A WINTER scene on Wearside has earned national recognition for a North East photographer.

Ian Cook captured a sunset illuminating the winter sky over WWT Washington Wetland Centre’s wader lake.

The image took second place in the national finals of the Canon / Wildfowl & Wetland Trust Photography Competition 2011-2012.

A panel, chaired by TV presenter and wildlife photographer Chris Packham, judged entries from Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust sites across the country, which had been selected for the finals over a series of seasonal, regional heats.

Ian, from Gosforth in Newcastle, entered the Wetland Landscapes category.

He said: “The image was taken at the end of a freezing cold day on Wader Lake. The sunset only lasted for a couple of minutes, but it was worth it.” Martin Spray, chief executive of WWT, said: “In the last century alone, half the world’s inland wetlands have been lost.

“They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so we asked photographers to showcase some of the rich diversity of wildlife that depend on wetlands.

“We are delighted with the response.”

The Canon/WWT Photography competition 2011-12 was held in celebration of the centenary of the Scott Antarctic Expedition.

The WWT was founded by the son of Captain Scott and the contest prize is a trip to Antarctica, courtesy of Exodus, in partnership with Quark Expeditions.

Lee Bonniface, country director for Canon UK Consumer Imaging, said: “The competition attracted an array of entries which illustrate, through the power of image, the vital role that our wetlands play in providing a habitat to some of Britain’s most stunning and rare wildlife species.“

Earlier this year, Mr Cook’s image of a kittiwake and its chick on a ledge of the Tyne Bridge won him first prize in the adult section of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust annual photographic competition.

The Newcastle photographer also won the regional heat of last year’s Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust photography competition with a picture called Sunset from the Hide.