51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú

Well, we’ve done it again! We got through the Soaring Sixteen and you’ve picked your favorites. Now it’s time to keep winnowing down the entries.

Today we head into Egret Eight, where the winners of the previous rounds compete for a chance at our finals. It’s roadrunner versus woodpecker, the winners of and , respectively.

The top quartet will make it to the Feathered Four, then two on to the championship match. The won the last first-round head-to-head.

For those of you just joining our game, each round we’ve posted two entries from this year’s 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Magazine Photo Awards, in anticipation of announcing our official winners—it’s coming soon!—selected by our design director, Kevin Fisher, our photo editor, Lila Garnett, and publisher and editor-in-chief of Nature’s Best Photography magazine, Steve Freligh.

The ultimate victor of Bird Madness will appear on , along with a story about how he or she captured the shot. Our Jan-Feb 2013 issue will feature the awards’ official winners.

Vote here! Voting for the first round of Egret Eight closes mid-day Thursday, Dec. 20. The next round starts Thursday evening.