Marcus Conway, ebirder was overall winner of the Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2011. The competition attracted thousands of entries from photographers around the world, all keen to demonstrate the amazing shots they had taken in Scotland in the Scottish Landscape, Scottish Wildlife, Scottish Botanical, Natural Abstract and Environmental categories.

You can read more at the awards homepage

Neil McIntyre, one of the judges, said: “With a huge increase in entries from the first year (double in fact) plus the high standard, it was a tough long job to pick the winning pictures.

“It was going to take something extra special to stand out from so many great shots. However, the winning image of the Otter was a unanimous winner. This iconic, elusive animal was captured brilliantly by Marcus Conway, showing great character and capturing a perfect moment in time. You just can’t help but smile when you look at this picture and wish you had been there – a sure sign of a winning image.”

The otter that won Marcus the “2011 Scottish Photographer Of The Year” award.