WHEN it comes to photographing wild birds, Gavin Engelbrecht is one of the North-East's most prolific and respected photo-journalists.

Father-of-two Gavin left his native South Africa more than 30 years ago, having served as a police officer before turning his hand to journalism.

Upon arriving in England, he joined The Northern Echo and has worked all over the North-East and is now based in the Echo's Durham office. 

But the countryside is one of his passions, whether it's walking or cycling, and he never goes anywhere without his camera.

The result is a remarkable archive of images from the countryside, especially birds, and his skills have gained him a large following on Instagram, where he can be followed @gav1nengel

"If just love to be out in the countryside, capturing the beauty that I see all around me, and it's a pleasure to share that enjoyment through my pictures," said Gavin.

Here are a selection from Gavin's beautiful collection...