Black & White Wednesday

This weeks photograph is taken at Castle Espie a WWT reserve here in Northern Ireland. It sit’s on the shore of Strangford lough, which is a sea lough on the east side of the country close to the town of Comber. The reserve was the site of the old Castle Espie brick and pottery factory. This photograph was take from the  Lime Kiln Observatory which is built on top of the old lime kiln’s.

Looking over one of the ponds in Castle Espie and the mud flats of Strangford lough.

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

Camera: Nikon D7200 Lens: Sigma 17-70 mm

Photo data: ISO 100: f8 @ 1/250 sec : Lens at 17mm.

Thank you for visiting,

George.

Black & White Wednesday

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.

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.

Killough windmill remains.

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

Thank you for visiting,

Regards

George.

Black & White Wednesday

Where I live cats seem to be popular pets, given the number that visit my home. Sitting outside having a coffee when this little cat came and sat at the wheel of my van. I got the camera half expecting it to be gone, but there it sat. I sat down on the lowest step at the door to take this photo. I tried to get it to come closer but no, it sat there just staring at me. Back to my coffee with those bright yellow eyes watching every move, a few minutes later it turned and disappeared under the van.

Photograph Data: Processed in Lightroom and finished with Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

Camera: Nikon D750

Lens: Sigma C 150 – 600 mm telephoto lens: Shot at 150 mm

Data: 1/15sec @ f/5 ISO 125

Thank you for visiting , enjoy your day.

George

Black & White Wednesday

This photograph was taken on one off my early morning walks in the Dromara hills. Shot using a Nikon D7200 with a Tamron SP 70 – 200mm len. Raw file edited in Lightroom and finished in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

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Looking across the Dromara hills to the Mourne mountains in the background.

Thank you for visiting.

George..

High tide seals.

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.

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Heads and tails has they lay on the rocks below.

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Next a couple of gull shots.

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Blackheaded gull still in winter plumage.

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Herring gulls.

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The old windmill overlooking Portaferry.

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

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Thank you for visiting and wherever you are stay safe.

George.

An evening on Slieve Croob.

It’s been a few years since i stood on the top of Slieve Croob, so with a warm dry evening I packed the camera and drove to the car park at the foot of the service road. This gives a short walk up a steep tarmac private road to the top just over a mile away.  Some things never change has the winds increase and the temperature drops on the climb upward. With the evening still bright I took my first photographs near the top with views across the Dromara hills with the Mourne mountains in the background.

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In the photograph above you can see the coastal town of Newcastle in County Down nested at the foot of the Mournes.

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With the evening rolling in you can see the start of an evening mist forming in the valley’s.

After a short climb up pass the communication masts you reach the top of Croob with it’s stone cairn and trig point.

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The remains of the Cairn on the right and the trig point on the left being lit with the warn light of a setting sun.

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I sat for a while in the lee of the cairn and enjoyed the silence and beauty has the sun set lower in the sky. Starting the walk back down I took a few more shots.

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Some more has I and the sun got lower..

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In this shot the dark line in the middle of the photo is the source of the River Lagan has it starts it’s journey to meet the sea at Belfast.

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My last shot of the evening has I was shooting hand held.

Thank you for joining me on my evening on Slieve Croob.

Water babies.

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.

 

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

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Deep dive.

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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.

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First a warm up.

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Command the wave to stop.

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STOP.

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More practice required.

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Hope you all enjoyed bath time.

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

George