A GIRL is celebrating after her photograph triumphed over 500 other entries to be crowned regional winner of a wildlife competition.

Bridie Husband, 12, who only started taking pictures a year ago when her dad introduced her to photography, is the junior winner of the WWT Nikon Photographic Competition 2007.

Bridie, from Billingham, won a set of binoculars worth more than £100 and has now clinched a place in the national final.

The competition was run by the Washington Wetland Centre and Bridie will represent the North-East when she goes head to head with those from eight other centres in the UK.

Entries, which had to be of wildlife, included colourful woodland birds, delicate dragonflies and dramatic shots of birds in flight.

Bridie was praised by the judges for having a natural gift for composing shots and she was ecstatic to hear she had won.

She said: "This is the first time I have entered a photography competition and I was very happy when I heard I had won.

"We are regular visitors to wildfowl and wetlands trusts and I could hardly decide which pictures to send in.

"I have been photographing for about a year and only started taking pictures when my dad introduced me to it. I photograph everything really, like family, animals and places."