CHRIS Packham was his jovial, hypercritical self when presenting the British Wildlife Photography Awards at the Mall Gallery in London.
Although he did say that he felt this years’ competition was of a much better quality than last year, he was still looking for perfection in the winning entries.
Picking only on those photographers who were not there to accept their awards, Chris managed to find fault with all of them.

Alex Mustard’s blue shark shot was astounding, but Chris questioned as to why he had not PhotoShopped the white areas on the surface of the water.
And a shot of an otter eating a puffin, even though the bird’s eye was looking directly into the camera and the shot was surely a once-in-a-lifetime event, Chris still found the kelp floating on the surface nearby offputting.
But of overall winning shot be Lee Acaster. He said: “The graphic designer’s portrait shot, entitled Urban Tourist, won the highest praise from the event’s host Chris Packham, who is infamous for his critical eye.
He told a packed Mall Gallery: “It was the right bird at the right place at the right time.
“Any other more colourful, Versace-esque bird, like a mandarin goose, would have just been wrong in this context.”
He enthused: “It is looking over its shoulder straight into the lens which gives it a composition that really works.
“It is usually one of those common animals that you don’t take a second look at but up close it is amazing. It gives you the chance to really look at the animal.
“Look at its beak, You can see the series of combs along its edge that it uses in feeding.
“It’s got that feminine form that I like.
“The judges liked it as it epitomised what this competition is all about: wildlife that you might have forgotten to look at, in our backyards, fields and parks nearby us.”