Capturing nature’s ballet
The fascinating swoops and swirls of the starlings of Lough Ennell have become an obsession for fans of both wildlife and photography – but few are as passionate in their love for the starling murmurations as Philomena Brady, from Ballinagar, near Tullamore.
For the last three years, the retired former chef-turned-photography enthusiast has spent nearly every evening between October and March standing by the shores of Lough Ennell, captivated by the swirling, shape-shifting flocks of thousands of starlings as they dance across the sky before roosting for the night.
“It all started with a photograph,” she recalls. “James Crombie’s now-famous image of the starlings forming the shape of a bird in flight over Lough Ennell completely fascinated me. I had seen starlings before, but only in small numbers. But when I saw his photograph, it just got me out there.”
Philomena makes the daily trip mainly to Lilliput or Bloomfield, depending on where she guesses the birds are expected to appear.
“It’s like – as James said at his book launch – a drug. You’re looking out at the sky and you’re saying, ‘Will I, won’t I?’ and you’re just compelled to go.”
In her first year of observation, Philomena clocked in 72 days. The following year, she upped it to 74. This starling season, she has spent up to 100 days there. Even on Christmas Day, she made the journey with her sister after dinner.
Sharing the joy
As her fascination grew, so did her interest in capturing the phenomenon. Initially taking photos, Philomena soon transitioned to video. “This year, I decided to make a video diary,” she explains. “I record on my phone every evening and share it on the ‘Starling Murmurations Ireland’ Facebook page.”
Through that, Philomena found herself becoming a source of information from others keen to witness the murmurations for themselves: people began contacting her, wanting to know where to go and when to expect them.
But she’s always cautious with her advice. “There are no guarantees with nature. I tell people, ‘They were here last night, so there’s a good chance they’ll be here again, but I can’t promise.’ Some people get frustrated when they don’t appear, but that’s just the way it is.”
The murmurations have patterns, but they’re not always predictable. Last year, the starlings were often spotted around Bloomfield and Butler’s Bridge. This year, Lilliput has been the hotspot. “In October, they started small, but the flocks got bigger and bigger. This year, the numbers have been larger than ever,” says Philomena.
Photography has long been one of Philomena’s passions. A member of a local photography club, she’s particularly drawn to wildlife. “I could spend eight hours out at Lough Boora waiting for the perfect shot of a bird or a fox,” she says. Her camera of choice is a Canon 5D Mark IV, and she tends to shoot using a low f-stop to capture detail without making the image grainy.
While zoom lenses can be helpful, she finds wide-angle lenses more effective when the birds are close. “It’s all about the light, the movement, and capturing those incredible shapes they form. Some of my shots aren’t perfectly sharp, but I love them anyway. It’s about the feeling they evoke.”
Understanding the Starlings
Between October and March, the starlings gather in enormous numbers before returning to Eastern Europe and Russia for breeding season. “We have starlings that live here year-round, but they don’t form the big murmurations. The migrating flocks sleep in the reeds by the water, sometimes 20 or 30 birds per reed. There are easily half a million of them.”
Weather plays a role in their behaviour. “If it’s dull, they come earlier. If there’s a bird of prey nearby, they put on an even bigger show, swirling and swooping to avoid it. Some evenings, they’re down in five minutes. Other times, they’re up for an hour. You never know what you’re going to get.” Despite the uncertainty, Philomena never tires of it. “It’s like a grand performance every evening. And even though I’ve watched them for three years, it never gets old.”