An exciting new photography competition has been launched by the Royal Parks, with two pairs of top-quality binoculars up for grabs for the winners.

All you need to do is take a photo of a bird listed on the parks' new bird-spotting guide to Bushy Park and post it on social media with the name of the park, the bird, the competition category and the hashtag #KeepWildlifeWild by 1 August.

Competition categories are Junior (0-15 years of age) and Senior (16+) and you can enter on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

The competition is part of the Royal Parks' new 'Help Nature Thrive' campaign which has started by urging visitors to #KeepWildlifeWild and observe nature in the parks from a distance.

Park rangers will be drawing attention to the negative effects of seeking an 'up close and personal' interaction with animals, for example highlighting the damage that feeding birds can do and warning visitors to stay at least 50 metres from unpredictable deer herds.

So it's fitting that binoculars, which allow nature to be appreciated and observed from great distances, are the top prize in this summer's competition!

For more about the competition see its page on the charity's website HERE

Why was the campaign launched and what is involved?

Nature is under threat like never before. Climate change, growing human populations, habitat loss and the spread of diseases are all putting biodiversity in peril; since 1970, the global population of mammals, fish, birds and amphibians has halved.

These dangers also affect London's Royal Parks. Bushy Park is a haven for wildlife, with grass snakes, bats, butterflies, deer and hedgehogs all thriving here. But human activity, especially feeding wild animals, is having devastating effects.

According to the Royal Parks: "Excessive feeding in the parks encourages large groups of birds such as gulls and crows. They bully other birds, stealing their eggs and killing their chicks.

"Leftover food can attract rats, and water quality can be impacted through uneaten soggy bread and waterfowl faeces. Feeding from the public also attracts large numbers of waterfowl, which leads to overcrowding and stress, and helps wildlife diseases spread."

Visitors to Bushy Park should also remember to keep 50m from the herds of free-roaming wild deer and to protect their natural way of life by not feeding or touching these wild and unpredictable animals.

Teddington volunteer park ranger Cathy Cooper said: "As a Voluntary Ranger for Bushy and Richmond Parks, my role is to welcome, educate and keep visitors safe.

"As part of the The Royal Parks' 'Help Nature Thrive' campaign I will encourage visitors to #KeepWildlifeWild.

"I will be explaining to visitors why feeding waterfowl is harmful or why getting close to deer is dangerous.

"As part of the campaign, bird spotting sheets have been developed for each of the parks, including Richmond and Bushy Parks. They are available to download via signs present in the parks or on The Royal Parks website.

"To view wildlife from a distance I always recommend a pair of binoculars, and it just so happens that The Royal Parks are running a competition to win a set. All people need to do is to take a picture of a bird that is included on the bird spotting sheets and post it on social media using the hashtag #KeepWildlifeWild."

Jo Haywood, Volunteer Co-ordinator for The Volunteer Ranger Service said: "We're really excited about our new campaign 'Help Nature Thrive' and the Volunteer Ranger service in Bushy and Richmond Parks will play a key role in helping our park visitors understand how to #KeepWildlifeWild.

"The Rangers will encourage visitors to observe wildlife in their natural habitat rather than touching or feeding them.

"The service reaches more than 4500 visitors a month, and we're really proud of the incredible impact they are having on connecting visitors on a deeper level to these parks."

For more information on the campaign, you can read about it on the Royal Parks website HERE

View the bird-spotting sheets for Bushy Park HERE

Happy birdwatching!