Shetland Kumlien's Gull photo wins ecology photography prize
Well known birder and photographer Rebecca Nason has won this year’s top prize in the British Ecological Society photographic competition – ‘Capturing Ecology’.
Rebecca’s close up of a Kumlien’s Gull’s eye, with speckled markings that aren’t quite what they appear.
On her winning image she said: “In April 2021, I came across a scarce Kumlien’s Gull as I fed bread to a growing number of Herring Gull sheltering from a Spring storm. A beautiful gull, these birds breed in the Arctic regions of Canada & winter from Labrador west across the Great Lakes.”
“When the Kumlien’s gull approached to a good distance to allow for closer full frame shots. I started photographing the eye detail, noting a gorgeous granite coloured iris with dark speckled plumage detail around the eye. It was only when I got home I realised that the speckled patterns were in fact lice clustered around the eye, the Kumlien’s Gull hadn’t travelled alone!
“I am thrilled to win such a prestigious photography competition after entering for the first time this year. I have had a very symbiotic relationship between ecology work & bird photography in my career, so for both to come together in this way to win a competition with a gull image taken on my local patch, is just the icing on the cake.”
Rebecca's work will be well known to many readers of our weekly birding roundup where photos by Rebecca often feature. One of here standout images from recent years was her Siberian Rubythroat taken at Levenwick, Shetland in 2014.
Laura Dyer, one of the competition judges said of Rebecca’s image and the other winners: “The three overall winners this year demonstrate completely different styles of photography and all so beautifully captured. The spider, which at first glance, is almost unnoticeable in ‘Hidden Lynx’ – you can imagine the surprise of the bumblebee as he met his end. The detail in the gull, and how at first glance the parasites appear to be feather markings. The delicate lighting and dancing nature of the image of the recently discovered ‘Fairy of the Forest’. These are worthy winners.”
The winning images from this year’s competition can be view in a immersive virtual exhibition.
28 Oct 2021
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