Reptiles & amphibians – Overall winner Marcus Conway.
What the judges said:
A number of images made the shortlist in the birds category, including two Puffin shots. One of these also won the runner up spot in the Birds category:
Birds - runner up - Marcus Conway
"Puffin with sand eels' on paper is uninspiring. The photo is anything but. The crop is so bold, so audacious, it made me gasp, and I love the backlighting also."
I have also been delighted to collaborate with Birdguides, the UK's most visited birdwatching website on a series of articles that aim to help photographers and birders see some of the finest species from the Scottish Highlands
The first article focusses on the Crested Tit. I will add it to the site in due course, but feel free to click here to see the article today!
I will be updating the blog more frequently again over the coming weeks so please check in again soon. Thanks for your patience!
It's always a pleasure to provide images to British Birds - regarded as the ornithological journal of record in Britain, who also publish the annual reports of the Rarities Committee and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. They are currently offering a trial subscription with a massive, nearly 50% discount so there has never been a better time to subscribe. Certainly the sort of journal where you can learn something new every time it arrives. The images feature in an article by Richard Broughton on "Separation of Willow Tit and Marsh Tit in Britain" an area where there are always new things to discover.
The main focus of my time for several weeks has been a small flock of Bar Tailed Godwits. I have watched them for hours and hours and love taking others to see them and watch them elegantly forage along the shoreline. Superb waders.
I love going home to visit family. Not only do I always get well looked after (thanks sis!), but the photographic opportunities are amazing all the way along the coast. Ainsdale is my favourite spot, especially when a tide of more than 9 meters is forecast in the morning. There are hundreds of thousands of waders such as Godwits, Oystercatchers, Knot and Grey Plover.
The weather forecast turned out to be wrong (again), and the morning was much gloomier than anticipated. I thought I would take the opportunity to play around with some settings to try and capture the movement and sense of occasion. The birds really do whir and with all the dog walkers they are constantly pushed up and down endless miles of sandy beach.
These sort of shots aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they remind me of that morning when I was allowed to share some memorable moments with the immense flocks of waders.
So much of our wildlife in autumn can be affected by the weather. Just one week ago I was searching the sea from the North Wirral looking for seabirds. There was not a lot out there and just when all hope had gone and it was time to head home - another look along the coast and right on the beach is a Sabines Gull! Not the most striking of birds but an incredibly difficult one to photograph.
Then the winds changed and the weather brightened and an early start found me on the coast. The day was fantastic and started well by finding a Barred Warbler in a set of willow trees that 'always have a rare bird' according to Jim - well he wasn't wrong. Later on an Osprey flew straight overhead along with many common migrants.
I received a call late on in the day that the light in Filey Bay was incredible. I was at the end of the Brigg and faced a dilemma of whether to stay or go. The call came through again, 'the glow around these Sanderlings is almost radioactive!'. This I had to see. Many thanks to Graham for urging me to check out the amazing light, textures and colours.
Probably my favourite.
Jim's just rung 'Interested in seeing some badgers?'
I'm on my way....