Rathlin Walk 3: the wildlife

Posted on September 23, 2022September 23, 2022 Posted in Coastal, General, Ireland, outdoors, wildlifeTagged bird photography, Coastal, coastal birds, country walking, Ireland, love photography, Nikon cameras, Nikon D7200, outdoor, Rathlin ferry, Rathlin island, Sigma 150-600 zoom, Sigma lens4 Comments

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.

Lockdown wildlife.

Posted on October 30, 2020 Posted in Coastal, General, Ireland, outdoors, wildlifeTagged Brent geese, Coastal, coastal photography, County Down, Curlew, Irelands wildlife, Kestrel, lockdown wildlife, Mudflats, Nikon cameras, nikon D750, Northern Ireland, portaferry, redshank, sea birds, sea shore, Sigma 150-600 zoom, Sigma lens, Snipe, Strangford lough, Wildfowl, wildlife photography6 Comments

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

Posted on October 14, 2020October 11, 2020 Posted in Black and White Wednesday., Coastal, Ireland, wildlifeTagged Bird watching, Black and white, black and white photography, Black and White Wednesday., Coastal, County Down, monochrome, monochrome photography, Mudflats, nature, nature photography, wild birds, Wildfowl, wildlife photography4 Comments

Had a few days break from work and was happy the sun decided to shine those few days. So I spent one of them at a few spots along the County Down coast. The tide was out and I was not counting on much wildlife on the mudflats. But the day left me with some grand photographs. So todays image is one of a Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) fishing in a fresh water stream that runs out through the mudflats.

So it turned out a enjoyable day and may you all enjoy your day.

George.

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

Data: f/6.3 @ 1/2000 sec: ISO 360, focal length 600 mm

Black & White Wednesday

Posted on August 19, 2020August 16, 2020 Posted in Black and White Wednesday., Coastal, General, Ireland, outdoors, wildlifeTagged Black and white, black and white photography, Black and White Wednesday., Castle Espie, child, Co.Down, Coastal, education, grandson, kids play, monochrome, monochrome photography, Newt, newt tadpole, Nikon cameras, Nikon D7200, Northern Ireland, ponds, Sigma 17-70 mm, Sigma lens, sunny days, WWT, wwt.orgLeave a comment

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.

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

Posted on July 22, 2020July 21, 2020 Posted in Black and White Wednesday., Coastal, Ireland, outdoors, wildlifeTagged Black and white, black and white photography, Black and White Wednesday., Castle Espie, Coastal, County Down, Nikon cameras, Nikon D7200, Northern Ireland, sea birds, seagulls, Secret Swamp, Sigma 17-70 mm, Sigma lens, Strangford lough, terns, Wildfowl, wildlife photography, WWT2 Comments

This weeks photograph comes from Castle Espie on the shore for Strangford lough County down. It is part of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust . Link below. After doing the wildfowl area it was into the Secret Swamp were my grandson informed me it’s where the swamp monsters live. So with a few near misses we make it through pass the wishing tree and into the woodland play ground. Along death defying log walks and through pipe tunnels into the safety of the walled fort, only the brave make it. I don’t think I would have made on my own….

The pipe tunnel where no man with a camera should go, only the little folk..

Castle Espie and WWT link: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/castle-espie#

Nikon D7200 with a Sigma 17-70 mm lens

Data: focal length 17 mm, f5 @ 1/60 sec ,ISO 500

Edited in Lightroom and finished in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

Thank you for visiting,

George.

Black and White Wednesday.

Posted on July 8, 2020July 7, 2020 Posted in Black and White Wednesday., Coastal, Ireland, irish landscape, outdoorsTagged Black and white, black and white photography, Black and White Wednesday., Coastal, Coastal town, irish sea, Killough, Killough windmill, Nikon cameras, nikon D750, old windmill, shore, Tamron sp 70-200, wavesLeave a comment

This weeks photography come from the small coastal town of Killough . It sit’s on the County Down coast looking across the Irish sea towards the Isle of Man. It shows the old windmill that overlooks the harbour end of the town from where this shot was taken.

Link to some history of Killough. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killough#Places_of_interest

Thank you for visiting,

Regards

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..

High tide seals.

Posted on March 20, 2020 Posted in 365 Shutter Release Challenge 2015, Ireland, outdoors, wildlifeTagged Coastal, County Down, gulls, Hightide, Mute swan, Nikon cameras, nikon D750, seagulls, seals, sigma 150-600, Sigma lens, Wildfowl, wildlife, wildlife photography4 Comments

It was high tide on the County Down coast and I knew then would be little happening concerning wildlife. But also knowing high tide brings the seals to Cloghy rocks. It was a high tide has it covered the rock but the seals were there.

Heads and tails has they lay on the rocks below.

Next a couple of gull shots.

Blackheaded gull still in winter plumage.

Herring gulls.

The old windmill overlooking Portaferry.

And the final image a monochrome shot of a Mute swan taken on the Qouile River, Downpatrick.

Thank you for visiting and wherever you are stay safe.

George.

Mud Walker and Thank you..

Posted on December 22, 2019 Posted in Ireland, outdoorsTagged Coastal, County Down, Ireland, Mud, mud flats, photography, redshank, sea birds, sea shore, waders, wild birds, wildlife, wildlife photography9 Comments

Hello my friends, well the rain stopped and the sun make a weak showing. So nipped down to the County down coast which is a half hour drive from home. The tide was out and there where plenty on bird life around. but it was to far out on the mudflats for photography. Would have waited for the incoming tide to push them back to the shore but the light drops here around 3.30pm (2.45pm when I got there) and will be dark an hour later.

There were just a few Redshank’s close to the shore, feeding on whatever lives under this liquid mud. So without boring you I’ll post a few photos of these small waders.