A horror author at the scene of the spooky happenings

A few days ago I had a freaky experience outside the Ulster Museum, Belfast while filming birds. My son and I noticed that a bird was flying in and out of a gap in the wall and bringing back worms each time. As we approached the wall, we heard cheeping and quickly realised that there must have been a nest within the dark interior. My son wanted to see the nest, so I put my phone against each of the three gaps in turn to take photos with the flash on.

What could spook a ‘seasoned’ horror author? As a writer of ghost horror, and avid horror movie fan, I don’t scare easily. After taking the three images, my son and I went home, so I didn’t look at the photos until later. Here are the photos. Just to let you know, I haven’t used any filters on these photos at all. Read on if you dare…

Photo 1: Not much through the first gap. Was there a hint of tail? Maybe better to try the next gap.

A promising hint of bird or nest…

Photo 2: The next picture was looking more promising. A clear tail sticking up. Maybe the next gap would reveal the nest…

Photo 3: The nest? Nope, but what is that? A spooky face, rather angry top, blocking the view of the nest. Could this be a warning to stop disturbing the birds with my intrusive flash photography?

No filter used: a spooky face peering out of the gap

What do you think? A ‘spectre of death’ as a warning to back off, or merely a ‘spec of dirt’ dangling above the nest? Feel free to share your thoughts!

Posted by on May 20, 2025 in Random stuff and tagged , , , , , .

Leave a comment

Unknown's avatar

About Leilanie Stewart

Leilanie Stewart is an award-winning author and poet from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She writes ghost and psychological horror, as well as experimental poetry. Her writing confronts the nature of self; her novels feature main characters on a dark psychological journey who have a crisis and create a new sense of identity. She began writing for publication while working as an English teacher in Japan, a career pathway that has influenced themes in her writing. Her former career as an Archaeologist has also inspired her writing and she has incorporated elements of archaeology and mythology into both her fiction and poetry. In addition to promoting her own work, Leilanie runs Bindweed Anthologies, a creative writing publication with her writer husband, Joseph Robert. Aside from publishing pursuits, Leilanie enjoys spending time with her husband and their lively literary lad, a voracious reader of sea monster books.

Leave a comment