National Insect Week - Photography Competition Slideshow

National Insect Week

The World's Best Underwater Photographs - The Guardian

The Guardian - Environment

European Wildlife Photographer of the Year

BBC Earth

Earth News is produced by the acclaimed BBC Natural History Unit based in Bristol.

For over fifty years, the NHU has produced award-winning wildlife films and documentaries, including landmark series such as Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Natural World, Life In Cold Blood, Nature's Great Events, Yellowstone and Springwatch.
Each year, up to seventy NHU expedition teams travel the world, visiting the most remote and inspiring locations, filming, reporting and celebrating life on Earth.

Earth News is here to bring that world to you and to tell the greatest story of all. The story of life.

Earth News is edited by Matt Walker, an author of natural history news, books and scientific papers.



British Wildlife Photography Awards - Danny Green

Grey Seal Pup - Danny Green

Wildlife Photography Competition - Steve and Liz Lonsdale

Steve and Liz, who live in my home county of Derbyshire, have entered this fine shot of a Roe deer. Many thanks to them.

Wildlife Photography Competition - Nicola Halsall

Many thanks to Nicola for this colourful shot of a curlew

Wildlife Photography Competition - David McEvoy

Thanks to David for this shot of funghi, probably growing out of a cowpat?

Wildlife Photography Competition - Chris Bell

Thanks to Chris for sending us this classic Islay wildlife shot of a seal lying on the rocks down in the harbour at Portnahaven.

James R Macdonald - Argyll Bird Photography

Wildlife Photographer from Campbeltown.  Great pictures on Jimmy's website

James R Macdonald

Dickie Ducket FRPS - Wildlife Photographer - At the INHT Tuesday 2nd November 2010

After a career as a pilot in the Royal Air Force, including 5 years flying with and leading The Red Arrows, I worked for a few years for a national charity. Photography is now my main interest and, since giving up ‘the day job’ in 2001, I have been able to devote much more time to it.

I have been interested in the natural world, and especially birds, since I was a small boy. However I did not consider trying to photograph subjects until a posting to the Falkland Islands in 1985 inspired me to buy a camera.
Unfortunately, my 5-month tour there covered Autumn and Winter but I was still able to see and photograph some of the wonderful wildlife in the Islands. With only basic equipment and a rudimentary knowledge of photography, my pictures served merely as a record of my stay but were an important first step in my progress as a photographer. I returned to the Falklands in 2004 and some of the images taken then are on display in the Galleries.
A few years later, I decided to settle on Canon cameras and lenses, and I purchased my first digital camera at the beginning of 2003. After a short period of trying to take both slide and digital images, I now shoot exclusively in digital.
I live in the Thames Valley where there are a number of opportunities for photographing wildlife, especially water birds. However, I also travel around the UK to take pictures, and I usually arrange a couple of overseas trips each year. In the last few years I have been to Florida, Australia, Lesbos, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Finland, the Falkland Islands, Spain, Norway, Tanzania, and Morocco. In 2007, I visited Florida, Hungary, Finland, Ireland, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.
2008 was a relatively quiet year, and my only distant trip was in May to the Outer Hebrides (The Uists), where I successfully photographed Corncrake. Perhaps worthy of mention is that I was enrolled as a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society (FRPS) in October.
2009 got off to a good start with a 2-week trip to Japan to photograph Snow Monkeys on Honshu and Eagles and Cranes in the snow and ice on Hokkaido. In May I visited the Danube Delta area of Romania and obtained some good images of Bee Eaters, Rollers and a number of water birds such as Herons.
I started 2010 with a week in February in the Highlands of Scotland where I photographed Red Squirrel, Crested Tit and Capercaillie in the abundant snow. In May I spent 10 days in Bulgaria photographing Bee Eater, Rose-coloured Starling, and Stone Curlew and a number of other species.

Olivaceous warbler singing after bathing - one of Dickie's shots from a recent rip to Bulgaria

Red Fox

http://www.dickieduckett.com/

Wildlife Photography Competition - Suzanne Cobb

Many thanks to Suzanne for this great shot of a Common Frog

British Wildlife Photography Awards

Marcin Zagorski - Mountain Hare

British Wildlife Photography Awards

James Yaxley - Frogs in Spring

INHT Wildlife Photography Competition - Vanessa Fuery

There is just over a week left for you to send in your entries to the INHT Wildlife Photography Competition, which will be judged by Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen.  We have had a good number of really excellent and interesting submissions so far and we really hope that you will contribute.

This is a lovely shot of some Brown Hares sent in by Vanessa - many thanks...!

British Wildlife Photography Awards

Phillip Thomas - Wood Mouse

British Wildlife Photography Awards

Damian Waters - Dark-Eyed Deer

British Wildlife Photography Awards

Mark G Smith - Coots sparring.

British Wildlife Photography Awards

We will be publishing a selection of the stunning winners and highly commended entries from this year's BWP Awards over the next few days.

http://www.bwpawards.org/

This is Alan Price's shot of a Lesser Redpoll feeding on dandelion heads

Wildlife Photography Competition - Brian Turner

We received another nice couple of shots from Brian for our competition, thanks to him. The competition closes at the end of October, so still time for any of you out there who haven't entered to send something in. We'll find a way of displaying all the entries once it's all wrapped up...

Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus)

The great weather we have been having has been ideal for watching over Loch Indaal, which is currently peppered with divers, scoter, mergansers, eider, scaup and gulls.  These are perfect opportunities for picking out some of our winter highlights - particularly the small numbers of Slavonian grebes that regularly spend the longer nights of the year with us.  I spotted one yesterday off the power station on the way in to Bowmore.
It was quite distant, and although it is easy to identify as a grebe, I am glad that they do not overlap with Black-necked grebes here as they are difficult to tell apart at long range in winter.  When you are in the pub it's easy - the Slavs are longer and sleeker with thicker bills and the black on the head does not extend down the face.  When you are peering through watery eyes through a scope at a bird that is repeatedly diving in a choppy sea several hundred yards away it is much more difficult!! 
I have seen Black necked on numbers of occasions down in England and also in Spain, but never here on Islay.
Carl

Photo: Jacobite Cruises Loch Ness - http://www.jacobite.co.uk/

Carl