It’s a bird city
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,…
Rocks in the Misty Surf of West Cork
The restless Atlantic waves become ghostly veils of white mist caressing the rocks on Owenahincha Beach, Co Cork. Henry shared a photo of this same rock yesterday. There are lovely swirls of water in his photo.
Cathedral Candlelight in Cork
A beautiful brass candle stand in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork. When Helios was on display in the Cathedral, I visited there with Blarney Photography Club and took the opportunity to photograph other parts of the cathedral’s artistic heritage. The inscription above reads, “Ní mar is toil liomsa, ach mar is toil leatsa”, which roughly…
Sunset Fishing at Ballycotton Pier
A series of photos showing men fishing off the pier at Ballycotton, Co Cork a couple of weeks ago. It was a beautiful evening. Lovely time to be there.
Inniscarra’s Historic Stone Bridge
This is the narrow bridge that crosses the River Lee near the Ballincollig Royal Gunpowder Mills. I found out today while doing a little research that the bridge was built in 1805, replacing an older 6 arch bridge. It’s very narrow, but a survey showed that 7,000 cars cross it every day!
Bee goes buzz
An Asian hornet was spotted in Cork recently. If they gain a hold in this country it could be very bad news for bumblebees like the one in this photo. This particular bee had 3 of us surrounding her with cameras trying to photograph her as she fed on the nectar of this little flower.
Nature’s Spotlight in Ballincollig Park
It’s sometimes hard to believe there was a gunpowder mill in this area, but look around and you’ll see the ruins everywhere. Here though, I found a winding, worn path running parallel to the neat tarmac of the modern path.
Am I prolific?
A slightly battered boat in Ballycotton, Co Cork.
A Fishing Boat’s Story in Cork
These intimate details from a single fishing boat in Ballycotton harbour tell the story of Ireland’s working coastline better than any wide-angle vista could manage. Every weathered rope, rusty chain, and salt-stained life ring speaks to the daily reality of earning a living from the sea. Ballycotton’s fishing fleet primarily targets lobster, crab, and various…
Heroes of the Sea
The RNLI flag flies in Ballycotton Harbour. The RNLI operates one of Ireland’s busiest lifeboat stations at Ballycotton, which launched 57 times in 2023 alone, rescuing 49 people and assisting 67 others. The station operates an all-weather lifeboat capable of handling the most challenging sea conditions off the Cork coast. Ballycotton RNLI has a proud…
The Lighthouse and Tidal Treasures
The tide was very far out when we visited Ballycotton last week, so I wandered out on the rocks, carefully avoiding the slippery seaweed, and took a few photos.