LONDON - Wildlife Photographer of the Year Manuel Presti wants to inspire in others the same awe that the natural world induces in him. A mechanical engineer by profession who takes wildlife pictures as a hobby, 38-year-old Presti has been snapping the world around him for more than 20 years. Last week his image of a flock of terrified starlings trying to evade the predatory attention of a Peregrine falcon in the skies above his native Rome won him the prestigious prize that brings little immediate financial reward but great kudos. "I want to inspire people's sensitivities to nature -- to make them aware of the aesthetics of the world around them," he told Reuters at the unveiling in London of the exhibition of the winners and runners up of the annual competition.

His winning image beat competition from 17,000 other entries from more than 55 countries in the 22-year-old competition that is run jointly by London's Natural History Museum and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Entries this year come from as far afield as New

Zealand and the United States. It was only the second time Presti had entered and the first time in several years that an amateur has won what is billed as the world's most prestigious wildlife photography award. The exhibition currently at the Natural History Museum will embark on a world tour nex year. Presti, who has his own Web site promoting his pictures at www.wildlifephoto-presti.com, says: "This award really makes me proud but I have no intention of giving up my regular job," he said. "Just now the balance is about right."

Reuters