Flickr is a great place to find new desktop wallpapers, Creative Commons-licenced photos, or just explore the latest works of some of the best photographers on the web. Accessing the site via your browser isn't the most convenient way to download images, though, especially in bulk. If you're looking to grab lots of photos then you're much better off with a specialist application like Downloadr.

At its simplest, you can use the program as a very efficient Flickr search tool. Enter a search term in the Tag, Full Text or Place fields, then click Search, and Downloadr will display the first 50 matching thumbnails. Select the photos you need, click the Download button, and that's it - the photos will automatically be downloaded to the folder of your choice.

If you want to examine a particular photo in more detail, then double-click its thumbnail to open a preview window with a larger version. This provides full access to a range of metadata about the photo, too: title, licence, location, comments, Flickr tags, EXIF data, and a whole lot more.

Downloadr comes with a range of tools to help you explore Flickr further. You're able to search for a group name by keyword, for instance, then browse whatever photos it has to offer. The Explore tab makes it easy to view the "most interesting" photos for today (or whatever other date you choose). Or, if you're interested in a particular Flickr user, then you can locate their account and view all its public offerings.

And if you've a Flickr account, then entering your login details will let Downloadr access private photos. And you can even back up your Flickr account in just a few clicks.