I know, the title of this post can be a bit misleading… If you know Dublin, then you could think that the photos I’m going to show you are from any Saturday night in Temple Bar or any other pub π But no, this post is about the other wild side of Dublin.
One of the things that I miss from Dublin is its incredibly rich wildlife. And I don’t mean that Zurich doesn’t have its own wildlife. In fact, Zurich has also a very varied fauna! But I don’t have it located yet… When I was living in Dublin, one of my favorite things was going to any park to photograph wild animals. Squirrels, little birds, swans, bees, deer, seals… any animal was good enough for me to photograph! I can’t say how many days I spent in Dublin just chasing urban wildlife… (you can see some of my older wildlife posts from Dublin here, here or here). I even did a little “project” a few years ago, when I spent more than a month visiting the fallow deer in Phoenix Park trying to document the rutting season of this magnificent animal…
So when I went to Dublin a few weeks ago, I knew I was going to pay a visit to these other Dubliners. I missed so much spending time alone with the fallow deer and the little squirrels!! Being alone with them, just in silence, trying to win their trust so you can get closer to them… it’s such a magical moment for me!
I took all these photos just in two locations. I went to Phoenix Park to visit the herd of fallow deer. And Herbert Park was my place to find and play with squirrels. Herbert Park was very changed and a lot of squirrels were gone, but I still could find some and take some photos…
Now that I’m back in Zurich, editing these photos and writing this post, I find myself missing these little fellas again… So I have a new resolution for this year: find more wildlife in Switzerland on my trips and around home!!
Here are some of the photos I took of Dublin’s urban wildlife. I hope you like them! π
PD: I think I mentioned my friend Blanca, aka @red_lullaby, before in this blog. She’s actually my best friend in Dublin and a very talented photographer. And she’s also a foodie, and a model, and… she’s such a great inspiration and support! Now she has started a new adventure as a blogger. And for one of her first posts, she has interviewed me!! It’s a great honor for me to be part of her project! And she has dedicated me the most beautiful words… So if you want to know a little bit about me, you can find this little interview in this link to her website (you can also subscribe to her blog via email!):
https://prettyrambles.wixsite.com/mysite/blog/mercedes-catalan
And now, the photos!! π
Grey squirrel. Canon EOS 1200D 250mm f/5.6 1/100sec. ISO200
Blue heron. Canon EOS 1200D 250mm f/5.6 1/100sec. ISO200
Fallow buck. Canon EOS 1200D 250mm f/5.6 1/250sec. ISO200
Under the winter sun. Canon EOS 1200D 169mm f/5.6 1/320sec. ISO200
The herd. Canon EOS 1200D 55mm f/4.5 1/200sec. ISO200
Strange friendships. Canon EOS 1200D 231mm f/5.6 1/200sec. ISO200
Handsome buck. Canon EOS 1200D 135mm f/5 1/200sec. ISO200
Mandarin Duck. Canon EOS 1200D 250mm f/5.6 1/80sec. ISO200
Mandarin Ducks. Canon EOS 1200D 250mm f/5.6 1/80sec. ISO200
Winter rose. Canon EOS 1200D 135mm f/5 1/200sec. ISO200
Chubby squirrel. Canon EOS 1200D 135mm f/5.6 1/160sec. ISO200
Grey squirrel. Canon EOS 1200D 250mm f/5.6 1/60sec. ISO200
Along the Grand Canal. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 70mm f/4 1/2000sec. ISO250
Robin. Canon EOS 1200D 250mm f/5.6 1/60sec. ISO200
Sweet post Mercedes. I love wildlife too. I once saw a doe in our complex and wondered how and why she wandered so far from the American River. Then neighbors told me they used to come through a lot. Now we mostly have wild turkeys. Take care.
Thanks a lot, Anne!! π I really missed all these guys! I had such great times in Dublin chasing squirrels and deer… Now in Switzerland I don’t see wildlife as often… Well, I see small birds of prey flying from my window almost every day, and I had a few encounters with deer and chamoix in the mountains, but they where so brief that I didn’t even had the chance to point them with the camera, not to mention, having the appropiate lens attached to it!! Visiting the deer in Dublin was one of the main reasons to visit the city again! And it was totally worth it! π
Now that I have the new telephoto lens, I hope these brief encounters are more common, if not a bit longer too, hehehe
Have a nice week, Anne! π