Ealing Wildlife Group have put on their fifth annual Wildlife Photography Competition this year and the exhibition is now on display in Walpole Park.

Ealing residents have the chance to see for themselves the exciting and fascinating shots snapped by their neighbours in the borough.

The exhibition highlights the wonderful nature and wild spaces on our doorstep, celebrating the important relationships between people and local wildlife in Ealing.

Sean McCormack, Chair for Ealing Wildlife Group said the competition started as a means of celebrating the "incredible" pictures people had taken and shared via their group in the past.

Sean told Nub News: "It's not just a technical photography exhibition, but a chance to celebrate our green spaces and to show that we are lucky to have so many in our area."

This year saw a record number of 210 entries from all ages.

"It's gradually building but this year we had record numbers entering and that reflecting in the winners," Sean said.

"Everyone and anyone can enter this and every year phone camera pictures are winners too, so it's just as much about telling the story as it is about the photo."

He added: "The quality is getting better and better each year and it seems lots of people have got into the hobby of photography.

"There's a different feel to the exhibition each year, some years are very species focused and other years a bit more abstract, it's been a mixed bag this year."

Two new categories, Community Conservation and Abstract Nature featured for 2021.

The other four categories are Urban Nature, Relationships with Nature, Up Close and Personal and the Young Wildlife Explorers, which was added a few years ago to open the competition up to under 16-year-olds.

Many young entrants were also recognised in the final selection of images this year.

Mossy Woods, 7, impressed the judges with the image "spot the toad", coming in first place in the Young Wildlife Explorers category.

The overall winner was "Thanatus striatus", a photo of a rare spider by amateur photographer and nature enthusiast Julian Oliver, 51, from Hanwell.

"The overall winner ticks all of our boxes, and the three Ealing Wildlife big C's - Community Collaboration and Conservation," said Sean.

"He's taken a brilliant photo of something new to the borough and highlighting a community initiative, and it's a great photo with amazing detail. And an amazing nature story, but on a bin!"

Find the exhibition at Walpole Park, Ealing from now until the new year.

Find out the story behind the rare spider spotting HERE.