On the Dyfi Osprey Facebook page over the weekend we ran a Bird Photographic Competition between June 14th &15th. Here are 12 of the best..

WOW - Never thought that the quality of the images sent in would be so phenomenal! Over 200 people emailed their best bird/s image and it's been a nightmare trying to sort out a winner. So, here's a baker's dozen of the very best photographs including the overall winner who receives a Ceulan mug through the post.

1. Winner

Caroline Wilkinson - In January this year Caroline went on a boat trip to Swakopmund in Namibia and the crew were throwing fish to passing white pelicans.

Timing is everything with this image. Caroline chose a small aperture, f/13, to get everything in focus and a fast shutter speed, 1/1000, to stop the action as the fish was half way between the man's hand and the pelican's enormous food pouch. A wide-angle 28mm lens made sure she caught all of the action too.

White pelicans breed from southeastern Europe through Asia, and in Africa in swamps and shallow lakes. They have twice the wingspan of an osprey - the largest birds measuring 12 feet from wing tip to wing tip!

Brilliant capture Caroline - Congratulations. Ceulan mug on its way to you.

2. Highly Commended

Andy Garland from Leicestershire, taken in Loughborough last December. Andy was one of many in the UK that took advantage of the  waxwing 'irruption' that occurred last winter and captured this great image in lovely light.

The waxwings that we see in the UK breed in northern Scandinavia and Russia. We see them in numbers in the UK when the berries that they eat are in short demand in the winter months back home.

3. Highly Commended

Mike Hayward from mid Wales. Mike has got everything right with this photo; light, posture, focus. BIFs (birds in flight) represent some of the hardest challenges to a bird photographer, even with modern day auto-focus systems. Absolutely stunning image Mike - well done.

The red kite is the conservation story in Wales over the last century. Persecuted throughout the UK to near extinction with just a few individual birds hanging on for dear life in remote Welsh valleys, they have recently passed the 1,000 breeding pairs mark in Wales and are common in many parts of the UK now. (And he won't like me saying this but I will - Mike, along with many, many others, has been working tirelessly and voluntarily for many years with red kites in Wales and is a big part of their success story.) More about The Welsh Kite Trust

4. Highly Commended

Mike Powney from Epsom, Surrey. A stunning blue tit image from Mike and again, timing is the key here. Press that shutter button too late and the bird's gone; too early and the wings aren't up. Clever use of fill-in flash has also brought out the stunning colours of the tiny titmouse. Excellent image Mike.

The blue tit is a common breeder throughout Europe and has taken very well to bird tables and artificial nest boxes. We've had a live blue tit nest on one of our live screens in the DOP visitor centre over the last few weeks and yesterday all the chicks fledged. All eight of them in less than an hour!

Tits are called 'chickadees' in America. Very wise!

5. Highly Commended

Karen Palmer - Brisbane, Australia. Another little yellow bird but from the other side of the world this time. In Karen's own words..

"I don't know if it's my best bird photo, but I wanted to share this one of a nesting bird in tribute to Glesni and Monty's marathon efforts in protecting their eggs. This is an Eastern Yellow Robin captured at O'Reilly's Rainforest in the mountains of southeast Queensland. Normally I would never attempt photography of a nesting bird for fear of disturbing it, but this cheeky little bird, much like your own red Robin in temperament, was clearly not bothered by passing traffic.  The nest had been constructed only 3 feet from a busy boardwalk so I took my quick snap and left them to it."

Nothing wrong with nest photography Karen so long as you do everything right as a photographer and you certainly have. Lovely photo with gorgrous 'bokeh' (the out-of-focus background bits). Well done.

6. Highly Commended

Chris Townsend, Welshpool, Wales. On a recent holiday in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, Chris took this BIF image of a pair of spotted sandgrouse. These birds breed in hot areas all the way from the western countries of north Africa across to India.

The spotted sandgrouse is around a foot tall and take flight very quickly being very skittish and therefore difficult to photograph in flight. Brilliant image Chris.

7. Highly Commended

Chloe from the UK. Taken on a boat on Loch na Keal, Isle of Mull in May, 2011. Chloe has captured one of those iconic images that almost every wildlife photographer aspires to take. One of the largest eagles in the world, fish in talon, being mobbed by two herring gulls (that look tiny for a change!)

The white tailed sea eagle had been persecuted to extinction in the UK by the early 20th century (sound familiar?). Thankfully in other countries they hadn't and in the 1970s, Roy Dennis (yes - that Roy!) and others oversaw a translocation project of young eagles from Norway to Scotland. We now have around 50 pairs breeding in Scotland.

On your list of '10 things to do before I die' - seeing one of these birds has to be one of them. You'll never forget it. Thanks Chloe - stunning.

8. Highly Commended

Hefin Roberts from Llangefni, Anglesey. Another nest image, this time of a triplet of ravens. Hefin took this image from the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path near Bull Bay Cliffs. Excellent image Hefin - just look at those blue eyes! Arbennig - diolch Hefin.

The raven is the largest of the crow family and can live for over 20 years and weigh well over a kilogram - almost as much as an osprey! According to the Bible, the raven was the first animal to be released from Noah's Ark..

"So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground." Genesis 8:6–8

Hope he sent the osprey soon after before the water dried up.

9. Highly Commended

Rose Ravenscroft from Freiston Shore, Boston, Lincolnshire. Rose said "The photo is of two fledgling swallows and their parent. It was taken on 15th July 2011. The fledglings had been nesting in our garage and had just left the nest."

Wonderful image Rose - it's tricky photographing fast birds like the swallow in flight and the fact that you have caught the adult mid-way between its two offspring adds to the drama. Well done.

Swallows are brilliant migratory birds that have adapted to hunting insects on the wing by developing a slender, streamlined body and long pointed wings. These adaptations allow great maneuverability and endurance, as well as frequent periods of gliding. The swallow's body shape allows for very efficient flight, which 'costs' 50–75% less for swallows than equivalent birds of the same size.

10. Highly Commended

Gary Jones from the Wirral. Gary took this fabulous image of a puffin on a recent trip to Skomer Island. This image is all about light.

A fast aperture to just keep the eyes in focus has meant that the background has completely blackened out giving the image a perfect sense of depth and composition. A brilliant image in perfect light - well done Gary.

If you have never seen a puffin, you should. They will make you smile - promise. Their young, 'pufflings' (has to be said in a Welsh accent) will make you laugh. Skomer Island is situated off the Pembrokeshire coast and is a truly magical place run by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. You can visit Skomer Island with the Wildlife Trust and take your own photos of these comical auks - see here.

11. Highly Commended

Jo Cheetham from Bolton, Lancashire. On a recent visit to Loch Garten Jo took this fantastic photo of a crested tit. Using a fast aperture, the background is rendered completely out of focus resulting in a wonderful grey-black canvas. This is an editor's dream image as Jo has left plenty of space above the bird to put a title in. The bird's head in a perfect photographic position and the lichen-covered twig add to the composition. Incredible image Jo - you should sell that!

The crested tit is widespread throughout Europe but in the UK it is confined to Scotland only. It is mainly restricted to the ancient pinewoods of Inverness and Strathspey and seldom strays far from these areas.

12. Highly Commended

Paul Leafe from mid Wales.  Another stunning image of a red kite. Paul is the county bird recorder for Montgomeryshire and in his own words, "This is my favorite from the year so far, taken at gigrin farm during one of the many snow showers in spring!!"

Gigrin Farm is a feeding and rehabilitation centre for red kites in mid Wales and has played a big part in the successful re-colonisation of the kite over the last 20 years. Snow can cause havoc when trying to focus a lens on a bird but Paul has nailed this one - superb image Paul.

Many congratulations and thanks to the 12 guys that sent the above photographs in. The quality of the 12 images is breathtaking.

Digital cameras have revolutionised wildlife watching and learning over the last decade, and as the cost of photographic equipment has come down in real terms over the last few years, more and more people are engaging with wildlife like never before. I bet you know at least one person that had no interest in birds 10 years ago but now thinks he is the next Andy Rouse? Maybe it's you..

But please remember, the best photographers are the ones that understand animals and their behaviour and respect them. Please be patient and don't get too close, you will be rewarded in the end with some patience. (And thwacking bushes with sticks trying to find eggs and nests of ground nesting is NOT a good idea.)

~~~~~

No baker's dozen of images would be complete without a 13th photo would it?

13. Highly Commended

Chris from Welshpool (our very own DOP volunteer, aka Papa Smurf).

In Papa's own words.. "Water Rail - honestly - taken just before last Christmas through my kitchen window, early morning, poor light, raining, Canon Ixus 117HS camera, me bleary eyed and making the morning reviving cuppa. (Location - near Welshpool)
It's not a stunning photo, but it is proof to all those gainsayers that said I was making it all up about the water rail.  Walter, as we christened him, stayed all through the winter and was a regular visitor and a joy to behold as I waited for the kettle to boil."

Well done Chris. A photograph is special to all of us because we took it. It has a special meaning to us that nobody else understands. You don't need fancy cameras or expensive lenses or be a member of some elitist club to enjoy and photograph wildlife. Whether you are the next Andy Rouse or the next Andy Pandy, it doesn't matter.  

There are no winners or losers really; after all, how many of us can honestly say we have ever taken a picture of a water rail?

Congratulations to all 214 people who took the time to send in their bird images. You are all winners.