safely parked at a distance and approached on foot, sitting quietly on the gravel shoulder. As the bird looked up, I spotted an approaching car. I framed the composition so the oncoming headlights were a looming presence. This image offers a reminder that a roadway isn’t just a place for an eagle to find a meal—it’s also where the wild world risks a collision with our modern one.
Bird Lore: The Bald Eagle’s comeback from population lows of the 1970s represents one of the great success stories in bird conservation. But the story is ongoing, and we can never assume that any species will continue to be safe. Some of the biggest threats to Bald Eagles today involve collisions with structures such as powerlines and occasionally wind turbines. Collisions with vehicles are also a frequent problem: These eagles are often scavengers, and when they feed on road-killed animals on or near roadways, they may be struck themselves.
Judge’s Take (Sadie Hine): This image showcases a familiar bird in an unexpected scene. While Bald Eagles are often associated with wilderness, rivers, and natural coastlines, their urban presence is frequently overlooked. The photographer captured a beautifully soft image despite the roadside setting, creatively telling a story of human-bird coexistence.