An evening of wildlife photography was enjoyed by members of the Dawlish & Teignmouth Camera Club, thanks to guest speaker, Andrew McCarthy.

Andrew, a professional ecologist and conservationist, has been working with wildlife for over 30 years and this understanding of animal behaviour and knowledge of their habitats has allowed him to follow his other passion of photography.

Andrew McCarthy with his photograph of a kingfisher eating a fish

The first half of the evening was looking at the ‘big’ creatures.

This included atmospheric images of grey seals and their pups in the windblown sands of Donna Nook; the spectacle of a deer rut and the dazzling courtship dance of the Great Crested Grebes.

Andrew cheerfully chatted about the preparations he had made, including the many hours spent in hides waiting patiently for a family of foxes to appear, together with the photographic kit he used in order to get such fantastically sharp images.

Throughout his presentation, Andrew also highlighted the plight of some creatures due to man’s expansion into their habitats.

The second half of the evening was dedicated to the ‘small’ creatures and the wonderful world of macro photography.

Not for the faint-hearted was the sight of a close-up photo of a Garden cross spider, but the beautiful colours of the Azure damselfly and the remarkable detail of a Pearl Bordered Fritillary on a bluebell flower made up for it!

Vice Chairman, Naomi Stolow, thanked Andrew for sharing his exceptional images and for raising awareness of the fragility of our environment in a period of unprecedented human expansion and environmental change.

We have a full programme of events, including guest speakers, competitions and helpful workshops. Find out what's on at the Dawlish & Teignmouth Camera Club.