Puffins are irresistible little birds, full of charisma. From late spring to mid summer, Skellig Michael is home to thousands of them. On this particular day it was raining steadily, and I captured this one as it was shaking the rain from its feathers.

Puffins are difficult birds to photograph in flight. They are small and fast, a tough combination. After several attempts, I made a few images I was happy with, and this is the best of those. The puffin is coming in to land, with the waves crashing on the rocks in the background.

The Skellig Islands seen at sunset on an autumn day as a gannet flies overhead.

Dursey Island is seen here from the Bull Rock. The Cow and the Calf rocks are also visible as a gannet flies through the middle of the frame on a thundery day.
In a large print, the broken lighthouse on the Calf rock can be seen.

A gannet hovers in the airstream over a cliff on the Bull Rock off the coast of cork on a beautiful blustery day.

A pair of gannets above the colony on Bull Rock

A favourite image of mine, this heron was fishing for his breakfast as I was just finishing up a dawn shoot. As I returned to my car, I noticed him, but had already put all my equipment away. I debated whether to haul it all out again, as Murphy's Law would indicate that he would fly away as soon as I had everything ready.
Thankfully, I ignored my misgivings and made the effort. He was most co-operative, hanging around for a few minutes so I could pick my moment precisely!

A gannet hisses its displeasure at a rival on the Bull Rock.

The expanding gannet colony on the Bull Rock can be clearly seen here as the white area occupying nearly the entire southern side of the rock. The white dots around the island are the birds themselves.

A heron takes flight at the Old Weir Bridge on the Meeting of the Waters.