THE HAMPSHIRE 150 CHALLENGE
Photography as a fund-raising tool for conservation
The county of Hampshire is celebrated for its diverse habitats, which include the New Forest – a fabulous mix of forest and heaths – along with extensive chalk downland and diverse coastal areas. Unsurprisingly, this environmental variety, combined with its geographical location in central southern England, mean the county’s annual species list is impressive. Hampshire also happens to be home to the team behind Bird Photographer of the Year. Inspired by BW’s ‘My 200 Bird Year’, they are embarking on a sponsored challenge of their own for 2020. The Hampshire 150 Challenge, supported in part by Bird Watching magazine, but also by you, the readers, will raise funds for the BPOTY Conservation Fund; at the end of the challenge, the money raised will be used to help chosen bird-related conservation projects.
Over the course of 2020, the Hampshire 150 Challenge team will aim to photograph as many species as possible, inviting per-species sponsorship on the final tally, or a simple donation. Their target is an ambitious 150 different bird species, all photographed within the county of Hampshire.
The team will use their considerable collective photographic skills to capture images that showcase their progress to Bird Watching readers.
BPOTY competition director and Hampshire 150 Challenge coordinator, Rob Read, comments: “The aim is to raise money for bird-related conservation projects through the art of bird photography, something that is at the core of the BPOTY competition, and the people behind it. The species total will be derived from the number of different species the team collectively manages to photograph throughout the year.
“Not all photographs will be prize winners, and an image will count towards the total if the species can be easily identified from the picture. However, with the team’s photographic pedigree in mind, there will be considerable pressure to produce some breath-taking images for the magazine’s readers, and we will try our best not to disappoint. We are all thrilled that Matt and the team at Bird Watching support the project!”
The Hampshire 150 Challenge team will comprise Bird Photographer of the Year directors, Paul Sterry, Andrew Cleave and Rob Read; plus BPOTY chairman Andrew Cameron, BPOTY head judge Chris Packham, Young BPOTY judge and competition ambassador Megan McCubbin, and Hampshire Bird Recorder Keith Betton. Keith will also be responsible for adjudicating identification and will have the final say on what is accepted or rejected.
Images showcased
Bird Watching magazine will be charting the progress of the Hampshire 150 Challenge, reporting every month on what has been photographed, keeping a tally of the numbers and showcasing some of the best images taken. A dedicated page on the Bird Photographer of the Year website will also record the progress of the team and showcase the images captured in an online gallery.
By the time the Hampshire 150 Challenge ends, Bird Watching has pledged to have contributed £ 2,000 to the BPOTY Conservation Fund, and we would like to invite our readers to get involved and help the effort. As the challenge progresses, we will let you know how you too can boost the BPOTY Conservation Fund, either through challenge sponsorship or direct donations. We would also like your suggestions about possible conservation projects that could be supported by the money raised. Please contact the magazine or the BPOTY team directly with your ideas. The BPOTY team and our BW Matt Merritt will choose a suitable project or projects from your suggestions.
Bird Watching wishes the Hampshire 150 Challenge team the best of luck and we look forward to sharing some of the images over the coming months.