Picturing nature in all its beauty and variety
A STUNNING mix of images showing a range of wildlife in amazing colour and detail made the shortlist of the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year competition.
More than 1,000 images were submitted to the competition, run by the Irish Environmental Network, with 20 pictures making the shortlist.
Commenting on their choice of winner, judges Frank Miller and Alan Betson said: ‘We settled on the charming picture of the duckling catching flies by Darrell Arnone. First and foremost it is a delightful image, there is a sense of wonder as the young duckling comes to terms with its survival by catching its food. There is the beautiful texture and colours of the water and the magical summer light. But perhaps the clincher was that the image captures not just a single species trying to survive but the swarming flies and the interdependence of the natural world.’
The winning picture was taken at the Irish National Stud in Kildare.
Another image showing such interdependence was Declan Roche’s shortlisted picture of an Atlantic puffin with sandeels in its beak.
James O’Neill, whose entry secured him an honourable mention from the judges, described the moment he took his picture. ‘My eye caught by a flicker of movement at the base of a gorse bush, I was delighted to find this newly-emerged fox moth warming up his wings for his first flight.’
Colette Gemmel said of her early morning snap of a curious pine marten in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan: ‘Just as I was about to leave I saw something jumping through the long grass, it just kept getting closer until it was right in front of me, only then did it pause and that’s when I got this shot.’ nMore images at biodiversityweek.ie