The winners of a photography competition, to celebrate the Isle of May’s 60th anniversary as a national nature reserve last year, have been announced by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
A stunning picture of one of the island’s most numerous birds, an Artic tern, taken by Mario Suárez Porras of Spain, won first prize.
Lorne Gill, SNH’s photographer, led the judging panel. He said: “We chose Mario’s winning image because it’s a beautiful photo that captures the essence of the seabirds on the Isle of May NNR.
“Arctic terns fly thousands of miles from the southern oceans to breed here in the Firth of Forth. They are the first birds that visitors encounter as they arrive on the island, usually mobbing them as they make their way towards the visitor centre, giving the impression that they are boisterous birds.
“It was lovely to see Mario’s image of a serene-looking tern resting amongst the sea campion – a bird at one with its world. Mario’s carefully composed image, taken in lovely soft light, with a blurred foreground of white flowers and clean background, achieved through his choice of a ground’s eye view, created our winning image.”
Keir Skilling’s photo in the 12 to 15 age group.
Runners-up were Neil Grant from Balerno, Edinburgh, with his atmospheric image of the island during a storm, and Jens Cullman, of Germany, who took a beautifully composed picture of a puffin coming into land.
Special 60th anniversary of island
David Steel, SNH’s manager on the island, said: “Last year, we marked 60 years since the island became a national nature reserve. The photography competition was a great way to celebrate the island’s landscape and wildlife – and to encourage people to come and enjoy some of Scotland’s best-known wildlife close-up. We were thrilled to receive nearly 70 entries.”
The photo taken by Luke Hollis (8 to 11 winner).
The winner of the 8-to-11 age group was Luke Hollis from Glasgow who took a panoramic view of the island, with Keir Skilling from Dumfries winning the 12-to-15 age group with his beautifully simple image of the main lighthouse in silhouette.
Mario’s prize is a two-day stay on the island this summer. The runners-up and the younger winners each receive a VIP day trip to the island.
The winning photos and 10 other highly commended ones will be on display in the Main Lighthouse on the island this summer, with a further exhibition planned at SNH’s Battleby Conference Centre near Perth.
Visiting the Isle of May
It’s free to visit the nature reserve, but you must take a boat trip to reach the island. The island is open to visitors from spring to early autumn. Sailings are on the privately-run May Princess or Osprey of Anstruther from the Anstruther Harbour or via the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick.