More examples of the best recent work by British bird-photographers

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1 More examples of the best recent work by British bird-photographers Plates This is the eleventh annual selection of the best contemporary work by British bird-photographers. Six of the species and three of the photographers are new to the series which has therefore now included 150 photographs of 104 species by 59 people. We think that this latest selection, from a short-list of nearly a hundred prints, comes well up to the standard we set out to achieve. There has been a welcome recent trend towards photography away from the nest, mainly brought about by the development of the 35 mm camera and telephoto lenses. Before these were available it was very difficult to get sufficiently close to a bird except at the nest or at bait. In the current selection no less than nine of the 14 photographs were taken away from the nest. We hope that this trend will continue because most British and numerous European breeding species have been photographed incubating eggs or feeding young, many of them so often that there is an inevitable sameness about the results. On the other hand, an enormous harvest waits to be gathered in the fields of display and behaviour. We are always pleased to welcome new names. D. N. Dalton has been a keen photographer for many years and his Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur (plate 18 a) makes it surprising that his work has not been included before. On die other hand, Dr D. L. Urry is a comparative newcomer, and few had heard of him and his wife until they took first and second prize respectively in the 'Birds in Flight' competition organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and their pictures were subsequently shown at the 'Flying Free' exhibition arranged by Kodak Limited and the R.S.P.B. at Kodak House, London, in April 1969; they have both specialised on birds in flight and we have selected Dr Urry's flock of Starlings Sturnus vulgaris (plate 20a) as the most unusual. The third new photographer is Peter John Markey, whose charming photograph of Litde Terns Sterna albifrons (plate 22b) was, however, taken as long ago as i960 (whereas all the rest relate to ); it is also the first time that this species has featured in the series. Incidentally, had Mr Markey photographed this nest in the last diree years, he would have had first to obtain approval from the Nature Conservancy, for this is a species on Schedule 1 of the Protection of Birds Act We take this opportunity of reminding photographers that, before attempting to photograph any Schedule 1 bird at or near the nest, they are required by law to apply to the Nature Conservancy, 19 Belgrave Square, London SWi. Of the other five species (apart from the Little Tern) appearing in

2 112 Recent work by British bird-photographers in this selection for the first time, it is appropriate that one should be a Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea to represent the unprecedented numbers in autumn 1969 (Brit. Birds, 62: ): J. A. W. Jones took his picture (plate 23a) on the site of the new Jumbo Jet runway at Heathrow Airport. Brent Geese Branta bernicla have also been in the news in connection with the siting of London's third airport, though the photograph by Harold Hems (plate 20b) was taken not near Foulness but at Wells, Norfolk. Another delightful wildfowl study is Dr Pamela Harrison's picture of a female Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica and ducklings (plate 18b) in Iceland, the only country in Europe where this otherwise American duck breeds. It has never been recorded in Britain and the Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica is but a rare vagrant here; the latter nests commonly in Portugal, however, where Dr R. G. Carlson obtained his photograph of a male (plate 17a). Turning from the rare to the more common, it seems surprising that the Little Owl Athene noctua has not previously appeared in the series, considering how many times this species has been photographed in Britain, but we think that Harold E. Grenfell's study with wings raised (plate 19) is as good as any we have seen. We like H. McSweeney's photograph of a Merlin Falco columbarius at its nest in a tree (plate 16) because it illustrates better than most the down-clad young and the effect of height above the ground. F. V. Blackburn's Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia (plate 17b) shows the bird in an interesting aggressive posture. Two studies of black-and-white coastal birds, both masterpieces in their own way, are Sidney J. Clarke's Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus (plate 21a) and Arthur Gilpin's group of Black Guillemots Cepphus grylle in summer plumage (plate 21b). Brian and Sheila Bottomley produce so many unusual and outstanding photographs of birds seldom featured away from the nest that we hope in the next year or two to publish another series by them alone (cf. Brit. Birds, 61: plates 63-74); meanwhile, we have chosen their adult Little Gull Larus minutus in winter plumage (plate 22a) because we have never seen a better one of this species in flight. Finally, R. J. C. Blewitt has in recent years produced some exceptionally fine photographs of waders, one of the best of which is his Ruff 'Philomachuspugnax with a morsel of food (plate 23b). We are immensely grateful to all who submitted prints this time and hope that those whose photographs were not chosen will understand that we have only eight plates available. Once again, too, we are particularly indebted to the Zoological Photographic Society, the Nature Photographic Society and the Nature Photographers' Portfolio for helping us to make the selection as wide-ranging as possible. We appeal to all bird-photographers who take pictures in black-and-white to let us see their best results. Prints for next year's selection should reach us by 12th February ERIC HOSKING

3 PLATE 16. Merlin Falco columbarius at nest, Breconshire, June 1968 (H. McSweeney) (pages )

4 PLATE 17. Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica, Portugal, June 1969 (R. G. Carlson) Below, Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia, Surrey, June 1969 {Frank V. Blackburn)

5 PLATE 18. Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur, Shropshire, June 1969 (D. N. Dalton). Below, family of Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica, Iceland, July 1966 {Pamela Harrison)

6 PLATES 19 and 20. Below, Little Owl Athene noctua, Glamorgan, June 1969 (Harold E. Grenfell). Upper right, Starlings Sturnus vulgaris, Hertford, January 1968 (D. L. Urry). Lower right, Brent Geese Branta bernicla, Norfolk, January 1969 (H. A. Hems)

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8 PLATE 21. Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, Ayrshire, May 1969 {Sidney J. Clarke) Below, group of Black Guillemots Ceppbus grylle, Orkney, May 1969 (Arthur Gilpin)

9 PLATE 22. Winter adult Little Gull Larus minutus, Cornwall, March 1969 (/. B. and S. Bottomley). Below, Little Terns Sterna albifrons, Cumberland, June i960 (P. /. Markey)

10 PLATE 23. Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea, Middlesex, September 1969 (/. A.. W. Jones). Below, Ruff Philomachus pugnax, Norfolk, September 1969 (R. /. C. Ulewitt)