Thanks to Species on the Edge for providing prizes
We are pleased to announce the 2024 competition winners
Overall winner of the Abigail Rhodes Trophy and the Open category: ‘Meadow Pipit on the Reef’ by John Wright.
(Click on the images to see them full size)
Judge of this year’s Open category, High Life Highland Countryside Ranger Paul Castle, says: ‘It looks like the bird posed for this shot and you can really appreciate the wonderful beauty of the plumage, on what is often just dismissed as a ‘Little Brown Job’ – (I love championing an underdog).
In deciding the overall winner, judge Fiona Strachan from NatureScot, added: “Meadow Pipits are a fairly common sight and sound in the north but it’s not often you get to see one in such exquisite detail. This photo is wonderfully sharp giving us an unusually close look at the plumage, and the pipit itself is full of character.“
John Wright, winner of the Abigail Rhodes Photography Competition 2024:
“My photo was taken mid May 2024, high on the reef at Sandside Bay, quite close to the dunes.”
Equipment details:
Olympus OM1 Mkii micro 4/3
300mm f4 lens plus 1.4x converter = 420mm or 840mm full frame for comparison.
ISO 800
Aperture f5.6
Exposure 1/1250s
Species on the Edge category Winner: ‘Oxytropis and the beach’ by Marygrace Rowe.
Judge of this year’s Species on the Edge category, Fiona Strachan from NatureScot, says: “This is a beautifully composed photo which captures one of Species on the Edge’s priority species, along with two people enjoying the spectacular scenery of the North Coast. I felt this photo was a great fit for the theme and was clearly inspired by life on the edge of Scotland. It has an air of exhilaration about it which really stood out.”
Open section Runner-up: ‘In the Shadows’ by Susan Kirkup.
Judge’s comments: “Stunning image. I especially like that you simply can’t see the body as it’s masked by the plant stem.”
Species on the Edge category Runner-up: ‘Fragile Nature (Emerald damsel)‘ by Susan Kirkup
Judge’s comments: “This lovely photograph captures the idea of the fragility of nature perfectly by taking a close focus on the damselfly against the sunlit backdrop.“
Special commendations: Open category
Sparrowhawk by Penny Gardner.
Judge’s comments: Always been my favourite raptor. Especially like the concentration in the eye (proper predator) and love the way the barring on the chest reminds me of birds trying to escape her attack.
I Want to be Like Youooo by Valerie Clark.
Judge’s comments: Perfect timing with the shot, and comical how the chick appears to be mimicking the adult.
Pebble Petal by Susan Kirkup.
Judge’s comments: Exquisite details of both moth and plant, particularly like the detail of the fibres on both.
Rockin Robin by Robert Tomlin.
Judge’s comments: Could you ask for a more quintessential image for your Christmas card? The contrast of the colours with the snow is very striking.
Special commendations: Species on the Edge category
Small and blue-ish by Sarah Bird.
Judge’s comments: “A very good capture of one of Species on the Edge’s priority species“.
A most northerly morel – fungi on the edge by Hilary Wilson.
Judge’s comments: “An excellent photograph of the most northerly record of this fungi species.”
Perfect, Precious and Precarious – Scottish Primrose by Sarah Bird.
Judge’s comments: “A lovely photo of Scottish Primrose in full bloom, beautifully captured against its precarious cliff edge habitat.”
Special commendations: photographs from our junior members – some excellent budding wildlife photographers here.
(Remember to click on the photos to see them full size)
Thank you to everyone who entered the competition, below is a selection of entries. Details of our 2025 competition will be announced soon.
A big thank you to our judges:
Open category: High Life Highland Countryside Ranger Paul Castle, who does so much for our local wildlife.
Species on the Edge category: Fiona Strachan – Species on the Edge Programme Manager at NatureScot.
