LOCKDOWN photographers have been putting wildlife in the frame for a regional competition.

And several local snappers caught the eye of the Gwent Wildlife Trust’s ‘Wildlife at Home’ judges with their fantastic images.

Alan Underwood’s picture of a demoiselle damselfly in his garden pond in Abergavenny was shortlisted in the open section.

And fellow town resident Stephen Tyrell was also commended for his image of a broad-bodied chaser dragonfly in his garden.

Toby Clement was also shortlisted for his ‘Frog Hides from Tiny Terror’ taken outside his Abergavenny home, alongside Melissa Stewart from Tregare, between Monmouth and Raglan, who captured a grass snake slithering across the paving with its tongue flicking the air.

And the winner of the Under-18 contest was Sean Crabbe, 17, from Caldicot who impressed the judges with his picture of a pollen-hunting bee near the Hay Meadow at Magor Marsh.

Outright senior winner was an image by George Reed of a pied wagtail in flight in his Newport garden.

With wildlife in a hurry and scurry preparing for their own annual winter lockdown, trust patron and competition supporter, TV naturalist and Autumnwatch star Iolo Williams, encouraged people to go outside their homes to see what was about, saying: “Wherever you live, each and every one of us is only a few feet away from nature in our neighbourhood, whether that’s in the garden, outside your window or in your street.

“Now more than ever it’s a great time to truly connect and appreciate your wildlife neighbours.”

The quality of the entries and the response to the competition were commended by the judges – GWT’s vice-chairman Rob Waller and senior conservation ecologist Andy Karran.

Andy said: “We saw entries of everything from bees, birds and butterflies, to squirrels and even snakes in a few Gwent gardens.

“It was wonderful to see so many entries from around the region capturing the wide range of wildlife in people’s gardens and local areas that is present in this part of Wales.”

Rob added: “We commend all the entries to the competition and congratulate our winners.

“We hope people have been truly inspired by connecting with their nature neighbours during the lockdown and through our competition.”

To see more pictures and information about the competition go to gwentwildlife.org and the GWT Facebook page.