Image of bird at Newbiggin wins photo award

Posted by The Journal on Dec 20, 08 03:36 PM in News

Watching birds, like most pastimes, has its highs.

But there are times when the pendulum swings in the opposite direction.

Ian Fisher's photo of a yawning dotterel

Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club member Ian Fisher sat for two hours observing a dotterel on a golf course at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

Camera at the ready, he waited for an action shot.

"But it didn't do anything. It just sat there. I was freezing and saying ' hurry up and do something,'" said Ian.

"Eventually, it yawned, and I got a shot of it yawning. I was probably boring it."

The image was one of four studies which won Ian the best portfolio award in a photographic contest to mark the club's 50th birthday.

Ian, who works at Newcastle Airport and lives at Four Lane Ends in Longbenton, also won the Birds in Art category with his image of black-necked grebes in Northumberland.

And his study of a lesser grey shrike landed him the award in the Rarities section and was the "people's choice" at an anniversary conference held by the club at Newcastle Civic Centre.

Ian pictured the shrike at Long Nanny sand dunes between Beadnell and Newton in Northumberland. It is a bird which is normally found in south east Europe and Greece.

"It must have had a tail wind and overshot," said Ian. It was only the ninth time the bird has been seen in the county.

The competition's Flight category was won by Peter Tapsell with his picture of an arctic tern, while the Open section was taken by Roger Forster's image of a red-breasted merganser.

Steve Barrett's shot of moorhens won the Bird Behaviour category and was also voted best overall image.

The claim of Northumberland to be one of Britain's best birdwatching counties was pushed at an event which drew more than 20,000 visitors.

A consortium of the Northumberland Coast and North Pennines AONB partnerships, Northumberland National Park, Northumberland Tourism and Northern Experience Wildlife Tours funded the Birdwatching Northumberland stand at the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water in Leicestershire.

Consortium spokesman Tom Cadwallender said: "People at the fair were looking for the top birding destinations and we want to make sure Northumberland is recognised as one such place."

We'd like to hear from you.
Send your stories, pics and videos to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk