It’s a bird city

Silhouetted bird in profile standing on city pavement with warm backlighting and blurred urban background in Cork City

Seagull with open beak standing over a discarded sandwich on asphalt pavement in Cork City

Adult seagull and juvenile gull sharing a dropped sandwich on a city street in Cork, with the younger bird showing mottled brown plumage

Cork City, where birds have become incredibly adept at turning human carelessness into dining opportunities.

Urban-adapted birds like the seagulls and crows photographed here have developed significantly different behaviours compared to their rural counterparts. City-dwelling seagulls often show reduced fear responses to humans and have learned to time their foraging around peak human activity periods, such as lunch hours when dropped food is most available.

Crows, meanwhile, have demonstrated remarkable problem-solving abilities in urban environments and can even learn to associate specific locations with regular food sources. Studies have shown that urban bird populations often have different dietary compositions, stress hormone levels, and even song patterns compared to rural birds, reflecting their adaptation to city life and the constant presence of human activity.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length150mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/320s

A Kenmare Robin

I spotted this little fella down in Kenmare, County Kerry the other day. A Robin, bold as brass, perched right there on a dead branch, posing like he owned the place.

He stayed there for a few minutes surveying the area, and let me get a little closer for a photo.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length240mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/500s

The Daily Commuter

While waiting for the train in Athens, I spotted a pigeon walking around the station, calm as you can imagine, as if he owned the place.

A few minutes later, a train rolled in, passengers started moving, and the pigeon flew into the rafters. Observing all that he rules.


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO500
Shutter speed1/500s

Edinburgh’s Feathered Monuments

There’s something magical about Edinburgh during the golden hour, when the sun begins its descent and bathes the city in warm amber hues. I was walking along Princes Street with my colleagues after a long day of meetings when this scene stopped me in my tracks.

At first glance, it might seem like just another urban sunset, but nature has a way of adding its own whimsical touches to our carefully constructed world. A pigeon had chosen one of Edinburgh’s grand statues, the statue of King George IV, as its evening perch, creating an unintentionally perfect silhouette against the burning sky. As I framed the shot, I noticed its companion – another bird adorning a statue atop one of the buildings to the right (The Royal Society of Edinburgh, if Google Maps is right), as if they were having a silent conversation across the street.

The Georgian architecture of Hanover Street creates perfect leading lines, drawing your eye down to where the street meets the sky. The passing cars, their tail lights glowing in the dimming light, add a modern contrast to the historical grandeur of the buildings. There’s something deeply satisfying about capturing these moments where the past and present, nature and architecture, all converge in perfect harmony.

I shot this handheld with my camera set to underexpose the scene slightly, letting the buildings fall into shadow while preserving the rich orange tones of the sunset.

I love that there were pigeons sitting on those statues, even if they’re barely visible in the web-sized version here. They’re a reminder that nature finds a way, no matter what we do to tame it!


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length70mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/15s

A European Starling in Dún Laoghaire

A starling perched on a railing in the seaside town of Dún Laoghaire watches the goings-on in the nearby café. Pickings will be slim today as the establishment is being renovated and is not serving customers today!


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length240mm
ISO320
Shutter speed1/500s

A grey wagtail looking for food

A grey wagtail pictured in Ballincollig Regional Park during the summer. He was hopping around in the bushes next to the River Lee, when Rory spotted him, got a few photos and called me over to see. I’d never have seen him otherwise, as he’s tiny.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length571.8mm
ISO4000
Shutter speed1/1000s

Cock a doodle do!

A cock in Bunratty Folk Village struts around protecting his patch of ground from a nosy photographer.

Don’t think I’ve ever heard the nursery rhyme of the same phrase.

Cock a doodle do!
My dame has lost her shoe,
My master’s lost his fiddlestick,
And knows not what to do.

Aperture ƒ/5.6
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 20mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/100s