British wildlife photos highly commended

Pictures including Macaque moment by Londoner Ian Nelson and The dark hedges by Bob McCallion from County Antrim have been highly commended in this year's Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

With a history spanning more than 40 years, Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious, innovative photographic contest of its kind.

It took the judges three months to deliberate over 32,000 entries from 78 countries. Fourteen British photographers had their pictures highly commended as some of the best in this year's competition.

Debbie Sage, Competition Manager said, 'This has been the competition's most successful year and these pictures are a preview of the high standard of entries.'

Macaque moment image

Ian Nelson was able to get very close to the star of his picture while sat in the hot volcanic springs in Jigokudani National Park, Honshu, Japan.

Ian said, 'I was fascinated by the facial expressions and mannerisms of this macaque.'

'Its detailed examination of its hands made me wonder what was going through it's mind - was it perplexed as to why its finger tips were all wrinkled, just like ours when we spend too long in the bath, or wondering why it had fingerprints at all?'

'It came across as so human.'

Amber thrush image

Nesting in traffic lights on a busy junction in Glasgow, Scotland, the mistle thrushes in Andrew Walmsley's winning picture weren't in the least bit distributed by the photographer.

It took several hours for Andrew to get his shot of one of the birds silhouetted by the lights.

Andrew said, 'I am always amazed by the many ways in which nature is able to adapt to human civilisation, no matter how alien we make their environment.'

'Even within the busiest cities wildlife is able to find a home and raise a family, sometimes in the most unlikely locations.'

Highly commended images

• Fish round-up by Alec Connah
• Dawn meadow by Welsh photographer Rupert Heath
• Last of the albatrosses by Andy Rouse from Wiltshire
• Frog refuge by Ines Labunski Roberts
• Big fish, little fish by Len Deeley from Surrey
• A meal of worm by David Maitland from Wiltshire
• Red-lips by Patrick Weir
• The dark hedges by Bob McCallion from County Antrim
• Swallow in the frame by Devon photographer Stephen Powles
• Lone shark by Alexander Mustard from Southampton
• Encounter by Scottish photographer Anna Henly
• Head in the clouds by Adam Butler from Kent
• Whooper repose by Sam Rowley from Surrey
• The emergence by young photographer Tom Steele from Cheshire
• Macaque moment by Ian Nelson from London
• Amber thrush by Andrew Walmsley from Cumbria

Winning image and exhibition

The overall winning image will be announced and displayed, along with more than 100 others, at the annual exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, opening on Friday 26 October 2007. Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year will tour around the UK and internationally after its London debut.

BBC Wildlife Magazine

All prize-winning pictures will feature in a special souvenir supplement with the November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine, available from 25 October. The winning images will also be published in a commemorative book by the BBC, Portfolio 17.

Wild photo event

Winners past and present will be speaking at WildPhotos, a two-day wildlife photography event organised by Wildscreen in association with Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year, at the Royal Geographical Society in London, England, on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 October 2007.

Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year is owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine, and sponsored by Shell.