- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
Madeson wins grand prize in state wildlife and outdoor photo competition
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A well-known Kelseyville photographer has captured top honors in a statewide competition for his photograph of two birds of prey vying for a fish.
Lyle Madeson was chosen as the grand prize winner in the year-long California Watchable Wildlife and Outdoor California Photo Contest.
Each month from March, 2011 through February, 2012, entries were judged on creativity, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit by judges Bob Garrison, chair emeritus, California Watchable Wildlife Steering Committee; David Rosen, wildlife photographer; and Troy Swauger, editor of Outdoor California.
The Grand Prize Award was selected from the 12 monthly first place winners and presented by Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Game in a ceremony at the California State Capitol on Monday, April 23.
Bonham selected Madeson’s image of an osprey and red-tailed hawk hooked onto the same fish in midair.
“What I especially like about this photograph is how it represents action, which is a real attribute of wildlife,” Bonham said in presenting the grand prize. “It also seemed reflective of the nature of wildlife, in that with all of the tribulations facing wildlife in our great state, our fish and animal resources are often caught in the middle of a rock and a hard place, or in this case, one raptor’s talon and another raptor’s talon.”
Madeson took the winning photograph at Clear Lake State Park.
“This photo was captured while photographing ospreys and eagles fishing for Clear Lake hitch that are heading for their spawning grounds on Kelsey Creek,” he said. “After photographing the catch of the fish, the osprey flew directly at me, and in half second, a red-tailed hawk made the second catch!”
Madeson’s Grand Prize Award, valued at $500, included a check for $200, Nikon binocular donated by Out of this World in Mendocino, and a membership and State Parks pass donated by California State Parks Foundation.
A People’s Choice Award also was selected by visitors to California Watchable Wildlife’s Facebook page.
Cathy Cooper of Fairfield was chosen for her photograph of a green heron with a small fish, taken at Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area.
The award winners and first place photos are on display outside the Governor’s Office at the California State Capitol from April 23 through April 27, including Kelseyville resident Deanna Madeson’s image of grebes, which won first place in December 2011.
The contest was conducted by California Watchable Wildlife in cooperation with Outdoor California, a bimonthly publication of the California Department of Fish and Game, drawing almost 900 entries from 200 photographers.
The three monthly winning images were published in each issue of Outdoor California from May 2011 through March 2012.
Photographers were given just two simple rules: Images must be taken at a California Watchable Wildlife viewing site or be of any native California species.
The 12 monthly first place winners were: March 2011, Lyle Madeson, Kelseyville; April 2011, Mike Warner, El Sobrante; May 2011, Jessica Weinberg, Palo Alto; June 2011, Thomas Roach, Lincoln; July 2011, Jay Gaskill, Groveland; August 2011, Thomas Roach, Lincoln; September 2011, Carole Haskell, Lincoln; October 2011, Matt Knoth, San Francisco; November 2011, Tory Kallman, San Francisco; December 2011, Deanna Madeson, Kelseyville; January 2012, Tim Torell, Sunvalley, Nevada; February 2012, Cathy Cooper, Fairfield.
Albums of all monthly winners and entries are available at www.facebook.com/CaWatchableWildlife .
California attracts more wildlife viewers and associated expenditures than any other state in the nation.
California Watchable Wildlife’s interactive Web site provides maps and details about the statewide network of wildlife viewing sites, which are marked with the iconic brown binocular signs.
Sites have been evaluated for their wildlife viewing values, quality and diversity of habitats and visitor amenities to ensure that the state’s wildlife values are protected from overuse and that each site offers the highest quality viewing experience to visitors.
For 20 years, California Watchable Wildlife has celebrated the state's wildlife and diverse habitats by acknowledging and elevating the value of wildlife viewing to benefit individuals, families, communities, and industries while fostering awareness and support for conservation and protection of wildlife and habitats.
State and Federal agency partners include California Coastal Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Game, California Department of Transportation, California State Parks, Nature Conservancy of California, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA Forest Service.