Heartwarming nature pictures in West Sussex
A heartwarming picture with references to Rudyard Kipling and showing the fatherly love of a Little Owl is the winner of the South Downs National Park’s Annual Photo Competition.
“Little Owl Chick and Dad”, by David Jeffery, took the top spot in the popular photography contest, which attracted over 500 entries this year.
With a competition theme of “Near and Far”, the judging panel agreed the image was extraordinary and thought-provoking. Taken in Edburton in West Sussex, the photo shows a male Little Owl preening his young next to a weather vane showing west to east and spelling ‘we’.
Photographer David, who lives in Portslade, East Sussex and picks up a £250 prize, said: “I'm proud of the photographs I take but getting recognition is always a special moment.
"I always love seeing natural behaviour when out photographing wildlife, but to see dad and his chick being so comfortable with my presence was especially rewarding. I've spent a lot of time over the past few years with this pair of little owls, but never had much luck photographing any chicks, so it was exciting to finally get some shots I'm happy with.”
The runner-up prize went to “Hello World”, by Carl Gough, Littlehampton, West Sussex which captures two juvenile kestrels taking their first look at the world before fledging from their hollowed tree nesting site.
Meanwhile, the competition also included a separate category for best image taken with a mobile phone – with first place going to a dramatic photograph of a swan beating its wings on a frosty morning at Petersfield Heath.
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