Lockdown wildlife.

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

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.

Little Egret: Egretta garzetta

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

Going for gunpowder, another photograph from Castle Espie. On the way through the woods we passed the old gunpowder store. nothing would do but a look insider. Not sure if he found any and there was nothing on the evening news. So all good.

The gunpowder store Castle Espie.

I normally post one photograph each week on B & W Wednesday but this week I am posting another from Castle Espie. A view across Strangford lough to Scrabo Tower. I meant to post this with another view across Strangford lough I posted a few weeks back.

Looking across Strangford lough to Scrabo Hill.

Some info below:

https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/castle-espie

http://celtandkiwi.com/scrabo/

Thank you for dropping by.

George.

Black & White Wednesday

Another photograph from Castle Espie this week. The photograph is of the Wishing tree at the start/finish of the Secret Swamp. The young man running towards it is my grandson, I had asked him to sit at the bottom of the tree. But running was his option not sitting, way to much energy.

The Wishing tree at Castle Espie, County Down, Northern Ireland.

In the photograph he is slightly blurred due to a low shutter speed I had set for him sitting. But I still like the effect, his wish was to run fast. I think he was granted it.

Camera: nikon D7200 with a Sigma 17-70 mm lens.

Data: ISO 320 : f3.5 @ 1/30 second : lens focal length 39mm.

Thank you for visiting.

George McNeill.

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.

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.

The Peak District and Yorkshire.

So after leaving Wales I headed over to the Peak District in mid England.

The ride across to the Peak District was an enjoyable ride with a few detours due to road works. When time is not a problem I love detours, on the motorcycle I just take any road and see where it takes me. Sometimes I do this just for fun. I have seen great little gem’s of the country side by doing this or ended up in dead end’s or farm yards. It’s still great to explore to little roads.

So my destination was The Royal Oak in Hurdlow, Nr Buxton, SK17 9QJ,

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This was home for two nights staying in the Bunk Barn.

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The bunk rooms are up the stairs, they are clean and also have a small shared Kitchen area if you wish to cook or just make coffee, tea etc. Toilets and Showers below them has seen in the photo. Because the barn is built into a slope the bunk rooms are at ground level on the other side of the barn.

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Last year I camped here before going up to tour Scotland, saying it rained is an under statement. I never seen any of the Peak district. This year the ground was burnt with no rain for a couple of months.  Wales-1-140.JPG

Where most of my meals where had and a few pints of ale enjoyed. There was a large music festival due to start a few miles down the road. So it was busy and no shortage of people to chat to, it’s the thing I love when touring alone. The people I meet, local and others travelling. Some great true stories,  and others boasted by too much ale. You have got to love it.

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An old Ford Transit motor home owned by a family of festival goers.

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Red tailed bee and a few shots around the Peak district.

The Royal Oak sits on part of the National cycling network route. I walked around 10 mile of it in the evenings. With it being based on old disused railway lines in this area, it was enjoyable to walk and not have any traffic. While walking I left the camera, just enjoying the walk for what it is. Before leaving the Royal Oak I would like to say, Having stayed here twice I would highly recommend this place, staff and service is great and the ale worth trying.

My next stop is in North Yorkshire in the Market town of Skipton. It’s here I have to apologize for no photographs from this part of the trip. When replacing the SD card in the camera, I didn’t push it fully home and it was not till I was in Skipton I discovered it. So a full days photos in some scenic parts where lost, plus photos of a place I want to see for years. the town of Holmfirth  in Yorkshire. Where the longest running British television sitcom was filmed. ‘Last of the summer wine’  the series run from 1973 to 2010. I always want to get a cup of tea in Sid’s cafe, a place in the sitcom. So I made it there and got my tea and thought I had my photographs, So it will be another trip back to see Holmfirth and another cuppa.

Skipton in Yorkshire is a place I have been to a lot, I was going to visit friends there for the weekend and do some walking but the weather there was thunder and lighting storms so with the bike parked for the weekend we went to Salts Mill a few mile from Bradford. About Salts Mill

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The Church where a wedding was taking place.

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Something different from the wedding cars you normally see.

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The sign at the old police station.

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Hockney 1853 gallery , Some views of the work on display in the David Hockney gallery. Here’s Andy adding scale to the famous Hockney chair.

 

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In a gallery being artistic with slow shutter speed.

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Heavy weight reading here in the book shop, detail from the slinging hook used in the old mill. It was nice to see how a lot of the old mill has been restored or just used has it was, like the old stone flooring and other features like the windows and doors.

A coffee in one of the coffee shops and it was out into the sunshine.

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The mill chimney from different views.

Beside the mill runs the canal where we where going to walk but just has these photos below where taken the storms moved in.

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some off the local wildfowl coming to greet me.

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then ignore me.

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Others check the camera out.

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Looking across the River Aire beside the Canal.

It was a drive back to Skipton and enjoy the rest on the weekend with dear friends who always look after me with five star treatment, love you both. I left Skipton with heavy storms looming has I set off for Scotland to catch the ferry back to Belfast. Just made the ferry with minutes to spare, like the last one on board. Supper on the ferry and a mild crossing I rode into Belfast around 11pm and another half hour till home.

Hope you enjoyed the end to my trip  ‘Short tour of Wales’  It was a good trip with kind weather and good friends, old and new. Remember a adventure does not mean travelling around the world or cost thousands. It can be a few mile away and with planning, cost’s can be kept down. So what ever you are into get out there and explore, meet new people and the most important thing enjoy life.

Thank you,

George.

 

 

 

 

 

Sea mist and sunshine

So at a loose end I grabbed the camera gear and headed for the coast. a lovely spring morning and sunshine. Here in Ireland a day of sun here in spring time is rare, well one without rain. The winds along the Newcastle to Ardglass coast was strong and still cold. Not much wild life around it was a day just to get some air. When I got around to the Strangford Lough side of the coast the wind was a light breeze. So parked up I went for a walk. Sat on some rocks and watched the world drift by. Then a Spaniel dog appeared chasing a ball down the sand. Grabbed the ball and ran back from where  he came from. With great excitement he reappears chasing down the ball. Thought I would move and get some photos. I saw a lady throwing the ball , I loved the action and excitement here. So the first photograph captures this moment.

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It was time to move a little further along the coast, again not much wildlife around. So enjoyed the sunshine and chilled out. Then a Red shank arrived, prodding its bill into the mud in search of food.

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I like the reflections has it entered small pools left by the tide receding, this next shot is a little play on the reflection.

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I chopped in on the reflection and turned it 180 degrees so it looks like its feeding.

The next is common here in this part of Ireland, the Great Black backed Gull. They are the UK and Ireland’s largest gulls, around the size for a goose.

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They have a wing span around 1.7 metres and masters in flight. With the sun dropping lower in the sky and a chill returning in the wind I started for home. A few mile down the road and I spotted some seals basking on the rocks. Yes it was park up time and with camera and tripod I found a spot close to them but far enough away so I wouldn’t disturb them. We have two types of seals in Ireland . The common seal and the grey seal. Here’s a link for anyone who wishes to find out more about them. Seals in Ireland.

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This is the Common Seal.

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And a couple of Grey Seals. Please note its not the colour that gives them there name.

 

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A Gray enjoying the evening sun.

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Here we have Brent Geese feeding along the shallows.

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A dispute about who own’s this section of the dinner plate. With the sun low and even with a coat, scarf and gloves the cold was seeping into my body I packed up the gear and headed for home. I had been out on the coast for over eight hours, when not photographing I love to sit with a scope and watch the interaction in wildlife. think we humans could learn from them.

Thank you for visiting.

George.

 

Another one over.

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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.

 

342/365 Shutter release challenge

Shy

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Stopped today on my way home at a lough with around a dozen Mute swans in the field beside it. Some took to the water and this is the only one to strike this pose.

Thank you for viewing