Cormorant shot puts photographer in top flight

WITH its wing extended in the bird’s characteristic stretch, the cormorant in Darran Buckley’s photograph could almost have been posing for his camera.

Mr Buckley’s image – taken at Gatehouse of Fleet in Galloway in June – has won the summer round of Wild Scotland’s photography competition.

Peter Cairns, the wildlife photographer who judged the competition, commented on how the picture “captures the light beautifully on the water” and “highlights the details of the bird’s feathers”.

Mr Buckley, from Sherburn-in-Elmet, near Leeds, said: “I’m studying for a diploma in photography and was doing the wildlife photography module at the time so was keeping a lookout for wildlife shots.

“I came round the corner and saw the cormorant with its wings outstretched no more than ten metres away.

“The light on the bird’s wings seemed to be perfect, so I dashed back to the car to get my camera and took the shot. I was in the right place at the right time.

“Winning the competition came as a bit of a shock but it has made my day and will give me the confidence to take photography further.”

Mr Buckley used an Olympus camera with a 400-millimetre lens to take his winning shot.

He prize is an exclusive evening at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) Loch of the Lowes wildlife reserve, where he may have the chance to photograph pine martens.

The runners-up in the competition were Kevin Hawthorne, from Longniddry, East Lothian, who photographed hover-flies on a flower in his garden, and Cynthia Bressani, from Norton, near Doncaster, whose image captured a fulmar in flight on Fair Isle, which lies between Orkney and Shetland.

Mr Cairns said: “The pictures highlight different ways wildlife can be photographed.

“The winning photograph of the cormorant captures the light beautifully on the water, and highlights the details of the bird’s feathers.”

Caroline Warburton, manager of Wild Scotland, the national wildlife and nature tourism operators’ association, said: “We received a wide range of pictures, from ducks and deer to bugs and butterflies.”

As the winners of one round are announced, the next stage of Wild Scotland’s competition gets underway.

The top photographer in the autumn competition will enjoy a day’s fishing at Loch Ossian, on Corrour Estate. Photographers have until 21 November to submit their pictures – full details at www.wild-scotland.co.uk

And don’t forget, as well as taking part in Wild Scotland’s competition, you can also send in your photographs taken this weekend to The Scotsman’s Wildlife Watch.

All photographs and notes taken during our quarterly nature survey, which is supported by the SWT, will be passed on to Biological Recording in Scotland (Brisc) and may be used in conservation work.

Wildlife Watch runs until Monday, with a selection of readers’ photographs appearing next week in The Scotsman.

How to join in Wildlife Watch

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?

Either take photographs or make written notes of what you see this weekend and e-mail [e-mail] or post them to: Wildlife Watch, The Scotsman, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS.

SHOULD I TAKE NOTES?

You should note the name of the species; the date you saw it; where you saw it (preferably including a postcode or grid reference); and your name and contact details. The records will be passed to the SWT and Brisc, which may use them in their conservation work.

WHICH CREATURES SHOULD I LOOK FOR?

We want to hear about any species you spot: animals and plants. The autumn survey will also focus on fungi.

WHAT SHOULD I TAKE?

Take a pen and paper to note sightings. If you have binoculars, then take them with you because it is important you correctly identify the creatures you see. Take your camera too.