Peeking parakeet wins top prize in London wildlife photo contest

Parkeet peeking from hole in tree — (Image credit: Celeste Katz)

A charming close-up of a ring-necked parakeet has been judged the overall winner in a photographic competition aimed at London cyclists. Celeste Katz image was shot with the wide-angle lens of her iPhone 14 - and will be one of the images to be displayed at South Kensington tube station, in the UK capital.

Londoners were invited to take photos of city’s wildlife encountered across the capital while out on their bikes, using Santander Cycles’ two new nature-inspired Side Quest routes. The themed routes are designed to encourage people to discover lesser know parts of London's boroughs.

The new competition produced a varied collection of photographs showcasing wildlife living on the capital’s streets, parks and waterways. A panel of judges from Transport for London (TfL), Santander Cycles, and the Natural History Museum selected the five winning photographers. Each will receive an annual subscription to Santander Cycles self-service bike hire scheme worth £120, plus entrance to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.

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The four other selected images are below…

Mouse peeking over edge of platform — A mouse peers up from the trackside of a London Underground platform (Image credit: Jon Pitman)

Deer in park at sunset — Deer at dusk (Image credit: Faujdar Vipul)

Fox sunbathing on urban lawn — Sunbathing fox in West Hampstead (Image credit: Erika Keenlyside)

Pigeon flying across urban walkway — Pigeon at Boxpark Wembley (Image credit: Olivia Nicolaou)

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Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography.

His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Sony A7 IV, alongside his old Nikon D800 and his iPhone 15 Pro Max.

He is the author of a number of books including The Book of Digital Photography, which has been translated into a dozen different languages.

In addition to his expertise in photography and videomaking, he has written about technology for countless publications and websites including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, What Cellphone, T3 and Techradar.