Photos demonstrate variety of wildlife to be found in the seas off the coast of the UK
This is the photo that has won the Wildlife Trusts category at the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP) Print Competition 2009.
It shows a corkwing wrasse, considered one of the UK’s most beautiful fish, building a nest among a backdrop of coral.
The male wrasse scours the shallows looking for a nook or cranny in the rocks in which to fashion his nest.
He then spends several days carefully selecting choice pieces of seaweed with which to decorate and line the nest, forming a mound or ball shape.
The female wrasse then leaves a clutch of eggs, which the male corkwing wrasse devotedly guards until they hatch.
The photo, by Robert Bailey, is one of 10 finalists in the category, which this year was sponsored by The Wildlife Trusts, a group of 47 local Wildlife Trusts found across the UK.
To see the others, head to MBM’s gallery.
