RSPB Photo competition winners to stay at The Secret Campsite

The RSPB announced the winner of their photography competition and the prize is a camping trip to The Secret Campsite where we look forward to meeting them all and seeing what images they can capture of the wildlife that we have around the campsite. There were over 70 entries.

There were four categories in the competition, Landscapes, Wildlife, Urban Wildlife and Families Enjoying the South Downs.

The competition, which was launched in October and ran until 28 February, aimed to celebrate the landscape of the South Downs with its range of habitats, stunning views and abundant wildlife.

Chris Mole, winner in the landscapes section, took an atmospheric shot of the fields above Plumpton and Neil Hulme was first in the wildlife section with a beautifully detailed shot of a Duke of Burgundy butterfly at North Marden.

Mark Jones’s shot of a fox and a dog meeting at Tilmore Brook was first in the urban wildlife category, and Rebecca Berry won the Families Enjoying the South Downs section with a picture of a youngster jumping against a background of colourful hang gliders. I’d love to post all of the winning pictures but sadly i can’t seem to re size them to fit the web site

The winners were presented with their prizes on Saturday 22 March at the RSPB’s Pulborough Brooks nature reserve. The public will be able to view the images in the reserves tea room from Sunday 23 March onwards.

Here is a full list of the three winners in each section:

Landscapes:

1^st place: Rape Fields above Plumpton by Chris Mole

2^nd place: First Light, Chanctonbury Ring by Martin Birchall

3^rd place: Deep and Crisp and Even by Sue Povey

Wildlife:

1^st place: Duke of Burgundy Butterfly at North Marden by Neil Hulme

2^nd place: Brimstone at Kithurst Hill by Julie Redford

3^rd place: Mating Chalkhill Blue Butterflies, Cissbury Ring by Kenneth Turner

Urban Wildlife:

1^st place: Fox Encounter, Tilmore Brook, Petersfield by Mark Jones

2^nd place: Wheel of Life by Rich Howorth

3^rd place: Treecreeper in Petersfield Garden by Judith Jones

Families Enjoying the South Downs:

1^st place: The Leap! by Rebecca Berry

2^nd place: Running on the Downs by Chris Mole

3^rd place: South Downs Way – descending from Beacon Hill near Harting Down by Mark Jones