This year it was decided rather than have a photo. comp. with the object of picking a dozen to put in a calendar for the following year, it would be a straightforward first, second and third competition. The main reason to change the format was the rising cost of producing the calendar for 2018 and the relatively low return achieved for the 2017 calendars, through sales to the membership. In a nutshell, the maths didn't stack up.
We are still exploring the viability of Medway group Christmas cards, however.
So the Judges were:- celebrated RSPB personality and author, Adrian Thomas, local wildlife photographer Jodie Randall. The lineup was completed by the organiser and local group member, David Saunders.
In the event, we couldn't all get around the table together for a few hours, so we did it via technology.
So to the results, of the forty submitted for Birds on Reserves, three were selected:- in third place, BABY OWL by Richard Hanman, in second place, SWIMMING WATER RAIL by Selwyn Dennis and the winner is SNIPE, by Elizabeth Mann, who also won a copy of the RSPB's guide to digital photography.
These are the winning entries:-
The North Kent Marshes are a very special area and worth preserving at all cost.