I came across this female kestrel in an old mill tower early one morning near Kinvara in Co. Galway two years ago. It was hard to believe it was dead – there wasn’t a mark on it, and it didn’t feel stiff. It was almost as if someone had just laid it out on the rock. However, I’d been close by recording a sunrise time-lapse for a couple of hours beforehand, so the bird had arrived at least the day before.