The duel, by Sergey Gorshkov
In late May, about a quarter of a million snow geese arrive from North America to nest on Wrangel Island, in north-eastern Russia. They form the world's largest breeding colony of snow geese. Gorshkov spent two months on the remote island photographing the unfolding dramas. Arctic foxes take advantage of the abundance of eggs, caching surplus eggs for leaner times. But a goose (here the gander) is easily a match for a fox, which must rely on speed and guile to steal eggs. 'The battles were fairly equal,' notes Gorshkov, 'and I only saw a fox succeed in grabbing an egg on a couple of occasions, despite many attempts.' Surprisingly, 'the geese lacked any sense of community spirit', he adds, 'and never reacted when a fox harassed a neighbouring pair nesting close by'Photograph: Sergey Gorshkov/Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012