A Dublin-based woman named Deirdre Irwin was left utterly surprised after becoming the winner of Flickr’s yearly photography competition in the wildlife section. She was notified a week ago that her capture of a Dalmatian pelican, shot in Greece in 2023, had topped the ‘wildlife and its habitats’ section.
Irwin was incredibly pleased, considering competitors participated globally, encompassing regions like South Africa and Alaska. There were 32,500 submissions in total, making the wildlife section one of the most competitive, although the exact number remains undisclosed.
Ms Irwin is occupied in occupational health at St Patrick’s University Hospital. Her passion for bird photography sparked during the Covid-19 outbreak. When her sister was critically ill due to Covid and hospitalised, Deirdre began sharing bird photographs to bring her some comfort, which led to her realisation that the birds were enjoying more freedom than humans during the pandemic restrictions.
She remarked on how birds had the liberty to fly whereas humans were confined by the limiting circumstances created by Covid. This sparked her interest in following and understanding the migratory patterns of Irish birds. On a particular trip to Greece last year, she took pictures of the Dalmatian pelican at dawn from a low-angled shot on a boat.
This pelican is part of a conservation programme in Lake Kerkini aiming at protecting their species and ensuring their reproduction. Deirdre shared that the bill of the Dalmatian pelican changes colours during mating season. She also explored the role of colour in avian attraction and camouflage.