Prime Hook photo contest people’s choice winner announced

Steve Licata of Rehoboth Beach has been chosen as the People's Choice Award winner in the annual Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge Nature Photography Contest.

Sponsored by The Friends of Prime Hook, the show opened Oct. 16 with a reception and awards ceremony. Visitors to the show had the chance to pick their favorite photo and cast a ballot for the People's Choice selection. Those 170 votes were counted after the show ended Dec. 11, and Licata's fascinating portrait of two crows was chosen as the winner.

Titled "Corvid Conversation," the photo shows what appears to be an animated discussion between two crows. Corvid is a term referring to the crow family, which is why Licata chose that title.

Licata and his wife Clara Licata both entered this year's competition. He said he is drawn to pictures of birds interacting with each other, finding that a more interesting subject than a standard still life. "I'm pleased and surprised, because there were a lot of really great photos," he said.

He said was intrigued by the image of the two fish crows. He and Clara moved to this area in 2020 and became much more involved in their photography when COVID shut down so many other activities. He credits much of their growth to the help and support of Coastal Camera Club members. "That helped us really develop our skills. They are pretty inspirational,” he said. "It's been a big learning curve for us. You really start noticing more things.”

He is fond of a series of four photos he took of a pair of bald eagles squawking at each other before the female eagle finally turns and shows her tail to her noisy counterpart. "That's the stuff I like best, seeing them engaged with each other and not just posing," he said.

Jill Steiner of Milton earned the second- and third-highest vote tallies. Her ghost crab closeup was the second-highest vote-getter, while her snowy owl received the third-most votes. "The snowy owl was a lifer for me, and the ghost crab was successfully fighting off two large seagulls. I’m inspired by the abundance of wildlife we are fortunate to live amongst, and I thoroughly enjoy the hunt," she said.

Licata advises anyone who likes photography to always carry their camera with them. He still regrets not having his camera with him when a hawk landed five feet from him one morning. Having a camera also allows him to capture the occasional bit of whimsy, like a recent photo when he went for his morning Starbucks fix in Rehoboth Beach. He turned away for a moment, and a squirrel was at the cup trying to take a sip.

The photo, which he shared with the coffee shop, even shows the writing on the cup touting "that first-sip feeling."

Licata feels that for such a small area, Delaware has an abundance of nature photography opportunities because of local migration routes and the large number of parks and refuges in the area. He advises new photographers to just get out and start taking photographs. "It's not going to happen overnight. Just get out and see things. See what you see," he said. "Get whatever camera you have and start taking shots, even if it's a cellphone."

Edward Crawford of Lewes won Best in Show in the annual contest for his photo of a kingfisher with a tiny fish. He was honored with other winners at the opening reception.

Some 171 photos were submitted by 36 photographers.

To learn more, go to friendsofprimehook.com.