I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Istanbul recently. I fell in love with this vibrant city bridging Europe and Asia.  I spent most of the precious time I had looking at as many of the cultural sights as I could, however I could not help seeing some of the wildlife too. In Ireland I see the Hooded or Grey-backed Crow in the fields and woods, but in Istanbul they are town birds and everywhere. Istanbul is also well known for large numbers of gulls and I saw many including a beautiful Lesser Black Backed Gull with a red eye ring.

Grey-backed Crow

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Ornamental Gulls on roof!

Cormorants fly over the city rooftops. The Bosphorus that leads from the mediterranean to the Black Sea cuts through the heart of Istanbul dividing Europe from Asia. This wonderful waterway is lined with castles, palaces and beautiful houses.  It is also a perfect place for many birds including cormorants, gulls and Yelkouan Shearwaters that thread out in long lines over the surface of the water.  

Palace on the Bosphorus

Castle on the Bosphorus

House on the Bosphorus

Cormorants on the roof

Yelkouan Shearwaters

Yelkouan Shearwaters