UPY 2025

UPY 2019 British Waters Macro - Third
'Proud Parent'
Mark Kirkland

With a short window of just a few weeks in early spring to catch Common Frogs spawning, I was disheartened to spend many an evening staring at empty ponds, often returning the following evening to waters full of frogspawn but without a frog in sight. Using research papers to identify potential sites, I eventually came across Malls Mire; a small area of Wetland in Glasgow. Situated between a housing estate, a supermarket and an industrial estate it is an unlikely haven for wildlife. I spent six glorious hours lying in the mud photographing huge numbers of increasingly curious frogs. This photograph, one of the last that day, was taken as the early evening sun was setting behind the trees. A day well spent.

Judge's comment: Character, behaviour and technique all wrapped up in one striking image. We love images like this, which show the very different kinds of pictures talented photographers can produce in the UK with an underwater camera. Frogs are much more cautious than toads and are therefore much less frequently photographed.
Alex Mustard