Congratulations to Andrea Hunt who has won the Irish Wildlife Trust “Photo of the Year”, Andrea from Mayo but now living in Dublin, works as a frontline healthcare worker in Bray & Arklow.
Speaking after her wonderful win Andrea said:
“The photo was taken in a patch of wildflowers along the Dargle River in Bray town –it’s a lovely oasis of colour and sounds during the Summer with birds, bees, butterflies to keep me company on my lunch breaks– a welcome break from the hustle bustle of the town.
I love this picture for how it shows the crashing of a determined little bee into the ragwort plantain and the resulting scattering of pollen from the plant. It’s extremely difficult to capture a bee in flight and I’d been practising for months to hone my skills to manage a shot like this.
I do love watching and photographing busy little bees – their fat bodies carried around by such delicate little wings and loaded down with pollen all over their bodies and their pollen baskets on their legs – all of these details are just fascinating to see in a close-up image. The world would be in big trouble if these lovely little pollinators were wiped out.
I’ve been photographing nature subjects for many years now – it’s a lovely way to get some time out from a busy world or a busy brain, I get great joy in watching & learning about the natural world around us & being able to capture & share such images with others is just wonderful.”
Also shortlisted was Wicklow man Conor O’Brien with his picture of a grey Heron taken at the River Vartry in Wicklow Town.
Visit the Irish Wildlife Trust website here
