The overall People's choice was a photograph of a Harvest Mouse in a hollowed out apple. It was a lovely photo that most of us who enjoy wildlife photography would have been proud of. At least until you find out how it was taken. The details of how it was taken were shared on Sunday's BBC Countryfile program after the votes took place and after the announcement was made - there was no going back then.
It seems the mouse was one of several captive mice held in a clear plastic tank by a licensed handler who placed them onto a small black plastic tray decorated with moss and other props such as the hollowed out red apple. A mouse tries to get off the tray but as John Craven demonstrates if you blow on it the poor thing retreats to the apple and the photographer gets her shot.
According to John Craven this is all within the rules of the BBC Countryfile calendar competition. You can't take photographs of Pets or animals in zoos but you can photograph captive wildlife as long as you declare how you got the photograph. This does beg the question - what is the definition of a pet and a zoo? It seems to me the lines are blurred here. But leaving that aside and assuming the photograph is within the rules should it have been selected as the winning photograph and did the public know what they were voting for? Many of us believe this is morally wrong even if it is right by the BBC Countryfile competition rule book. At a time when wildlife is in crisis we should be encouraging people to get outdoors and discover, connect with and love wildlife in its natural habitat. In my view Countryfile are sending all the wrong messages
But for me it is much more personal. Last year I was awarded first prize in the RSPB 2019 'Inspired by Nature' calendar competition for my photograph of a Dormouse. This week it happens that the RSPB announced on Twitter the opening of their 2021 Calendar competition and already people are making comments about mistrusting the results on their timeline.
I want to set the record straight both for myself and for the RSPB so I'm going to do that here.
On 24 June 2017 I was due to go on a group walk with Devon Birds to the RSPB Powderham reserve on Exminster Marshes. At the last minute the group cancelled due to a road closure. I lived within walking distance so decided to go anyway. It's a lovely quiet reserve with just one path taking you to a viewpoint and you return on the same path. No dogs are permitted so you don't see many people out there. That morning I saw no one else on the reserve at all, I had it all to myself which is not unusual. The butterflies are always a joy in the summer and I was photographing some Peacock Butterfly caterpillars.
Then as I walked a few steps further I noticed a very small brown fluffy thing hanging on the end of a tall blade of grass dangling right over the path. I looked through the binoculars and could see it was a mouse but unsure what species I slowly moved closer, as I did the creature climbed down and further into the grass to the left of the path. I realised it had probably felt the vibration of my movement along the ground. I had a 100-400mm lens on my camera so sat down at the side of the path about 3m away and waited ... and waited. I could see the grass moving so I knew something was still there and gradually that something came into sight - it was a Dormouse! It was 11am on a sunny Saturday and there was a Dormouse infront of me!!!
The photos below are the first uncropped images I took which I've never processed, editted or published before - to show how the mouse looked to me in its natural habitat in those first few moments.
As I sat still the Dormouse came out more into the open right in front of me. It was feeding, grooming and appeared to be playing with its' tail. It even took short naps from time to time. I took about 300 photos and several short films, then I put my camera down and continued to watch this utterly delightful creature looking totally at ease in its natural habitat. I spent an hour with that mouse, right on the overgrown path. I was frightened to leave in case someone came along the path and trod on it! In the end it moved further into the brambles at the side of the path and I felt I could leave.
When I returned home I emailed the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) to notifiy them of the sighting and Peter Otley, the site manager for the reserve to ask if he knew they had Dormice on the reserve. On the following Monday Peter confirmed that this was the first reported sighting of a Dormouse on the reserve and it has since changed the way the site is managed. Peter has also confirmed that further Dormice have been sighted and nests made.
The PTES asked to see some of the video footage and they confirmed this was a healthy young Dormouse which are sometimes active during daylight hours. They went on to use the footage for conservation purposes and some of the photos were used by the RSPB and Devon Wildlife Trust also for conservation purposes.
I have never entered a photographic competition before but decided to enter the 2019 RSPB Inspired by Nature calendar competition with the following photo as I felt this little mouse belonged in their calendar. They clearly felt the same way and I was so proud to win first prize! It appeared on the front cover and in August.
There was nothing artificial about the way this photo was obtained, it was truly the result of just getting out there into nature with camera in hand. The photo has been processed from RAW to JPEG, it was cropped and brightened a little but apart from that it's almost straight off the camera. To the left here is a screenshot of the original RAW file. Anyone could have got this photo possibly even with a good phone camera.This little mouse has given me more joy than I can ever put into words, not just the time spent with it; the way it affected management of the reserve; the people I met as a result and the memories I have together with the photos and film I still look at from time to time. I wonder if the winner of the BBC Countryfile calendar feels the same joy from her encounter with the Harvest mice someone put on a plastic tray on a patio outside the back door for her to photograph.
I really hope others feel inspired to get out there in the natural environment to find their own wildlife encounters and experience the joy of sharing these encounters with other like-minded people who appreciate the natural world as it should be - natural and wild. It's food for the soul.
Note: I did not enter the BBC Countryfile competition so this is not sour grapes
