The birdie place.

Okay so I thought I’d go up to Portmore Lough in County Antrim. It is a RSPB reserve. ( RSPB ) Spent time in the hide on the lough shore, talking to some of the people who help in the running and up keep of the reserve. Below are a few of the photographs.

 

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Frist up is a Great Tit ( Parus major ) at one of the feeding stations , these are right beside the walkways and a great place to see and photograph birds up close.

 

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Whooper Swans (Cygnus columbianus) in flight, There where around 60 – 100 of these swans on the lough but all at the far side well out of camera range. Most of these birds migrant here from there breeding grounds in Russia.

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I salute you, a male Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) on a floating platoon grooming.

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The Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) in its duller winter Plumage. Sometimes a hard bird to follow has it dives for fish and resurfaces else where.

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House sparrow (Passer domesticus) These little birds are a gardener’s friend has they feed on unwelcome insects. Also one of the most successful birds has it is found in nearly every country in the world.

So will leave you with this little fellow.Who just had to be the first in the queue.

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The Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Thank you for visiting .

George.

 

Lake Muckno

Sunday evening and it looked like it was going to be a lovely sunset, so took a drive over to Lake Muckno in Country Monaghan. Any clouds in the evening sky must have went else where has the sunset, the sky went flat. So shot a few Black and white photos. With interesting trees and the last on the sun has it dropped into the hills. With the camera on the tripod I got this shot.

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I love the beauty in these twisted limbs as if they were drawn in a quick sketch. A short walk saw me looking over a short stretch of water at what I think is the water skiing club.

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Has I drove home over higher ground I saw the last of a beautiful sunset in the direction of my home.

Thank you for visiting.

The lough’s edge

With a few days of freezing weather and mist over the lough it has started to freeze over.

Here are a few photographs from the lough edge.

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With a heavy frost build up on the plants and the waters freezing over it gives a whole new look and feeling to the place.

Thank you for visiting.

332/365 Shutter release challenge

Reed Swan

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When out working around the garden I like to keep the camera handy, A couple of swan’s landed on the lough at the gardens edge. Walking down I got stood still till they got use me and managed to get a couple of shots before leaving them to their feeding. This shot was taken through some reeds which I did knowing they would be out of focus. I like the effect of them framing the  swan.

Thank you for viewing

326/365 Shutter release challenge

Lough mist

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I’m lucky that where I live has a large number of these small loughs. The cool nights brings lovely morning mists over the loughs. Here we have the last of the mist has it gets burned off by the sun. I love down by the loughs with the wildlife and birds calling and rumbling around the undergrowth. Just to sit and watch the landscape as it gets painted has the mist lifts, its priceless. At this lough the hill in the photo is topped with a fairy fort, a circle of trees.

Thank you for visiting

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Quoile Bridge

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Quoile bridge on the River Quoile near Downpatrick, Co.down Northern Ireland.

This is part of the nature reserve on the Quoile river, It use to be a tidal river but a sea wall across the river now keeps the river level even for most of the year.

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