Some pictures I took recently

whyulittle wrote: »

All I got shot-wise was this butterfly though, Small Copper?

Great shot of the Small Cooper, a real beauty of a butterfly...sorry you didn't get to see your baby's return to LB... there were 3 there on Friday, 2 hunting together and a single on the nearer side to Finnamore... I couldn't get a clear shot of any of them, spooked by 3 people walking on the trail, the place was crowded ..

Here are my crappy shots, all taken at some distance...

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

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juvenile Coot (I think?)

Correct, a little beauty compared to the juv Moorhen...great shots..

Snap.

santasbird wrote: »

My daily visitor came calling today.

I love this spar
Keep em coming

Six Buzzards here on Monday, and five back today.
A bit of a challenge to get the six in one shot so it's not very good.

Clear is that a pet fox?

swifts need our help! wrote: »

Clear is that a pet fox?

Nah, I live in an apartment where the back garden is inaccessible and has grown totally and utterly wild, the only real clearing is right below my window, so the fox basks in the sun there from time to time, so it looks like Im close, but Im about 15 ft up with a nice lense!

One from ECNR today
Meadow Brown




And one i took at Killmacurragh Arborteum i would recommend a visit

I was in Lough Boora Parklands on Saturday afternoon strolling around on a beautiful sunny day admiring the burst of colour from 20+ Peacock Butterfly’s on the same bush when 2 hunting Hen Harriers caught my eye. Gliding together over the landscape, a great sight, when they were buzzed by 5 Ravens. This went on for a while and the Harriers obviously got fed up with it. Both Harriers picked out the same Raven and attacked it, bringing it down and killing it, Harriers 1 – Ravens 0. The other Ravens made a rapid get away..

I was lucky today and bumped into 2 of Irelands top birders who pointed out the White-rumped Sandpiper, (Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow)....:)

woohoo Hen Harrier! Think there might have been two males, and one Ringtail.




Almost stepped on one of these a few weeks back, but failed to get a pic. Female Common Blue?






Must be learning, knew what this was!

Marsh Harrier..photo taken on Friday, a very dull and wet day...

IMG_1105 (2) by blackbird1973, on Flickr

IMG_1117 (2) by blackbird1973, on Flickr

IMG_1137 by blackbird1973, on Flickr

IMG_0892 by blackbird1973, on Flickr

Snipe? Something weird going on with its bill and it came in in a flock. I've only ever seen them in singles before.




Juvenile Stonechat




And this one. Thought I had seen it hovering like a Kestrel, didn't really pay much attention to it. But as it was flying by I had a look at it with the bins, but it just didn't look very Kestrel-like.

Merlin?
Sayin merlin because your not sure if it was hovering
It's not a pere tho colours don't match
Not entirely sure bout it been a kestrel because it's tail doesnt look as long

I'll go with Merlin so. I did see a bird earlier heading to the general area this one was seen. Was too far away to tell if it was Sparrowhawk or Merlin though.

Couple of Buzzards and couple of Hen Harriers also about.

Hey VBull

That first bird looks like a pied flycatcher to me....or am i missing something???

V_Moth wrote: »

Its a juvenile Wheatear, much greyer than the adult. Normally they moult fairly quickly into their first-winter plumage (see here). Not sure why it has retained it for so long, unless it is a locally reared bird.

I'm still not seeing a wheatear here. Would you mind if I used this photo for someone to look at?

stevensi wrote: »

Would you mind if I used this photo for someone to look at?

Hi Stevensi, Yes please use the photo to help ID...It is a flycatcher, but not quite sure which type, Pied or Spotted.

It was a quick snap shot with the wrong camera settings and the photo came out under exposed. It all happened so fast and unexpected. I had to brighten it up a bit to see the subjects properly and in the process lightened the colouring.

Northern Wheatear to the rear, Flycatcher to the front ...:p

stevensi wrote: »

My first instinct is a pied flycatcher but I cant rule out spotted fly. Was this the only shot you got?

Unfortunately this is the only photo. I was watching the Wheatear on the fence when the Flycatcher came out of no-where and perched right beside him. Then I thought to myself I had better get a snap of this, it would make a good photo. As I raised the camera I could see that the Wheatear was a bit twitchy and about to fly, and he did, just as I took that photo...

Some are saying Pied while others are saying Spotted, hard to know.

Rainbowsend wrote: »

A first sighting for me today, I hadn't realised just how colourful
a "grey" partridge is. Not a very sharp shot as I was hand holding
a very heavy lens and these dont hang around for long!

A very nice photo, but its a Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa), native to Iberia and western France. RLP's are occasionally released for hunting in Ireland.