11-yr-old Shreyovi Mehta's photos feature in 61st Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

New Delhi, Oct 15 (PTI) After patiently waiting for a long time at Dhanauri wetlands in Uttar Pradesh's Thasrana last year, 11-year-old Shreyovi Mehta managed to photograph a sarus crane dramatically reacting to an electric water pump.

The photo, titled "Height Advantage", by the young wildlife photographer has been featured as "Highly Commended" in the '10 Years and Under' category of the 61st Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Another of Mehta's photos, titled "Wetland Spat", also earned a "Highly Commended" recognition in the same category.

Hidden behind a bush next to a trail, Mehta spotted a bronze-winged jacana approaching a purple swamphen, capturing the swamphen's wings at full stretch and the jacana's instant departure.

During the monsoon of 2024, Mehta, 10 at the time, had gone for a birding walk to Dhanauri with her father and wildlife photographer Shivang Mehta, when she captured both the scenes within a span of two hours.

"For three hours we were searching (for the sarus crane) so I engaged myself photographing the purple swamp hen. Through the corner of my eye I saw a bronze winged jacana charging towards the swamp hen and I immediately pressed the shutter to freeze this moment," Mehta told PTI.

"Just as we were leaving and I was disappointed that I didn’t see the Sarus, we saw one individual in the agricultural field. I used a long lens to maintain distance and the Sarus kept feeding and moved forward in the field towards an agricultural pump. It got startled seeing the pump and flapped its huge wings and I was quick to freeze the moment," the class 6 student said.

Last year, the Faridabad-based photographer was named runner-up in the '10 Years and Under' category for a photo, titled "In the Spotlight", that showed a pair of peahens, silhouetted under a canopy of trees at Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur.

Mehta's photographs are part of a select group of 100 images chosen from 60,636 entries submitted by participants from 113 countries and territories across various categories.

"Now in its 61st year, we are thrilled to continue Wildlife Photographer of the Year as a powerful platform for visual storytelling, showing the diversity, beauty and complexity of the natural world and humanity's relationship to it.

"With the inclusion of our Biodiversity Intactness Index, this year’s exhibition will be our best combination of great artistry and groundbreaking science yet, helping visitors to become inspired to be advocates for our planet," Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, said in a statement.

While South African wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever won the 'Wildlife Photographer' of the Year 2025' for his powerful image "Ghost Town Visitor", 17-year-old Andrea Dominizi was named the 'Young Wildlife Photographer' of the Year 2025.

The winning photographs will be showcased in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, from October 17 till July 12, 2026. The exhibition will subsequently embark on an international tour. PTI MAH MG MG