Worcestershire’s wild photo winners

A majestic grey heron in full flight has won over the residents of Worcestershire in a public vote to choose the winner of a photo competition.

The image, taken by 17-year old Harry Moore of Pershore, will feature as the front cover of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust’s 2026 calendar. Crowned the overall winner, Harry’s image stood out amongst the many entries that were sent in from across the county.

Commenting on how he captured his winning image, Harry said “After a long day of hoping to spot a kingfisher - of course with very little luck - I was heading home when this heron suddenly rose out from the reeds and took flight away from me. Luckily, I was still holding my camera so I could capture the moment.”

12 winning images feature throughout the calendar that showcases some of Worcestershire’s amazing wildlife and wild places. The popular competition is run by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust each year and aims to encourage people to take a closer look at the wonders of the county’s natural world.

Wendy Carter, organiser of the Trust’s competition, said “A big thanks to everyone who entered their photographs for the calendar competition this year. It is always a pleasure to see the natural beauty of the county captured so well by so many of you and the standard of the images we received was truly exceptional.

“Congratulations to all winners and runners-up but particularly Harry Moore, whose skill in capturing this wonderful image of a heron in full flight reminds us not only how important it is for us to preserve the few spaces we have left for wildlife but also that it is young people like Harry who can help to inspire a new generation of naturalists that will continue to make nature’s voice heard.”

...it is young people like Harry who can help to inspire a new generation of naturalists that will continue to make nature’s voice heard.

Winners receive a copy of the charity’s fundraising calendar, which features a different winning image each month along with a selection from runners-up.

This year’s overall winner, Harry Moore, commented “At 17, I have only been taking photos for a short period of time but am pleased to have found a hobby that will be part of my life forever.

“I love taking photos, regardless of whether others like them, or even see them, but winning this competition is certainly a motivating force to get out and take even more images!”

All Trust staff are involved in the initial judging process to help produce a shortlist for the final judging panel to choose the winners from. The judges include professional wildlife photographer Pete Walkden (Pete Walkden Photography) and semi-professional wildlife photographer Jason Curtis (Wyre Wildlife).

Wendy added, “Producing this calendar each year is enjoyable for all of us here at the Trust and it is only made a success thanks to the talent of our local photographers. We’re also lucky to have the support of two external judges, Pete Walkden and Jason Curtis.

“Spending time observing wildlife can be both relaxing and inspiring and so we encourage people everywhere to take more time to really see the wildlife that lives around them. If you’ve ever fancied yourself as a photographer but never got round to trying it, give it a go! Even if you don’t manage to capture an award-winning photo, you won’t regret the time you spent appreciating the beauty of our natural world.”

If you’ve ever fancied yourself as a photographer but never got round to trying it, give it a go! Even if you don’t manage to capture an award-winning photo, you won’t regret the time you spent appreciating the beauty of our natural world.

The calendar costs £8.00 and is available to buy from the Trust’s online shop. All proceeds directly benefit the Trust’s work to protect Worcestershire’s wildlife and to create habitats on our nature reserves.

Photographs of all winning and runner-up photos can be seen on the Trust's Flickr page.

January – “Robin, wren and stonechats”, Croome D’Abitot by Paul R Lloyd

A robin, wren and two stonechats sitting on a wire fence in the frost - the two former birds are in focus, the latter two are out of focus

"Forget ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ this morning the Kinnersley to Croome D'Abitot walk was definitely ‘Birds in the Mist’ with the fog refusing to lift all morning, making photography a little challenging to say the least. Beautiful soft lighting on this quartet makes for a heart-warming scene. Robin, wren and Mr & Mrs Stonechat.”

February – “Mist through the Teme Valley” by Gill Smith

tops of trees are peeking above a lot of cloud - there is the hint of a light blue sky at the top of the image

"I opened the bedroom curtains one morning to see the valley below our house full of mist with the weak winter sun just catching the tips of the trees, I quickly grabbed my camera & captured this image.”

March – “The ant and the toad”, Wyre Forest by Rebecca Jones

A wood ant is standing on a toad, just above the toad's closed eye. The wood ant is black and red, the toad is a mottled brown

“Deep in the Wyre Forest I came across a common toad crossing the footpath. I took the opportunity to photograph this unusual daytime encounter, only realising afterwards the tiny wood ant passenger. Expect the unexpected on a photography field day, the original plan was to photograph butterflies.”

April – “Blue tit amongst blossom”, Dormston by Chris Farman

A blue tit sitting amongst blossom - the pink flowers almost making a frame around the green/blue and yellow bird

"2024 was very good for blossom on the purple Prunus tree in front of my kitchen window in Dormston. I kept the camera handy in case a bird sat in a suitable location. Eventually this blue tit obliged; a plain sky allowed the blossom and bird to stand out."

May – “Jackdaws nest building”, West Malvern by Rob Whybrow

Two jackdaws building a nest in an old sewer ventilation pipe - one bird is above the hole and is holding a twig. The background is green and it's a sunny day

“While on a dog walk up to Worcestershire Beacon, I passed one of the unusual features around West Malvern - an old sewer ventilation pipe repurposed as a weather vane. I noticed that a pair of jackdaws had decided this was an excellent spot to build a nest. Fortunately I had my camera to capture the moment!”

June – “Bumblebee”, Spetchley Gardens by Ric Harding

A black and yellow striped bumblebee taking off from an orange flower - the bee has pollen stuck to it and all legs have just lifted from the surface of the flower

"I saw several bees collecting pollen from a group of Mexican sunflowers during a visit to Spetchley Gardens but it took several return visits and numerous attempts to achieve a successful photograph of one of them at the exact moment when it lifted off from a flower.”

July – “Brown hairstreak”, Grafton Wood nature reserve by Duncan Locke

Brown hairstreak butterfly sitting on top of pink flowers of hemp agrimony on a sunny day

“I regularly visit Grafton Wood in August in the hope of photographing brown hairstreaks. This one was a real star! It was feeding on hemp agrimony near the south end of the wood and stayed long enough for a small group of photographers to take pictures of it.”

August – “Sunflower glow”, Hindlip by Anil Patel

“Golden hour is my favourite time of day. I found myself in the right place at the right time. After a spell of rain, a fiery sky emerged creating the ideal backdrop to this photo. I was standing in the right place at the right time to capture a beautiful golden hour glow on this sunflower.”

September – “Grey heron”, Avon Meadows Community Wetland, Pershore by Harry Moore

A grey heron flying past trees and autumn-coloured leaves - the heron is several shades of grey, with a white neck and long yellow bill. It looks like a sunny early evening.

“After a long day of hoping to spot a kingfisher - of course with very little luck - I was heading home when this heron suddenly rose out from the reeds and took flight away from me. Luckily, I was still holding my camera so I could capture the moment.”

October – “Barn owl”, Kinnersley by Paul R Lloyd

Barn owl flying towards the camera, it's dusk and there's a field in the background with a tall hedgerow in the far distance

“The golden hour! And I think I finally managed to do justice to one these beautiful birds. I had been fortunate to watch this barn owl quartering a friends field for about three weeks, trying to get the perfect pose and image.”

November – “Blackcap”, Stourport-on-Severn by Lesley Betts

A blackcap in a tree with red leaves leaning over to eat white/pink berries

“We are privileged to support a male and female blackcap during the winter months, attracted to our spindle berries and sorbus tree. I love how he is gazing at the delights that await him. Armed with camera and long lens, I was able to catch the intensity of his gaze.”

December – “Coot”, Kemerton Lake nature reserve by Stephen Merry

A coot is running towards the camera across ice, with the ice breaking as it goes. The late afternoon sunshine is catching the reeds in the distance, casting an orange glow along the top of the photo

“A coot struggled across Kemerton lake that was half-sealed by thin ice. Swimming proved futile, so it climbed onto the brittle surface. The ice cracked easily so it sprinted, half-flew its way across. Behind it, golden reeds glowed in the sunset, contrasting the cold dark ice with warmth and light.”

Photo competition