Striking bird photo by teenager wins top RSPB prize

Anton Poon, 18, from Whitchurch in Buckinghamshire, won the Royal Society of Biology's Young Photographer of the Year award for his photograph of a red-whiskered bulbul holding an insect in its beak.

The image, which stood out from more than 1,200 entries, was voted the winner by the public.

The theme of the competition was 'colours of nature', and, in Anton’s words, the insect in the bulbul’s beak blends in with the green and yellow background, while the bulbul stands out with its bright red whiskers.

Anton took the photograph in Icon Park, Hong Kong, while testing a new lens.

He said: "I am extremely honoured to win the Young Photographer of the Year award this year with my photo!

"When I took it, I was in Hong Kong and just testing out my new lens in a park that I knew had birds in.

"In such an urban city, these small spaces of green are great to see, and much of the wildlife gathers there.

"I saw the red-whiskered bulbul flying around its nest, and as it stopped, I caught the moment with the grasshopper in its beak, catching it to feed its young.

"It was a great moment, but I sat on the image for a while because I didn’t know what I wanted to say with it.

"Eventually, I figured that I wanted to keep the focus on the bird and the catch, especially showing off the spectacular colours you see in nature and how it contrasts sometimes with the environment (like the bulbul) or blends in (like the grasshopper)."

As part of his prize, Anton will receive £500 and will be presented with his award at the Royal Society of Biology's Awards Ceremony during Biology Week in October at the House of Commons in London.

The competition saw amateur photographers aged 18 and under participate from around the world.