A stunning urban shot of a heron peering behind bars has won the 2019 British Wildlife Photography Awards.
With the morning light shining on its face as it gazes through a metal mesh, the bird appears to be behind bars.
Daniel Trim, from Hitchin in Hertfordshire, won the overall prize of £5,000 for the incredible picture of a grey heron hunting in the cover of a bridge in London.
Prizes were awarded in 14 categories, including ones that focus on the coasts and close-up images of the natural world.
The winning images featured a single bluebell among greenery and Narnia-like woods covered in snow, an action shot of a swift skimming water and portraits of fish, spiders and butterflies.
To mark the 10th year of the competition, the coast and marine category included four separate UK coastline categories: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and the Coast of Ireland.
Ollie Teasdale, 10, from Caernarfon, Wales, won the under-12 age group for a black and white image of a razorbill on a rock taken on Skokholm Island, Pembrokeshire.
The 12-18 age group was won by Jacob Guy, 18, from Torquay in Devon, for a photo of a spiny starfish taken in Falmouth, Cornwall.
An exhibition of winning and commended entries will go on tour from Tuesday in London and a book will feature the best images.
Conservationist and presenter Mark Carwardine said: ‘Who needs penguins or polar bears when we have puffins and badgers?
‘With so many photographers scouring the globe for exotic megafauna, it’s easy to forget how much wildlife we have in our own small and densely populated backyard.’
He the competition would inspire people to get involved and help protect wildlife, adding it really does ‘need all the help we can get’.
