Rathlin Walk 3: the wildlife

Posted on September 23, 2022September 23, 2022 Posted in General, wildlife, outdoors, Ireland, CoastalTagged outdoor, Nikon D7200, love photography, Ireland, bird photography, country walking, Sigma lens, Rathlin island, Sigma 150-600 zoom, Nikon cameras, Coastal, Rathlin ferry, coastal birdsLeave a comment

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.

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)?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 .

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.

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

Posted on September 30, 2020September 29, 2020 Posted in Black and White Wednesday., Coastal, General, Ireland, outdoors, wildlifeTagged bird photography, Black and white, black and white photography, Black and White Wednesday., coastal photography, monochrome, monochrome image, monochrome photography, Motacilla alba, Nikon cameras, nikon D750, pied wagtails, sigma 150-600, Sigma lens, wild birds, wildlife photographyLeave a comment

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.

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

Posted on June 17, 2020June 13, 2020 Posted in Black and White Wednesday., Ireland, outdoors, wildlifeTagged bird photography, Bird watching, Black and white, black and white photography, Black and White Wednesday., black headed gulls, coast, Coastal, County Down, Irish birdlife, mud flats, sea birds, seagulls, Shore life, Strangford lough3 Comments

This weeks black & white image was taken on the shore of Strangford Lough in County Down in Northern Ireland. The photograph shows a Black Headed gull drinking from a small river that flows into the lough. The gull is in its summer plumage where the head is a dark brown to black colour with a white ring around part of the eye.

Black headed gull, summer plumage. ( Chroicocephalus ridibundus)

Camera: Nikon D7200

Lens: Sigma 150 – 600 mm telephoto lens

metadata: f 7.1 at 1/800 sec: ISO 250

edited in Lightroom and finished in Nik Silver efex pro 2

Thank you for visiting and please comment.

George..

Early Mornings

Posted on April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 Posted in General, Ireland, irish landscape, outdoors, wildlife, woodsTagged bird photography, Bird watching, Blogging, Chaffinch, country walks, County Down, Dunnock, history, Ireland, Mistle Thrush, Mountains, Mourne mountains, Northern Ireland, outdoors, photography, roe, Roe deer, wildlife, wildlife photography5 Comments

My how life has changed for most of us, restrictions, work closures and social distancing to name a few. So for the last six weeks I’ve been at home, fuel prices are down the weather is great but I can’t go anywhere. Travel restrictions are in force so traveling to the coast is not going to happen. I have been walking in my local area and get out for sunrise most morning. I walk in a local wood for a few hours and explore trails that take me away from the beaten path. I don’t carry my camera every morning but will use my mobile/cell to photograph sunrise’s and landscapes in the woods. I post to Instagram most days, link at the bottom of the page. So any photos on this blog are taken with my Nikon DSLR. The following where taken over a period of time.

This shot is across County Down with the Mourne mountains in the back ground.

The remains of a small hill farm for days long gone.

Been trying to find out more about this Cross on a distance hill. (most of this photos are shot with a telephoto lens which creates a compressed perspective). I have been told it was a site of a Mass rock. Link: Mass rock

Will be finding out more about this cross and I have to find if there is public access to it.

A cool frosty morning in this shot with frost lying on the fields in the foreground and the hills on the other side of Belfast in the background. A view around 25 miles away. The next shot is to the west and is of Scrabo Tower above the town of Newtownards in County Down. Again this would be around 25 mile away. Link: Scrabo

Given the warm weather we have been having and the cold nights we get the valley’s full with mist early morning and late evening.

Where I grew up in Ireland these mists were known has ghost mists due to the distortion effect on objects around you. If you saw somebody walk into the mist you would understand why….

Going to finish the landscape side with another old hill farm shot, this you can just see through a gap in the trees.

Next a few of the wild life I have managed to photograph on my walks.

A one legged Mistle Thrush. Link : Mistle Thrush

Dunnock: Dunnock

Chaffinch: Link Chaffinch

A young buck and doe deer.

These photographs are of Roe deer. I was lucky to get these shots has the first sight or smell of humans and they disappear . I still had my camera in hand has I make my out of the woods, just rounding a bend I spotted them feeding. I slowly pushed into the foliage beside me and stood still. Having a 150 – 600mm lens on the camera helped me get these shots.

I have a list of the birds and animals still to photograph, so my early morning walks will continue while work is suspended.

Thank you for joining me on my walk.

Stay safe and well.

George.

What’s happening on this site.

Posted on March 14, 2020 Posted in General, Ireland, outdoors, wildlifeTagged bird photography, Bird watching, birding, Birds, County Down, Ireland, Northern Ireland, photography, sea birds, sea shore, Shore life, Strangford lough, wild birds, wildlife photography9 Comments

Here we are in March 2020 and I’m writing the first blog post of the year. It’s been a busy couple of years here in my world. Had and have some plans for the site for the start of the year but I’m a little behind, now we have the Coronavirus ( COIID-19) spreading across the world. With every aspect of life effected some of my projects might have to be sidelined for awhile depending on travel restrictions.

So I have been out a few times with the camera around the coast here in Northern Ireland, so below are some for the birds wintering here.

Ringed plover.

Black headed Gull

Barred tailed Godwits

Little Egret

Brent Geese

These were all taken at Strangford lough. Here

Thank you for visiting and hope you enjoyed my images, please comment on this post.

George

Water babies.

Posted on May 19, 2019May 19, 2019 Posted in General, Ireland, outdoors, wildlifeTagged 1.4 converter, Bathtime, beach, bird photography, Birds, blog, Blogging, Coastal, Common Crow, County Down, gulls, Hooded crow, nature, nature photography, Nikon cameras, Northern Ireland, outdoors, sea birds, seagulls, Sigma lens, water, water babies8 Comments

While photographing birds around the coast I noticed birds washing in the incoming tide. So here are some images taken around the County Down coast.

All photograph’s taken with a Nikon D7200 plus a Sigma 150 – 600 lens with a Sigma 1.4 converter and edited in Lightroom.

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Time to dry out.

Next up is a Hooded Crow or a Grey Backs has they are locally known.

Deep dive.

Next two photographs of a Common Crow.

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He looked like he was enjoying that..

Next the gull that thought he could stop the waves.

First a warm up.

Command the wave to stop.

STOP.

More practice required.

Hope you all enjoyed bath time.

Thank you all for stopping, feel free to comment you likes or dislikes.

George

Black and White Wednesday

Posted on February 20, 2019 Posted in Black and White Wednesday., outdoors, wildlifeTagged beach, bird photography, Bird watching, Birds, black & white, black and white photography, Black and White Wednesday., Blogging, County Down, Grey Wagtail, monochrome, monochrome photography, nikon, Nikon cameras, outdoors, Rocks, sigma, Sigma lens, wildlife, wildlife photography2 Comments

This week’s photo was taken last summer on a beach on the County Down coast. It is a Grey Wagtail sitting on a litchen covered rock.

IMG_20180127_201912_183 Enjoy your day and thank you for visiting.

Ring Necked Pheasant.

Posted on June 17, 2018 Posted in wildlifeTagged bird photography, County Down, Ireland, Irish wildlife, mating call, nature, nature photography, nikon, Nikon D7200, Northern Ireland, outdoors, pheasant, Pheasant call, Ring-necked Pheasant, sigma, Sigma lens, wildlife photography, Wildlife uk12 Comments

Had the pleasure one evening watching a Ring necked Pheasant as it and a couple of hen Pheasants fed while crossing some scrub ground. While the hens kept under cover in the longer grasses the cock remained in the open, like me was keeping watch.

Here he stands in the warm evening sun light showing off his well tailored suit and face markings.

They make a range of sounds has they communicate with each other, from crowing to beating there wings. Sometimes both at the same time.

The above sequence of shots show the wing beating without the crowing. Below a couple of photographs from him crowing Pheasant calling

These Photographs where taken over a half hour period where I used a fence post has a make shift tripod. Shot with a Nikon D7200 and a Sigma 150 – 600 mm Telephoto lens. Processed and cropped in Lightroom. My last shot of the evening was where I caught him crossing a break in the ground cover and the warm light on his back.

I put the camera down and spent the last ten minutes just enjoying the scene.

Hope you have enjoyed seeing this beautiful bird with me and thank you for visiting.

George.

Portmore Lough

Posted on May 20, 2018May 20, 2018 Posted in wildlifeTagged bird blind, bird hide, bird photography, Bird watching, Black-veined butterfly, butterfly, common terns, damselfly, gulls, irish birding, irish loughs, Irish wildlife, lough, nesting rafts, nikon, Nikon D7200, Portmore lough, red damselfly, RSPB, Sigma lens, Sparrow, terns, water fowl, wild birds, wildlife photography5 Comments

Portmore lough is in County Antrim here in the north of Ireland. It is one of the RSPB nature reserve’s I like to visit Portmore a few times a year. Spring time brings in the Common Tern to the nesting rafts on the lough and so on a hot sunny spring day ( note these are not words we use a lot in Ireland ) I arrive at the reserve. With only a few cars parked up it meant the hide by the lough would be quiet. The walk to the hide showed butterflies and damselflies were out, but a breeze blowing made closeups difficult.

Blue Damselfly. Getting a shot of this was hard work, even this one could have been sharper.

Yep it’s a red Damselfly. These seemed to land on the ground which helped with the wind, but hard on the knees.

Black-veined white butterfly. This one is a little battered, it was the only shot I got plus a workout. Then it was into the bird hide or bird blind depending when you are from. Two women were there and after a short update on what was seen I set up the camera. There are three nesting rafts and has well as Common Tern’s there was Blacked Gulls nesting.

A Common Tern bring in lunch. I sat and watched the coming and goings around the rafts for an hour. I find by spending time studying these birds, patterns arise. This helps to get photographs, so lets meet the Common Tern and Black Headed gull.

This photograph shows the Common Tern ( left) and the Black Headed Gull.

This gull is a young immature Black headed gull. On the way back to the car park I stopped close to the feeders and shot this Sparrow.

I believe this is a House sparrow. So it was back to the car and pack my gear away and the 40 minute drive home.

Thank you for visiting.

George.

Garden birds.

Posted on March 10, 2018March 10, 2018 Posted in wildlifeTagged bird food, bird photography, Bird watching, Blue tit, Coal Tit, garden birds, Ireland, Irish birdlife, Irish wildlife, nikon, Nikon D7200, photography, Robin, Sigma lens, Sparrow, wildlife photography6 Comments

So after my short problem walking I’m back to form. Earlier this week while being a little fitter to move I shot some birds in the garden. With a few feeders near by it was a matter of waiting to see where their waiting perch was. So installing myself in a large bush close by I settled in. Giving the birds some time to get used to me there, soon they ignored me. Shooting with a Nikon D7200 ans Sigma 150-600 mm lens on a mono-pod I could get some close up shots.

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So first up is a Robin which is a ground feeder and gets the seed and nuts that others drop from the feeders. They are happy around humans and come close. While working in the garden they will perch on tools waiting for you to turn up insects or grubs. Flying down around your feet for a free meal.

Here we have the House Sparrow with some hair from the ponies in the field beside me. The lining for a nest somewhere close by. Known to nest in some of the out buildings. Below are a few more different poses of them.

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The marking above the eye on this Sparrow shows its still a juvenile.

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Another Robin.

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This one is a Coal Tit, look closely and see a nut being felled between his feet. They hold it there while they peck at it.

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I could not get a shot of the smallest of the Tit family away from the feeder. So had to settle of this one of the Blue Tit.

Time for a coffee, I hope you enjoyed your time watching a few garden birds.

Thank you for visiting,

Take care.

George

George McNeill Photography

Tag: bird photography

Rathlin Walk 3: the wildlife

Black & White wednesday

Black & White Wednesday

Early Mornings

What’s happening on this site.

Water babies.

Black and White Wednesday

Ring Necked Pheasant.

Portmore Lough

Garden birds.