Ring Necked Pheasant.

June 17, 2018George McNeill 12 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.

Youth Moto X.

May 26, 2018May 26, 2018George McNeill 9 Comments

Not far from where I live there is a Moto X track, today the Temple Motorcycle Club where running a youth meeting. It’s the first time I have been to a off road race in twenty years. I use to race in my teens but I think a couple of sun’s have burnt themselves out since then. We have had great weather this week and today it continued, so with the camera gear packed I walked over to the meeting. I can’t tell you who are in the photos has I did not have an event program. So here’s a few photos from today.

Love the expression on the young racers face standing beside the flag marshal.

Plenty of big air time off the jumps and in case you don’t notice I’ll point out the dust.

Getting artistic here, I focus on the post and then turn off the auto-focus on the lens.

You get a nice out of focus action shot.

Number 56 provided some great action.

A close up of a young teenager.

Had to do a B&W one.

Did I tell you about the dust. The racing was called off with 5 or 6 races still to be run due to the dust and wind. Visibility around the track got so bad it became unsafe for the riders to continue. So I’ll leave you with my final shots.

Thank you for visiting and feel free to comment, likes or dislikes.

George.

Sunset, The Mourne Mountains

May 12, 2018May 12, 2018George McNeill 2 Comments

Went for a short drive along the coast and the light was not great. Looking up at the Mourne mountains I decide to drive into the hills just North West from them and wait for sun set. Stopping at the view point called the Windy Gap, it wasn’t living up to its name last night. Just a light breeze which got cold has the sun set.

This first show’s the Drumlin’s (small rounded hills) with the Mourne’s in the background. Drumlin’s make up a lot of the country side in County Down.

This and the one below was take with at 200mm on a Tamron 70-200mm zoom lens just has the sun was starting to set.

The sun was setting behind me and the colour was in the clouds behind me. So I walked up a short lane way and took the next few shots.

It was at this point I packed up, I got the heater on in the car and sat and watched the last ray’s drop and pull the night down.

Thank you for visiting, please feel free to comment.

George.

The Red Fox.

April 29, 2018George McNeill 11 Comments

While out visiting the other evening we were seated in the kitchen having a coffee. “Look there’s a Hare in the field” my host said. Sitting in the evening sun was an Irish Hare, I had my camera in the car so I nipped out and got it hoping the Hare would remain in his present spot. Nope he was moving away from me down the field and I watched has he disappeared into the lower lying ground. Left standing at the side of the garage looking at the country side, feeling the warmth of the sun and the sound of the birds I thought ‘ better finish my coffee ‘ when movement caught my eye. Coming from the lower ground where the Hare went into. It’s returning was my first thought but when I looked through the camera it was a Red Fox walking straight towards me.

I stood still close to the garage and got a few shots off.

These were taken on a Sigma 150 – 600 mm lens and chopped in editing.

Most animals detect movement rather that detail, so he was getting closer has he stopped to mark his territory every twenty feet or so. Turning to my left he stopped and looked where I was standing.

At this point we were around 25 metres apart and I think he caught my scent. But seeing no threat he continued on. Crossing some marsh he was now heading away from me, a sound from higher ground made him stop and gave me a chance to get another shot.

A few moments later he disappeared into some shrub and was gone.

I waited around for a few minutes and the source of the noise he heard showed it’s self.

It was a hen and cock Ringed-necked Pheasant, I shot these has they walked across the field and up into some wooded land on my right.

Here’s a better look at the hen with her duller marking that help her to blend in to her environment while nesting. They can fly in short fast bursts if in danger and give a loud alarm call. They had left my line of vision for a minute or so and I heard the alarm call. Watching the line of the wood another fox came to view. This time crossing my right to left. I got a few shots but this time at a longer distance.

This was a different fox, it’s markings and the first had a slight limp from its front leg marks them apart. I know the first was a Dog or male fox by the way he marks his territory but at no time did I see this one do that. Which makes me think it was a vixen (female fox), I was in the open taking these and when it spotted me it stopped briefly and ran off into the lower ground from which the hare gone.

I shot many more photos that shown but just to see them was great. The Red Fox is Ireland’s only wild dog. Given they were shot for their fur these animals are very shy of humans.

A quick note on camera and lens: Nikon D7200 camera and the Sigma 150 – 600 mm telephoto zoom lens.

Thank you for visiting, I hope you enjoyed the post and feel free to comment, good or bad.

Take care,

George.

On the road again.

April 20, 2018George McNeill 10 Comments

On the road again and another few Irish photo rally photography’s in the bag.

Rally Map link : Irish photo rally map

Set off around 7.30 am on a bright dry but still cool Sunday morning from my home on the NE side of Ireland in County down. My first rally point was in county Longford. My satnav tells me its just under 3 hours away. I head west before turning south through County Cavan and into Co. Longford. Number 7 on the map and its an aqueductjust north of the village of Abbeyshrule.

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On the photo rally site they call this the Whitworth Aqueduct but the sign says..

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Maybe its got two names????

Has happens when doing the rally points the locals stop for a chat, wondering why motorcycles are turning up and photographs taken. most welcome the interest in their home area. Then it was down to the town of Athlone where I was meeting some friends for a coffee and a chat. Been a few months since we got together, a few of us will be going over to Wales in the UK for a few days later in the year. Another post.

The next stop was in the county of Kildare, number 9 on the map. Another canal, this time the Grand canal 3km north from the town of Monasterevin.

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MacCartney’s Lock and bridge over the Grand Canal in County Kildare. I was here I met a local man, 92 years young. A fresh looking man for his years who spent some time telling me about the lock and the near by mill. A story about a canal barge worker that was killed when a barrel of beer fell while unloading, senting the injured man into the canal where he drowned. I love the people i meet while travelling.

Photo rally 2018-2751.jpg Thatched cottages beside the lock.

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Lock gates holding the water back. For anyone not sure what a lock is, its where the water level differ due to a difference in land levels. There are gates at each end so if a Canal boat was going for the higher level to the lower, the gates at the lower end were closed and the upper slowly open which lets the lock fill up. The canal boat comes into the lock and the upper gates close. then the lower gates open and the water level drops and the canal boat is now at the lower level and sails out of the lock.

Turning north and my next stop was to stop in the town of Edenderry in Co.Offaly. Time to catch up over another coffee with a couple of friends before doing my last photo for the day. It was now raining hard, a wet ride a short distance north to the Hill of Down post office in County Meath.

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The hill of Down post office and shop and pub. Has you can see it’s still raining. I only got one photo here and has I was packing up another bike pulled in. So has I was to discover his name was Terry from the town of Ardee in County Louth. We sat talking bikes, motorcycle racing and traveling and the rain just got heavier. Saying goodbye and around 30 miles later the rain stopped. The next few hours was in dry and a fuel stop and a warm coffee, well it was getting cool and i like coffee. With both fuelled it was a relaxing ride north.

Thank you for visiting.

George.

A short drive.

February 25, 2018George McNeill 7 Comments

I’ve not posted for a couple of weeks due to a slight injury. I’m back driving but still limited in my walking. So with the sun shining and being house bound for a while I grabbed the camera and went along the coast for a short drive. Not many shots but still a beautiful day with bright sunshine and a cold wind. A couple of shots were taken taken from leaning on the open door for support and the rest seated in the car.

This first is of the common Buzzard with a crow heading his way to chase him off.

this was shot from the car park at Cloughy rocks. These rocks become small islands when the tide is out and today there was a lot of seals around. These two where on the closest one. We have two type of seals common here in Ireland. These are Grey seals pictured and the other the Common or Harbour seal.

This little Robin sat posing in the sun a few feet from where I was parked, he kept returning so here he is. They have a great voice and if you whistle back you will soon have a duet going.

This last one is looking across the bay to Killard Point Nature reserve. Killard point

From here the coast turns into the sun so following it around to the village of Clough. I turned north and the road home.

Thank you for visiting.

George

Killough harbour.

February 11, 2018George McNeill 4 Comments

This week has been a busy one plus the weather should be turning towards spring. With snow still falling in places and heavy rain and winds hitting others, its still winter. So with an hour to spare and a chance of fresh air I went to Killough on the county Down coast here in the northeast of Ireland. With grey sky’s and dull light on the land, landscape shots were out.

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With the tide on the rise this forgotten boat and the colour on the harbour wall caught my attention.

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With it’s moorings long gone and just the remains left I decided this would be in monochrome.

My next three where taken with a 600mm lens with a fence post used has a tripod.

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Shot from around 100 metres and chopped with very little post processing. I could spend all day shooting gulls in flight. I you every watch a master working in their craft, then gulls are the masters for flight using the medium of air to paint their path.

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The colour’s nature has painted over time and the textures left by the stone masons tools has they shaped the blocks for the harbour wall. The worn steps reshaped with cement, the rusted and coloured metal handrail. It was all this texture and colour that pulled my eye to this shot.

Thank you for visiting, feel free to comment.

Take care,

George

Rising mist.

January 12, 2018January 12, 2018George McNeill 8 Comments

Was going to sea my daughter and was passing the Spa lough, there was heavy fog that morning but by the afternoon it was lifting. So has I passed the lough I had to grab a couple of photograph before the mist was gone.

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and my last one in monochrome.

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Thank you for visiting.

First sunset 2018

January 1, 2018George McNeill 4 Comments

Still cold here with a wind that would cut through you. But it was dry and the sun was out. So took a half hour drive over to the coast on the County Down. With the tide and wind sculpting the sand around the rocks I got these before a rain shower blew in.

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After this was shot the rain started and I watched the first day of the year get overtaken by the dark.

Thank you for visiting,

George

Another one over.

December 30, 2017December 30, 2017George McNeill 4 Comments

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The above photograph was taken from my car of a Grey Heron that was meal hunting till I disturbed him. I took a couple of shots and left him in peace. It was a funny old day, I spend five days of the holidays in my bed due to illness dying with Man Flu. So not having seen my daughter or grandson over Christmas I was going to see them but they were out. So I went a few mile down the road to Dundrum inner bay. With the tide out so was the wildlife, can you see a pattern here. Yea no one home…..

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Bar this little chap here, not rare to see but not too common around here. A Greenshank. Another person I meet was called Leslie who stopped for a chat before going off to try for a shot a few mile around the coast of the sun setting.

He left me his web address so I could have look at his work, Leslie is a Photographer shooting landscapes, weddings and more. Has you will see his landscape shots are around the Mourne mountain area and well worth a look. Stunning is what I called them.

A link to his web site. Mourne Mountain Photography

Please do check out Leslie’s work. So after we parted I’m back where I started with the Grey Heron. A text to my mobile/cell informed me my daughter was home. So needing a coffee and with my grandad head on, it was off to play with whatever Santa had left my grandson for Christmas. Which I can report kept us amused till his bed time.

So another year almost gone, I want to thank you all for your support, comments and likes. May you get your dreams and wishes in 2018, leave those fears here in 2017. All the best my friends.

George McNeill.

George McNeill Photography

Photographers – Think Differently..

Tag County Down

Ring Necked Pheasant.

Youth Moto X.

Sunset, The Mourne Mountains

The Red Fox.

On the road again.

A short drive.

Killough harbour.

Rising mist.

First sunset 2018

Another one over.