The British Wildlife Photography Awards 2011...

The winners of the 2011 British Wildlife Photography Awards have been announced. These awards recognise the talents of the UK’s foremost wildlife photographers and are unique in that the images must be taken of British wildlife in their natural habitats. Thousands of photographers across the country entered this year's competition. Below are some selected images for this picture gallery.
All of the images from the British Wildlife Photography Awards are included in a beautiful hardback coffee table book, British Wildlife Photography Awards: Collection 2, AA Publishing, £25, out 30th September. The images will be on display in a free exhibition at Alexandra Palace from 14th – 28th October before embarking on a year-long nationwide tour. For more information please visit www.bwpawards.org

Animal Portraits winner: Mystical Deer by Mark Smith. Fallow deer (Dama dama) in Richmond, Surrey, England.

Animal Portraits highly commended: Windy Day by Steward Ellett. Red squirrel (Sciurrus vularis) Formby Point, Merseyside, England.

Red Fox by Matt Binstead. (Vulpes vulpes) British Wildlife Centre, Lingfield, Surrey, England.

Urban Wildlife winner: Champagne Starling by David Biggs. European starling (Sturnes vulgaris) Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.

Urban Wildlife highly commended: Tabby Cat with Blackbird Nestling by Doug Mackenzie Dodds. (Turdus merula) Reading, Berkshire, England.

Urban Wildlife highly commended: Flower Power by Damian Waters. Brown hare (Lepus capensis) Wirral, merseyside, England.

Urban Wildlife highly commended: Gulls Fighting in London by Matt Smith. Black headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) Westminster Bridge, London, England.

The Congregation by James Smith. European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

Animal Behaviour winner: Grey Heron Walking on Water by Andrew Parkinson. (Ardea cinerea) Derbyshire, England.

Puffin Fighting on Inner Farne by Glyn Thomas. Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) Inner Farne, Farne Islands, Coast of Northumberland, England.

Standing Room Only by Philip Kirk. Herring gull (Larus argenatus) Seahouses, Northumberland, England.

Blue Tit Taking Feather by Paul Sawer. (Parus caeruleus) Peasenhall, Suffolk, England.

Camouflaged Fallow Stags by Neil Bygrave. (Dama dama) Parkland Deer, Devon, England.

Dunlin Tug-of-War by Andrew Parkinson. (Calidris alpina) Shetland Islands, Scotland.

Wildlife in My Backyard winner: Busy Wasp on Blackberries by Rana Dias. Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) Horley, Surrey, England.

Wildlife in My Backyard highly commended: Jay Taking Off by Ron Coulter. (Garrulus glandarius) Buckinghamshire, England.

Wildlife in My Backyard highly commended: Squirrel with a Conker by Thomas Hanahoe. Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) Potton, Bedfordshire, England.

Habitat winner: Hare in Morning Light with Hoar Frost by Ian Paul Haskell. Brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Norfolk.

Diamonds in the Deep by Mark N Thomas. Diamond sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) at Jackdaw Quarry, Over Kellet, Lancashire.

Hidden Britain highly commended: Ladybird on Rose by William Richardson. (Harmonia axyridis) London, England.

Grey Seal Behaviour by Robert Bailey. Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) Farne Islands, England.

Young British Wildlife Photographers - winner of the Up to 11 Years category: Frog Checking Its Frogspawn by Walter Lovell (age 8). Common frog (Rana temporaria) Painswick, Gloucestershire, England.

Young British Wildlife Photographers - winner of the 12 to 18 Years category: Red Fox Yawning After His Afternoon Nap by Oliver Wilks (age 16). (Vulpes vulpes) Warnham Local Nature Reserve, West Sussex, England.

Young British Wildlife Photographers - 12 to 18 Years category highly commended: Feed Me! by Ella Cooke. Great tit (Parus major) Buckinghamshire, England.