May Isle competition winners revealed

A stunning picture, taken by Mario Suárez Porras of Spain, of one of the island’s most numerous birds, an Artic tern, took first prize went to with his picture of an Arctic tern.

Lorne Gill, Scottish National Heritage’s photographer, led the judging panel. He said: “We chose Mario’s winning image, as it’s a beautiful photo that captures the essence of the seabirds on the Isle of May NNR.”

Runners-up were Neil Grant from Balerno with his atmospheric image of the island during a storm, and Jens Cullman of Germany who took a beautifully composed picture of a puffin coming into land.

David Steel, SNH’s manager on the island, said: “The photography competition was a great way to celebrate the island’s landscape and wildlife and encourage people to enjoy Scotland’s best-known wildlife close-up. We were thrilled to receive nearly 70 entries.”

The winner of the 8-to-11 age group was Luke Hollis from Glasgow who took a panoramic view of the island, with Keir Skilling from Dumfries winning the 12-to-15 age group with his beautifully simple image of the main lighthouse in silhouette. Mario’s prize is a two-day stay on the island this summer. The runners-up and the younger winners each receive a VIP day trip to the island.

The winning photos and 10 other highly commended ones will be on display in the Main Lighthouse on the island this summer.