Rathlin Walk 3: the wildlife

My last post was about the walk out to Rue lighthouse. This is the photographs of the wildlife I took while out on the trail. I hopefully will give them the right I.D, so I hope you enjoy the photos.

So the first photos show the Eider duck.

Eider Duck.

Next up is three photos of a Curlew ( NUMENIUS ARQUATA)

A few more minutes along the coast a few more ducks showed up, I think these might be Male Mallard (eclipse) and a Wigeon (rufous female) at the back. The next photo is of a Wigeon (rufous female)?

Wigeon

The first bird to be photographed has I move away from the coast is a Stonechat (male) sitting on a wire fencing.

Male Stonechat

The Coot is up next, this is a very common bird here in Ireland found on all types of water ways.

Coot.

The next bird I post on my last blog post has a Golden eye, after looking closer I think it’s a female Tufted Duck

Tufted Duck

I’m now off road and walking up towards the clipp top trail when I hear the call of a Buzzard (BUTEO BUTEO)

Buzzard

Buzzard

Just before the cliff top trail a flock of Curlew’s flew pass.

Curlews in flight

The next batch of photographs were taken from the ruin cottages down by the coast near Rue lighthouse

Rock Pipit.

Seals and Eider Ducks

The walk back to Church Bay was by road, and it along the first mile this photo’s were taken.

Again I heard the call of Buzzards, this time there was two riding a thermal over the hills I had just walked. They were at the limit of my lens but I got this shot above.

This I’m not sure off but might be the Devil’s – bit Scabious.

Black Bird male. these birds will start to change their diet at this time of year. Feeding on more fruits in this case black-berries .
Common Carder bee

I have just got back to walking along the coast, a small sandy beach nests in the rocky coast line. I blimb down a take a seat on a sandy bank at it’s edge. It’s from here I get some of the small waders feeding here.

Dunlins feeding along the waters edge.

The last two images are Little Ringed Plovers .
I believe the two images above are of a Rock Pipit.

These are the last birds I photographed before entering the village. Again I’ll leave you with this photo of the Kelp house .

thank you for viewing

George mcNeill.

Black & White Wednesday

Hello to my visitors, hope you are all keeping well where-ever you are in our crazy world. This week I would like to meet a home invader. Been caught in my living room, sitting on my sofa, in my kitchen. But is always welcome to come in and get petted. So the other morning I was going out to the coast to do some photography, it was sitting on the doorstep and the sun was reflecting off the white van. So I grabbed the camera and took three or four photos. I turned one into this weeks B & W image. It was only when I looked at the finished photo I thought this is a grumpy looking cat. But it a very friendly and adores getting attention. Did you notice it sits with a front paw up like you would see some dogs do. It always sits like this, at first I thought it might have a sore paw ( hence the grumpy look) but seems to walk and run ok.

Grumpy cat..

So this my house invader, always welcome to come in.

I used a Nikon D7200 fitted with a Tamron 70 – 200 mm SP lens.

Photo data: f/4, 1/60 sec shutter speed. ISO 100 and lens focal length 78 mm.

Thank you for visiting and be kind to all living things.

George.

Black & White Wednesday

I have been looking back through some image files stored on a back up hard drive. So this weeks image was taken in London a few years back. His name is Ralph a Miniature Schnauzer and belongs to my daughter. A little dog with great character who loves attention and to play but would never make a guard dog. He would be putting you out in front to defend him.

Ralph.

Thank you all for visiting,

stay safe and well,

George.

Lockdown wildlife.

First I hope you are all keeping well and safe where ever you are in the world. Here in the north of Ireland we are back in a four week lockdown but we can still go out to exercise. So when the weather allows I pack the camera and head for the coast. I’m lucky that I have some great mud flats where the sea birds and wading birds feed within a 30 – 40 minutes drive. So the following photographs have been taken over the last few weeks along the County Down coast. Most of them have been shot with a Nikon D750 camera fitted with the Sigma 150 – 600 mm telephoto lens, some handheld and others using a tripod fitted with a gimble head. The following link is a great site for bird information here in Ireland and the UK. https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/curlew/

The above is the Curlew ( Numenius arquata) taking off , great fun to watch has they sprint up to take off speed.

Here we see the Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) it’s a very distinctive bird with it’s bold black and white plumage, orange beak and legs but most of all that blood red eye.

Next the Brent goose ( Branta bernicla) This small goose  is similar in size to a mallard duck. Can be hard to get good photographs with the eye showing because of the dark coloured neck and head. With the setting sun behind me it was just right this evening. They are always in a flock and the on singled out here is seen drinking.

The Snipe(Gallinago gallinago) this is a bird that is getting rare to see here, it’s numbers have declined over the years. When I was a kid at school ( a long time ago) these where common and seen over most marshes daily. I was surprised to see two of them together. The Brent geese disturbed them and these one flew closer to me and nested down into the seaweed.

The Redshank (Tringa totanus) gets it’s name from it’s most distinctive features, their bright orange-red legs. I find these are one of our most common birds along this part of the coast. They can be found in large flocks or today just a few feeding on the incoming tide.

The next photographs where taken from my van when I saw this Kestrel just for the road side. I pulled over and shot a few frames before it moved off.

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) these are a small falcon and are often seen as here along the road sides hovering looking for small prey.

The colour is a little weak in these photographs of the Kestrel with the bright sky behind them but since they were part of the coast outings I included them.

Thank you for visiting and I’ll leave you with a image of Portaferry across Strangford lough.

Brent geese with Portaferry in the back ground and Windmill hill on the right.

George.

Black & White wednesday

This week we’re off to the coast and a small black and white bird called a Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba) is the subject. They are a common bird here in Ireland and the UK and can be seen all year round. They can be found almost any where, from coast to city centres. When standing they frantically wag their tail up and down or dashing across the ground in search of food.

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba).

Camera: Nikon D750 with a Sigma 150-600 mm lens

Data: 1/800 sec @ f/6.3: ISO 320

Lens focal length: 600 mm

Stay safe,

George.

Black & White Wednesday

This weeks photograph is Lambeg parish church. It sits on the banks of the River Lagan a few miles from Lisburn. The first church dates back to 1598 with the possibly of one going as far back as 1306.

The oldest tome stone found in the graveyard dates back to 1626.

History link: http://www.s118536411.websitehome.co.uk/churches/Lisburn-churches/lambeg-parish-church.html#:~:text=HISTORY%20%2D%20Lambeg%20Parish%20Church,the%20tower%2C%20was%20completely%20rebuilt.

Camera: Nikon D7200 with a Sigma 17 – 70 mm lens

Data: ISO 100, f/16 @ 1/2 second

Focal length 17 mm.

Thank you and stay safe,

George

Black & white Wednesday

I took this photograph of Max about 4 years ago when I lived in County Monaghan here in Ireland. We would go on early morning walks around some of the local lough’s. He was in need of a trim has his wet muddy hair shows this up here. Just look at his face, eager to get back moving through the fields.

Wet and muddy, a happy dog.

Hope he is still enjoying his walks, been a few years since I last seen him.

Take care and stay safe.

George.

Photo data: Nikon D7200 with a Sigma 17 – 70 mm lens.

1/100 sec @ f/4: focal length 70 mm : ISO 400

Black and White Wednesday

This shot was taken in Porthmadog, North Wales a couple of years ago. It’s one of the engines used on the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway.

We traveled up to the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog which once was the slate capital of Wales. The slate quarried here has roofed buildings all over the world.

Ffestiniog railway

Photo details: Camera Nikon D7200 with a Sigma 17-70 mm lens.

f/5 @ 1/160 sec, ISO 100 Lens focal length 28 mm.

Thank you,

George.

Black & White Wednesday

Another photograph from a trip to Castle Espie with my grandson Conor. This was taken where they have raised ponds planted out to suit different wildlife. Along the edges there are signage with drawings and the names of what lives in the ponds. So this is me getting a lesson on the newt tadpole that can be found in this pond.

Newt Tadpoles live in here.

Info: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/castle-espie

Camera: Nikon D7200 with a Sigma 17 – 70 mm lens.

Data: Shot at f2.8, ISO 125 @ 1/1600 second and lens focal length 70 mm.

Thank you for visiting.

George.

Black & White Wednesday

In parts of Ireland people believe that the spirits of the dead still live within the ruins of their homes.

Who am I to disagree with them. This shot taken through a gap in the trees with a telephoto lens and shows a small stone homestead with out houses built onto the main house. It possibly had a thatched roof when built and since this is hill country it would have been hard to live of the land here. Today it’s mostly sheep on the hills with some cattle on land that has been cleared and reseeded for better grazing.

The spiky looking plants in the foreground is soft Rush. these use to used for light at night in poorer house holds. Here is a link to there use: https://www.libraryireland.com/SocialHistoryAncientIreland/III-XVII-9.php

Camera :Nikon D7200 . Lens : Sigma 150-600 telephoto.

Data: ISO 500, f9 @ 1/250 second. Focal length 240 mm.

Thank you for visiting.

Stay safe,

George.