Our Fortnight Focus challenge on NiF Hive – Eye Spy – saw a massive outpouring of interest from the community, wowing us with some genuinely eye-catching images (pun, certainly purposeful).
The winner takes home a Shutterbug Pro camera bag from Wildcraft and exclusive goodies from NiF.
A big shout-out to everyone who contributed, and a definitive invitation to those who haven't yet to join in for the next.
Scroll down to see our top picks.
Pavan ML
Eye of the Predator
A close-up of the cold reptilian eyes of a Marsh Crocodile basking under the sun at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Karnataka.
Dheeraj M Nanda
'Fisheye'
An eye of a Crocodile Fish captured up close at Raja Ampat in Indonesia.
Ajit Baskey
Black and Gold
A Deccan Ground Gecko seems to have its attention consumed entirely by a prey nearby; for the viewer, it's that hypnotic black and gold eye that commands complete attention.
Ameyavikram Mahalingashetty
Eyes of the Longicorn
This macro shot of a Longhorn Beetle shows off the insect's captivating compound eyes.
Abin Ghosh
Rorschach
A close-up shot of a dragonfly, as it seemingly stares back into the camera with its massive globular eyes.
Sambath Subbaiah
"Wink Wink"
A perfectly timed capture shows a Short-eared Owl with its one eye closed as if to suggest the bird is winking back at the camera.
Karthik AK
Mutant X
Endemic to the Western Ghats, the Gunther's Bush Frog is a Critically Endangered species that is very rarely photographed.
Suvadip Mondal
Yellow Peaches or Eyes?
A captivating close-up of a Red-tailed Bamboo Pit Viper, pictured in the Sunderbans.
Merlin Selvan
Concentric Circles
A chameleon's eyes are unique in the sense that the upper and lower eyelids are fused together as one and are scaly like the rest of their body. Here is a close-up of the double eye chamber of an Indian Chameleon in Theni, Tamil Nadu.
Lokesh Rengan
Get Set! Glide!
A Malabar Gliding Frog is pictured spying its surroundings from behind a moss-covered tree in Amboli.
Ramachandiran Govindaraj
Ek Tha Tiger
Even after all the warning calls from the langurs up above, it was quite sometime before the photographer spotted this stealthy figure hidden in the undergrowth.
Tapan Sheth
A Dot of Ink, A Splash of Orange!
A Lesser Flamingo is pictured with its bill dunked underwater and its hypnotic orange eye showing above.
Rohit Kalingarayar
The Third Eyelid
In this headshot of a Crested Serpent-eagle, even the veins are visible in its nictitating membrane – a translucent membrane that forms an inner eyelid in birds.
Mohit Verma
Headlights
A Horsfield's Tarsier photographed at close quarters in the rainforests of Borneo, Malaysia.
Suraj S
Blue Eyes, Hypnotise...
A Bengal Monitor lizard is seen basking at the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Kerala, pictured at the precise moment the reptile closed its eyelids.
Venkatesh TS
Got Eyes on You!
A cute upside-down shot of a Lion-tailed Macaque as it intensely gazes back at the camera.
