Wildlife warrior snaps up first prize
A BUDDING photographer who has used lockdown to develop her love of birdwatching has won recognition from fellow enthusiasts.
Young Suzie-Belle Shingler, from Crawshawbooth, has taken up wildlife photography as a way of enjoying nature during the pandemic. It has been a real incentive to get out as the sevenyear-old, who has been in and out of hospital since she was tiny, has a rare, severe form of asthma which means she often struggles with daily walks in cold weather.
Her mum Gemma shared her photos on the 1,800-member Rossendale Wildlife Group Facebook page, and following rave reviews for her work, Suzie-Belle, whose favourite bird is a nuthatch, was named their first Young Wildlife
Warrior. Her top tip for anyone keen to give it a try is to take plenty of snacks!
Gemma, who is herself a photography enthusiast and used to run a baby and toddler group in Haslingden, is married to
Alistair, and son Robert, 18, is in local indie band The Exasperators.
She said her daughter is “absolutely passionate about all forms of wildlife” and is “a keen conservationist”.
“We love visiting
Clough Head on Grane Road, as the bird feeders are right by the car park, so when the air is too cold for her to be out she can watch the birds from the warm car,” said Gemma.
“She takes snacks and hot chocolate, her camera and binoculars, and her bird book. I thought that it would be a good way for her to engage with wildlife in a way that she could manage even when she isn’t well. This winter has been especially cold, and Suzie-Belle has suffered especially. She suffers from a rare, severe form of asthma called Brittle Asthma. She has been in and out of hospital since being tiny, but when she was four she spent several weeks before Christmas in hospital where we nearly lost her as her asthma becomes life threatening extremely quickly. She has a wonderful medical team at Blackburn and Burnley who we would be absolutely lost without.”
Gemma said they would love to thank the volunteers who fill and provide the bird feeders as well as Victoria Spencer for setting up and running the Rossendale Wildlife Group.
Suzie-Belle is taking her role of Young
Wildlife Warrior very seriously and plans to do more litter picking, as well as to get as good at photography as some of the people in the group.
Gemma added: “She is absolutely thrilled that people are so encouraging about her pictures and love of wildlife. I read everyone’s comments to her when I share her pictures. We have really loved that everyone has been so encouraging and so friendly, people are saying hello to us when they see us on their daily walks and it has cheered us up so much.”