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)
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.
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.
These are the last birds I photographed before entering the village. Again I’ll leave you with this photo of the Kelp house .
It’s been a couple of weeks since my walk on Rathlin, the weather was grey and heavy rain has I left home. It rained for most of the 80 mile trip to Ballycastle to catch the 8.30am ferry across to the island. But half a hour before the ferry was due to leave the sky cleared and a beautiful morning took it’s place. The 35 minute crossing was a little choppy with a strong breeze roughing the water. The sun was now reflecting bright from the white houses that line Church Bay has we came into the harbour.
It was time to remove my coat and enjoy the warmth of the morning sun, get a hat on to protect my naked head from the sun and wind.
A short walk and I’m leaving the main Church Quarter on the flat single track road that ends and gives way to the hills ahead.
The remains of the build on the right in the above photo is the Kelp house. It dominates the view for the next quarter mile. Before I get there I stop to get a few more photos. The beauty that surrounds you here make for a slow hike and a lot of photo opportunities. The colours turning to warm autumn tones, the sounds of the water kissing the shore fills a soul with contented peace.
Heading into the old building you get a feel of it’s size, the work that went into building the stone walls. The closeness of the sea and the views back towards the village.
I was going to show you the wildlife I photographed on this walk but it would make for a long blog post. so I’ll add a few and put the rest into another post.
So on with the walk, shortly after leaving the Kelp house the hills start. from the ferry to where I go off road to follow the Roonivoolin Trail is around 1.75 mile. This trail takes you across fram land and its livestock, so if you have a fear off cattle or sheep it’s probably not for you. The path starts along the side of a small lough where I spotted a coots and golden-eyes on the water.
The path is muddy and slippery underfoot has I follow the trail markers on the gentle climb towards the sea cliffs watched over by hardy hill sheep.
Another five mintues and you climb over a rickety stile and onto the cliff top walk. the path is a worn trail between a wire fence and a long drop. Watch your step, wet grass is slippery and I don’t fly like the gulls or crows that hug the cliffs.
The clouds are closing in and it looks like rain but with the company of a few woolly sheep leading the way I set off.
The walk is safe if you stick to the path beside the fence, and take time out to look at the views. I was sorry I didn’t bring a flask of coffee to enjoy my breaks as I sat on a rock with nothing but the sounds of nature, no man make sounds reached me here. Bar the sounds this one made, but that was only my body trying to get air into it…
The next set of photos are some of the splendid views across the island in all directions.
Has you can see from the heavy cloud cover it was looking like heavy rain coming in. Luckly it stayed on the mainland where there were heavy downpours, we remained dry on the island.
Where the crows sat is the point where you turn away from the cliffs and start a downhill walk back towards the road. Below to the right is my destination, the smugglers cottages and Ushet port.
Dropping downhill I had one more incounter with the wolly guardians of Rue. Just checking this human was leaving…
With another rickity stile to climb over and a final down hill walk I exit unto the road. Swinging right it was down hill to the cottage ruins. This is where i go into stealth mode. Around Ushet port seals come into here, so it’s keep the ruins beween them and me. There is a break in the rear wall of the cottage closest to them,once inside it’s off with the camera bag and set up with a 150 -600 lens. Using the building for cover i get some shots of the seals. Here a shot below, see how I’m greeted.
Right it’s time to make my way back to Church Bay, this time its a road walk. There are very few cars on Rathlin so its safe on the roads here.
The last few photos were taken on the walk back to the ferry. The rest of the wild life photos will be in another blog post. If you have lasted this long well done on coming with me on this walk, your are always welcome.
Back to Church bay and a visit to a chippie van, across to the beach and enjoyed the best chips/fries ever. On into the village and got a coffee to go, up to a little park area beside the church and sat enjoying my coffee. I still had a hour to kill before the ferry, I spotted the 3pm ferry getting ready so checked if I could change booking and was onboard in minutes. I sat on the upper outboard deck tucked in out of the wind, packed the camera away( I avoid the saltwater spray) and sat relaxing looking up at the cliffs I’d walked earlier in the day.
I’m going to leave you with two B & W photos I took on my walk back to Church Bay. Again thank you for joining me today.
Welcome to another B & W Wednesday, hope all is well in you in your part of the world. The norm of this post is a single photograph. I will be posting a few images if they are related to the day and place they where photographed.
So the location is in the Dromara hills close to my home. The morning was heavy fog but around 11.30 am the sun was burning it off and opening the views to that layered effect.
This was taken has I climbed up through Drumkerragh forest has the fog was thinning.
With the fog clearing quickly has I walked higher up into the forest the sound of crows and ravens filled the valley with there calls. Pairs flying from tree top to tree top it gave me a chance to get a few nice images. This one below is off a couple of Ravens on a dead tree.
Raven ( Corvus corax) is a member of the crow family.
In spring if you ever get the chance to watch Ravens do their courting flight, please watch them. They love to fly and at times you might think they have a death wish has they race towards the earth.
My next encounter was a small bird of prey, a Kestrel. I saw it sitting on a tree top and slowly made my way towards it. I lost sight of it and then has I rounded a group of trees there she sat. I got a few images has she sat looking around her but a bunch of twigs was spoiling them. Then she took off and came my way drifting on the breeze looking for prey. Nearly above me she started to hover and that’s when I got the following image.
Kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus ) belongs to the falcon family of birds.
These are another fun bird to watch has they hover in the sky looking for small prey on the ground, when spotted the drop at great speed onto there prey.
Welcome to another B&W Wednesday, the photograph this week of a Cabbage White butterfly. It was taken with a 150-600 mm telephoto lens. Using a telephoto lens allows you to stand well back from your subject, less chance of spooking them.
Shot in raw format and edited in LR with the final edit in Nik Silver Efex Pro.
Photographed using a Nikon D7200,
Sigma 150-600 mm lens.
ISO: 400, f8 , 1/800 sec. Lens focal length 550 mm.
My image this week is part of a Hawthorn tree. It was growing near the top of a hill and the rising sun was back lighting the young leaves. It makes a good colour image but my thoughts were the tones it would show in B&W. I’ll leave you to judge the image for yourself.
Nikon D7200 with a Sigma C 150-600 mm lens.
Shot at f5 using the 150mm setting on the lens and ISO 800.
Welcome to B & W Wednesday where I post a B&W photograph taken some time in the last month. This weeks image was picked because I loved the texture of the hair and the light reflecting in the eye.
It is the face of a cow, we came face to face at the top of a hill. Well not this close, She started to approach me and I shot a few images. This was edited in Lightroom and finished in Nik Silver Efex Pro, my favorite for black and white finishing.
Camera Nikon D7200 with a Sigma 150-600 lens. Shot at f5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO400 at 185mm focal length.
Went to bed Thursday night and the fields were green, woke Friday and the place is white. First snow of the year and it was evening before I could get time to head out of a walk around the local roads. There’s not a lot of great shots around here with it being just grazing and most of the old buildings pulled down and new homes replacing them. The one weekend it would have been great to be free I’m busy, snow just won’t last more that a few days here. Anyway back to a few photo’s.
Beside these trees there was a lovely old ruin, a home from over around 200 years ago with a little history.
Scroll down the page in the above link to read the story of this spot.
Not much traffic here.
Above details and textures.
Winter sun.
These next Photos I caught at the last minute and were shot to be silhouettes has I metered off the black bird with spot metering against the bright sky.
This next shot is not something I do often but I enjoyed creating this. It was taken down by one of the many small lough’s we have around here.
And we have some visitors here at the moment, Redwing’s migrate here for the winter along with the Fieldfare both members of the Thrush family.
Above this is the Fieldfare.
The Redwing is the one in the foreground.
The next set of Redwing photo’s see the bird spit out a Hawthorn seed from the berries they were feeding on.
Did not know till I process these photo’s I had caught this, all the bird shots where taken with a 600mm and chopped in production. One more to go.
In this photo we have three Fieldfare’s and one Starling, So spot the odd one out.
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