Young RSPCA

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Beak-to-beak
Description: A recently fledged coot chick swims up to its parent to take food. I took this picture to show the connection between the adult bird and its offspring - a tender moment in the hectic and often aggressive life of a coot!

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Young one
Description: A recently hatched coot chick swims around near its nest. Opting for a close-up image, I was able to focus on the wiry orange feathers of this young coot.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Reflection
Description: Taken in bright winter sunlight this coot swam on the edge of a shadow caused by a bridge over the lake. The shadow created the dark background while the sunlight lit up the bird.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Dancing on ice
Description: After preening, the coot shakes its wings off while standing on the frozen lake. The position of the wings makes it look almost as though the bird were dancing.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Sunset
Description: A coot at sunset. The low sunlight reflecting off the water highlights the detail in the coot's bill.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Stem
Description: Crouched close to the ground, I was struck by the strong vertical lines made by these grass stems against the sky. I wanted to capture a simple image showing a soldier beetle navigating its way through this vertical landscape.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Lone crow
Description: I'd been eyeing up the beautiful shapes of this tree for a while, but I hadn't been able to find a good focal point for a photo. This crow perched at the tip of one of the branches made a beautiful silhouette and provided the perfect subject among the maze of branches.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Roosting frenzy
Description: This photo was taken at Aberystwyth pier as the starlings were coming back to roost. I used a slow shutter speed to capture the chaotic movement of the birds as they tried to find a place to land.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Take off
Description: After spotting a small group of starlings perched on some overhead wires, I just had time to take this photo before they flew off. I like the dynamic curves of the starlings' wings against the straight uncompromising lines of the wires.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Diagonals
Description: I spent some time trying to frame these pigeons within the harsh man-made forms of the pier. I like the way the angle of one of the pigeon's heads echoes the diagonals running through the photo.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Herring gull
Description: In seaside towns and cities around Britain herring gulls are thriving. Here, one prepares to sweep to grab a morsel of food from the roof of a car.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Cormorant
Description: Unseen by most passers-by, a majestic cormorant sit on a rusting metal post above the Thames to a backdrop of a skyscraper and a London bus. I feel the components of this image help tell the story of the urban jungle in which this bird lives.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Red fox
Description: A red fox vixen scavenges for food around bins in an urban London park.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Moorhen
Description: A moorhen creeps through a tree at the edge of a lake in an urban park silhouetted by the streetlights behind.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Jay
Description: Once a shy woodland bird, in recent years the jay has become more abundant in urban areas and is increasingly tolerant of humans.