BWC Photo Comp 2014: "Animal Portrait" Shortlist

Just before the turn of the new year, we announce the final shortlist for our 2014 BWC Photographic Competition. As before, we have left the "Animal Portrait" category till last. This has always been the most popular/entered category, and this year was no different! A lot of fantastic photographs were seen, and below is our final ten for David Lloyd to look at.

Professional Wildlife Photographer David Llyod runs workshops here at the BWC, but is perhaps better known for his African wildlife photographs and inspiring black and whites. He currently has a book out "As long as there are animals" check it out if you can... I highly recommend it!

David will be selecting his favourites to win each category. Head over to his website, linked in his name above, to see some amazing wildlife photography, but only after you have seen the photos below :-) 

BWC Photo Comp "ANIMAL PORTRAIT" Shortlist

Eagle owl - Darren Hitch

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Hogshead - Gary Manktelow

I've got my eye on you - Helen Hooker

Horse's eye - Irene Ford

Stoat - Paul Neville

Barn owl - Peter Karry 

Hedgehog - Rose Atkinson

The inquisitive Mr Fox - Tim Clifton

Otter beauty - Zena Saunders

Good luck to all the above, winners to be announced some time in the new year!

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas to you all from the British Wildlife Centre... Thank you for all your support over the year for the blog and the work we do at the BWC.

Lots coming up over the turn of the year, and early in to 2015... the last photographic category shortlist to be announced, highland cows moving to the reserve, the new pine martens being put on display and something not directly related to the BWC and what we do, but something many of you may wish to follow being keen photographers... more news on that and everything else as the time comes.

Have a good Christmas everyone, and don't forget we are open from the 27th of December for a  week if you wish to come and get away from the family for a bit, or walk off your Christmas dinner!

BWC Photo Comp 2014 "Animals in their Habitat" Shortlist

Another Monday = another shortlist, and today we share with you the final ten for the "Animals in their Habitat" category. The habitat and portrait categories have always been the most entered, with the most variety, and this year has been no different. Below are the shortlisted photos. 

This year Professional Wildlife Photographer David Llyod will be selecting his favourites to win each category. Head over to his website, linked in his name, to see some amazing wildlife photography, but only after you have seen the photos below :-) 

David runs workshops here at the BWC, but is perhaps better known for his African wildlife photographs and inspiring black and whites. He currently has a book out "As long as there are animals" check it out if you can!

BWC Photo Comp "ANIMALS IN THIER HABITAT" Shortlist

Water vole - Andrew McConkey

Fox - Joanne Iredale

Stoat - Bob Matthews

Who's swimming in my pool - Eric Chipping

Fox sleeping - Ian Hull

Now where was that food - Philip Pound

Oh what big ears you have - Sean Weekly

2 Harvest Mice - Shane Stanbridge

Waiting - Sue MacCallum-Stewart

At home with a Muntjac - Zena Saunders

Good luck to all the above, next week it's the final category... portraits!

New Arrivals

We have had a few new arrivals over the past couple of weeks, and I have been um-ing and ah-ing over which ones to announce to you first, but then thought "sod it", I will mention both... then give both of them there own blog post when they are moved on display!

So firstly, last weekend we welcomed three highland cows to the Centre. From left to right in the photo above, Duncan, Malcom and Donalbain.

Why do we have highland cows?.. To manage the nature reserve of course. Think conservation grazing. More about this when we move them out to the reserve, but for now you may get a sneaky glimpse of them from the bridge leading over to the wetland boardwalk. They currently spend the day in the small area of the deer paddock behind our second fox enclosure.

A couple of weeks a go now a new pine marten arrived to the Centre, having been bred earlier this year at the New Forest Wildlife Park. He is in the photo above. We have been very successful in the past in paring up our pine martens, but have still yet to breed them here... the last mammal for us to successfully breed! This as led us to think that possibly our pairs are not compatible, and so new arrivals to spice things up may be the answer.

So we also welcomed this beauty above, a female pine marten which we collected from Wildwood Trust a couple of days a go. Isn't she gorgeous! They are both this years kits so will not be old enough to breed next year, but hopefully in the future we can pair these two up with our others and get things moving here.

Currently neither of these pine martens are on display, but hopefully will be by the new year. Of course I will let you know when they are. One of them will be moving to the pen next to the badger sett and opposite the wildcats, which was originally built for pine martens 5 years ago but ironically has never housed one!

Bwc Photo Comp 2014 Shortlist "Animals in motion"

Monday equals another shortlist to be announced, and we are now getting to the three categories which are always most entered every year. Motion, habitat and portrait! Today sees the ten shortlisted photos for "Animals in motion"

This year Professional Wildlife Photographer David Llyod will be selecting his favourites to win each category. Head over to his website, linked in his name, to see some amazing wildlife photography, but only after you have seen the photos below :-) 

David runs workshops here at the BWC, but is perhaps better known for his African wildlife photographs and inspiring black and whites. He currently has a book out "As long as there are animals" check it out if you can!

So here it is...

BWC Photo Comp Shortlist "ANIMALS IN MOTION"

Barn owl - Bob Matthews

The rut begins - Bobs Photography

Red Squirrel - Clair Wright

Otter - David Nunn

Open wide - Gary Manktelow

Wildcats - Joyce Flower

Otters playing - Peter Karry

Flo Running - Thomas Gentle

Owl - Tim Dawes

Flo - Zena Saunders

As always, remember you can click on the photographs themselves to bring them up slightly larger for you to view.

A few new arrivals to the Centre being announced over the next two weeks, and of course the next competition shortlist will be out next Monday!

Good luck!

BWC Photo Comp 2014 "ANIMALS AND THEIR KEEPERS" Shortlist

Another Monday, another shortlist, and for those who have followed the competition over the last few years you will know it is the turn of... Animals and their Keepers! This is always one of our favourite categories. It is always nice to see photos of ourselves doing what we love the most, looking after our animals. 

This year Professional Wildlife Photographer David Llyod will be selecting his favourites to win each category. Check out his website, linked in his name, to see some amazing wildlife photography, David runs workshops here at the BWC, but is perhaps better known for his African wildlife photographs and inspiring black and whites. He currently has a book out "As long as there are animals" check it out if you can!

So here it is, straight on to the shortlisted ten...

BWC Photo Comp "ANIMALS AND THEIR KEEPERS" Shortlist

Barn Owl - Andrew Moss

Coochie coo - Dave Burden

Up close and personal - Mark McElligott

Foxy Lady - Moi Hicks

Hedgehog dreaming - Susan Tyrrell

Red squirrel - Tim Dawes

Red squirrel - Tim Dawes

Hedgehog - Walter De'Ath

No gloves, that's love - Zena Saunders

Red squirrel lady - Zena Saunders

I think you will agree, there are some great photos above! Looking forward to seeing what David Llyod picks as his favourite. Next Monday will bring the 4th shortlist for this year.

Good luck!

Wildcat Shift

As most of you now know, our three wildcat kittens where collected a couple of weeks a go to play a vital role in the conservation of the Scottish Wildcat. More news on that as and when I am able to tell you. This left our main enclosure we use for the talks empty.

As it happens, December and January are our two quiet months which allow us to go around and trim back trees etc and just give all the enclosures a bit of a Spring, or should that be Winter clean. So while doing this we decided to move Macavity, above, and Iona, below, back to one of the wildcat pens from their temporary home opposite.

This is back to where Iona has spent most of her life, and sure enough she has settled in as if she had never been away. For Macavity, it was his first time in our wildcat enclosure, but even he has settled quickly and already found a favourite spot on top of the new platform in the centre of the pen!

Look forward to these being used for the talk... Macavity is a bit of a snarler, so you never know you may see their real attitude come out!

So... this of course leaves the large enclosure next to the badger sett now vacant!?. Well, we are currently working on that pen by thinning out the branches, adding fresh bark chip and creating a new set up, but hopefully by next weekend our new resident will be out there exploring. News next week on who and what he is, but here is a clue...

... and if you can see what he is, you will know I am very... VERY... excited!

BWC Photo Comp 2014 "FAUNA FUN" Shortlist

OK, here it is... the second shortlist for our BWC 2014 Photographic competition. And this week we announce the final ten for our "Fauna Fun" category. This year Professional Wildlife Photographer David Llyod will be selecting his favourites to win each category. Check out his website, linked in his name, to see some amazing wildlife photography, David runs workshops here at the BWC, but is perhaps better known for his African wildlife photographs and inspiring black and whites. He currently has a book out "As long as there are animals" and I can highly recommend it!

Fauna fun has always been a "fun" one to look through the photos, and we had a good selection to chose from this year. Here is the shortlisted ten.

BWC Photo Comp "FAUNA FUN" Shortlist

Breakdancing squirrel - Adam Blackman

Give us a kiss - Paul Reader

I've got it, I've got it - Graham Racher

I'm no foxglove - Kevin Brown

Practicing for the Superbowl - Michael Vaughan

Tell me another one - Mike Crowle

Where's the soap - Steff Morris

Have you heard the one about an owl that goes into a pub? - Susan Tyrrell 

Help We're stuck - Tim Clifton

You talking to me? - Tim Dawes

As always, don't forget you can click on the photos to make them appear a little larger. The next shortlist will be shown next Monday, and will be for the "Animals and their Keepers" category. 

Good luck!