Marie Read / Black skimmers (Rynchops niger), three in non-breeding plumage on beach, Fort De Soto Park, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. January. Digitally altered to remove distractions.

Marie Read / American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) adult feeding chick, Long Island, New York, USA. June.

Tui De Roy / Marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) in the surf, Black Beach, Floreana Island, Galapagos

Juergen & Christine Sohns / Black-footed Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) pair on beach, Betty's Bay, Stony Point Nature Reserve, South Africa

Ingo Arndt / Flock of Black skimmers (Rynchops nigra) on beach, New Jersey, USA

Neil Aldridge / African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) preening themselves on rocks at the Boulders Beach colony near Cape Town, South Africa.

Ross Hoddinott / Ice on black volcanic sand beach with waves, Jokulsarlon, Southeast Iceland, February.

Kevin Schafer / Black-footed Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) group walking near huge stones, Boulders Beach, Cape Peninsula, South Africa

Theo Bosboom / Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) above snowy lava beach near Djupivogur in the East of Iceland, March

Orsolya Haarberg,Orsolya Haarberg / Brown Algae (Fucus dustuchus) making patterns in snow and sand. Skagsanden beach, Nordland, Norway, February. Highly commended in Plants category of the GDT 2011 competition

Juergen Freund / Seeds and flower from large tropical almond, sea almond, beach almond (Terminalia catappa) against black sand, Sulawesi beach, Indonesia

Michele Westmorland / Man collecting black sand in an area which is one of the locations for producing fine restaurant quality salt, most of which is shipped to Japan, Kusimbi Beach, Bali, Indonesia 2009. No release availa...