A Scotsman is making balloon birds so realistic they could be mistaken for their real-life counterparts.

Terry Cook, 32, spent hours perfecting the inflatable sculptures to make them look like the real thing.

The 3D animation lecturer took his inspiration from a lifelong interest in magic and an obsession with all kinds of birds.

"I am obsessed with birds and animals and have been since I was a child," Terry said.

"I have an interest in magic tricks, and from that an interest in balloon modelling developed.

"A few years back my niece had a birthday party and I was asked to make some balloon animals, all the kids loved it and it spurred me on to do it a bit more.

"I used to just make all the classic balloons like dogs, elephants and swans, but then I thought it would be cool to try and make something out of the ordinary."

Terry, who lives in Aberdeen and also breeds birds, says his collection includes a heron, a woodpecker and his favourite - a blue tit.

"My favourite one is the blue tit, just because it was the first one I made, and it looked quite cute when it was finished," he continued.

"I can remember staring at swifts in the sky for ages when I was a kid and my folks laughing at how into them I was.

"I was curious as to why you never saw them perching in trees or on the ground."

Terry can make all the traditional balloon animals with minimal effort, but the birds take him a bit of time because he is "not a pro".

He makes the birds in is free time and despite the time they take to make, he loves the rewarding feeling he gets after finishing a piece.

"They can take a couple of hours to make because I just make it up as I go along," he added.

"It can be difficult figuring out how to get the right shape, and by the end of it your absolute sick of hearing them squeaking against each other.

"I can hear the sound of latex squeaking in my sleep sometimes."

Terry is passionately against irresponsible littering and emphasised that he properly disposes the balloons after each of his projects.

He said: "So many man-made products will be here long after we die, and are equally as harmful as balloons, but because balloons are actively released into the environment by people who are ignorant of the damage they cause.

"People then perceive balloons as an overall bad thing.

"The issue comes from careless discard and irresponsible disposal of these products, not so much their use.

"I love creating the balloon birds but disposing of the plastic properly is the most important part of the project."