Hidden wildlife emerges in cyclist photo challenge

A picture of a parakeet peeking from a hole in a tree has been awarded first place in a competition held for the capital's camera-carrying cyclists.

Other highly recommended images included a fox sunning itself in West Hampstead and a mouse about to make an intrepid trip across a Tube platform.

Five budding photographers made the final of a challenge posed by the Natural History Museum and Santander Cycles.

Snappers were asked to explore London sustainably using the nature-inspired Side Quest cycle routes.

The photo of the parakeet by Celeste Katz, from Richmond, will be displayed at South Kensington Tube station, and she and the other four winners - Faujdar Vipul, Erika Keenlyside, Olivia Nicolaou and Jon Pitman - will receive an annual Santander Cycles subscription, Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition tickets and an official exhibition book.

David Eddington, from Transport for London (TfL), said the five photos were a testament to London's diverse wildlife, while London's walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman, said it was "fantastic" the Side Quest cycling routes encouraged people to explore London's hidden green spaces.

Themed cycling routes to help people discover less familiar parts of London were launched by Santander Cycles and TfL last summer.

The Side Quests generator provides people with randomly selected routes around the capital, each of a different difficulty level and a theme, such as food spots or film locations.

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