Zoologist Wins British Ecological Society’s Photo Competition

Posted on: 19 December 2014

Thomas Guillerme, Researcher in the Department of Zoology in Trinity College Dublin’s School of Natural Sciences, has won his division of the 2014 British Ecological Society’s Photo Competition.

His prize-winning picture featured six ladybirds huddling close together on a barbed wire fencepost on a crisp, cold January day in the Wicklow Mountains.

Among the other award-winning pictures were beautiful shots of dragonflies, carnivorous plants, geckos set against a streetlamp at night, migrating geese in flight, and a sea lion stretching out on a public bench emblazoned with a conservation logo.

The photo awards, open to members of BES each year, ask photographers to capture ecological processes and species interactions with society. The four independent categories are ‘Ecosystems and Communities’, ‘Whole Organisms and Populations’, ‘Ecology and Society,’ and ‘Ecology in Action’.

Thomas Guillerme’s picture was selected as the best student entry in the ‘Ecology and Society’ category. He said: “The Wickow Mountains are a terrific place for any biology, wildlife or photography enthusiast. They are at the interface of wilderness and urbanisation, which leads to nice scenes where nature is not dominated by urbanisation but where mankind’s influence is still always present."

All winning photos are displayed at the BES annual meeting and published in the BES Bulletin. To view a selection of the other award-winning images, please see here.