Images: Photo Contest Finalists

A few Pine Sisken happened through our yard a couple weeks back. The fast and very elusive little birds almost seemed to find enjoyment in coaxing me to shoot and than darting away leaving me with many a blurred shot. Finally as if to say “Just take your shot and leave us alone, this little guy puffed up, cocked his head and sat perfectly still. Got my shot of the day and called it quits. Enjoyed the brief beauty and look forward to next fall to see them return. Tony Pocewicz of Carpentersville

This was taken at Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. We were on a family vacation and out for a walk after dinner in June 2012. Jane Kindlon of Warrenville

Wiki the cat kicks back in its bed one cool September afternoon a few years ago. Christopher Hayden of Arlington Heights

This is from our annual Daddy/Daughter camping trip. It was taken at a spot called the Sand Pit at Great Sand Dunes National Park on August 23, 2012. Jim Ruff of West Chicago

A frog hides among the plants at Six Mile Cypress Slough, Florida last September. Brittany Leigh Perocho of Palatine

A Cooper’s Hawk that landed on the awning right outside my bedroom window. Viana Oliver of Winfield

A giant bubble floats across a park this past August in Cincinnati, Ohio. Candace Anderson of Fox Lake

Five turtles sun themselves on a rock last week at a small lake in the Grant Woods Forest Preserve. Marty Krogh of Ingleside

This photo was taken in September while on a trip to a friend’s ranch in Westcliffe, CO. The “old homestead” was on the property and I loved the way the aspen trees were just beginning to turn yellow through “the window.” Joanna Hanselmann of Sleepy Hollow

Just before sunset in Rocky Mountain National Park, an alert mule deer scans the alpine tundra at an elevation of 12,000 feet. The photo was taken at the Rock Cut overlook on Trail Ridge Road, the “highest continuous paved highway in North America,” according to the road’s guidebook. Mike Weimer of St. Charles

A dog with a hat sits in a boat in Vancouver, British Columbia in August 2012. Sue Ditsch of Hawthorn Woods

The aurora borealis around the Big Dipper in Fairbanks, Alaska on September 18th at about 2 a.m. local time. Adriaan Sachtler of Des Plaines