It was my first time visiting Harper’s Island and unfortunately no birds came anywhere near any of the hides, but I loved to see flocks of birds swoop through the air in synchronised flight.

Nature is starting to take over this abandoned farmhouse on Harper’s Island in Co Cork. The old stone gateposts are still standing, the wire fence still technically there, but it’s clear nobody’s coming through that gate anymore. Places like this always make me wonder about the people who lived here: the dinners cooked, the fires…