Picture credit: Hermann Hirsch

German photographer Hermann Hirsch beat thousands of entries to clinch the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year title with an image of a fox, entitled ‘Evening Idyll’.

Hermann said he captured the winning photo in the German city of Dortmund.

‘Eight little foxes romped about near the entrance of their den, situated only two minutes from where I live.

‘Naturally, I spent several hours each day there to observe what was going on and to photograph…

‘One evening, when the little foxes played and scrapped right before my feet, the “big one” would only sit there and watch the summer sun go down… an idyllic scene in the centre of the Ruhr region.’

Organisers say Hermann is the youngest winner in the competition’s history.

Run by the Society of German Nature Photographers, this year’s contest attracted 3,577 images from its members across nine countries.

To view the winning photos visit www.gdtfoto.de