Midlands photographer to publish book capturing beauty of starling murmurations

Well-known Midlands photographer James Crombie has announced that he will be publishing a book of his memorable starling murmuration photographs, taken at Lough Ennell in Westmeath, later this year.

James, who works as an award-winning photographer with INPHO photography, revealed on social media that the hardback book, Murmurations, will be coming out in October.

It will feature a foreword by Seán Ronayne and writing by John Fallon.

A description of how the book came about states: "In the dusk hours of a November evening, in 2020, James Crombie set out for the shore of Lough Ennell, Co Westmeath, with no goal except to find a brief reprieve from the chaos of modern life.

"One of Ireland’s most lauded sports photographers, Crombie had spent months each year travelling the globe, snapping glimpses of sporting glory amid roaring crowds.

"Once the pandemic arrived however, he found himself suspended in an unfamiliar moment of stillness, where his focus could roam beyond the pitch.

"When a close friend came to him in a moment of grief, the pair made for the lake. What Crombie found on the shore that evening - an undulating murmuration of starlings, dancing above the surface of the water - would change his life forever.

"Desperate to capture the beauty of the murmurations, and to better understand this phenomenon and the surroundings of the lake itself, Crombie began a four year journey, travelling to lake shore for over 100 days per year.

"In his efforts to capture the formations of the magical birds, Crombie managed to chart the stunning natural cycles of the lake and the surrounding countryside.

"An incredible combination of narrative and photography, this is a book about one man’s quest to capture the beauty of an Irish natural phenomenon, and about how our local environments harbour a wealth of beauty and complexity, if only we’re able to look closely enough."