A red-tailed hawk in flight or the unique bright blue bill of the Ruddy duck — 100 captivating photographs showcasing the best of the natural beauty of the Okanagan, is now on display at the Penticton Museum and Archives.
Nature in Focus is a photo contest for camera enthusiasts and nature lovers.
The project is a partnership between the museum and the South Okanagan Naturalists’ Club.
To be eligible to participate, entrants were expected to be amateur photographers living in the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen. The subject matter also had to be local.
Bob Handfield is the president of the South Okanagan Naturalists’ Club, a group that has been around for 56 years with the goal of promoting the enjoyment and preservation of the area.
“We thought we would probably get 200 entries,” Handfield said. “We ended up with almost 600.”
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Handfield adds the judges had a very difficult time choosing top honours in the six categories: waterfowl, other birds, landscapes, fauna, flora and invasive species.
Susie McAdam placed first in the fauna category for her in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time photo of a coyote hiding in the long grass.
“Just get out there,” McAdam said. “You never know what you’re going to see. You’re just going to click away and you’re going to capture something great. I can guarantee you.”
Another winner, Paul Graham, captured the moment when four baby birds opened their bright yellow beaks in anticipation of a feeding.
“I was waiting for the instant when the mother flies in and you can see the yellow mouths,” Graham said. “Nature provides that as a target for the mother to zero in to feed the birds. It was a second but I was probably there for at least 60 minutes.”
The Nature in Focus exhibit is on at the Penticton Museum and Archives until at least late January of next year. Admission is by donation.
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