Some pictures I took recently

bernard0368

Well done on the cuckoo lads, I have never seen or heard one in my life.

From Bushy park earlier.

mikka631

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Superb shot!!!!!

mikka631

A very obliging Red Damselfly at Boora Parklands, Co. Offaly

scwazrh

Anyone know what these guys are? They've recently moved onto one of the lakes beside my house.http://flic.kr/p/bEU1hy

swifts need our help!

scwazrh wrote: »

Anyone know what these guys are? They've recently moved onto one of the lakes beside my house.

Very clean drake and duck Muscovies. They might breed. There is a feral breeding population in Cambridgeshire

Mark

swifts need our help!

Bernards kingfisher - OMG!

Mark

scwazrh

swifts need our help! wrote: »

Very clean drake and duck Muscovies. They might breed. There is a feral breeding population in Cambridgeshire

Mark

I have seen their courtship and have seen them mating so hopefully there will be some young produced .incredibly placid , they are just as "tame" as our local swans.

swifts need our help!

It's so good to see clean Muscovies. The 8 that live at a local B&B are disgustingly, is that a word?, dirty

whyulittle

I'll trade a couple of my Cuckoo sightings for that Kingfisher! :eek:

Fantastic shot.

mikka631

Green Veined White

bernard0368

Not as sharp

Traonach

Bernard, did you get the kingfisher photo's from a hide?

bernard0368

Hi Traonach,
No the camera was pre-focused I sat back out of sight and fired by remote.

GreyEagle

fluffyVW wrote: »

I like that idea of the "nature picture I took recently" I would love to see other peoples nature photos!!!

Here's one I took an hour ago. Posted in Gardening section too as I have no idea what these Love Bugs are.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24354102/DSCN0344.JPG

swifts need our help!

bernard0368 wrote: »

I have never seen or heard one in my life.

Really? Where do you live?

swifts need our help!

Grey Eagle they are Sheild bugs

bernard0368

swifts need our help! wrote: »

Really? Where do you live?

Originally in Bray, now out in Saggart, run the dogs every night up the mountains, or down in Corkagh park and I can honestly say I have not had the joy.

swifts need our help!

I havent heard one or seen one in a few years and the last time was in the Burren. I think I'd have to go to County Down or the Antrim Hills to see one. I'm going to Fermanagh at the end of the month for a couple of days and expect to see or hear one there.

MeteoritesEire

plenty of cuckoos out here in Donegal--heard my first one this year on Beltane as I was taking video of a cracking sunset.Never knew about the Irish for meadow pipit as the cuckoo nurse--nice one.Was just outside earlier and saw 2 smaller birds harassing a cuckoo-actually flying after it and landing next to it on a fence.Can't say I blame them.Couple shots from last year,no cuckoos though.

meadow pipit


meadow pipit again


curlew from last year.They are fairly common down at the many little estuaries dotted about near Annagry though hard to get close to.


heron another one that is hard to get close to.


5 goldfinches


3 greenfinches


same 3 greens, I like the way the bottom one is captured


pied wagtail nest at the Homebase or something like that in Letterkenny.It was nesting in the tomato plants and I only noticed as the mother flew away when I picked out a plant for the house.


I told the girl at the counter about the nest just to make her aware and she said 'yeah we know,did you see the robins nest 2 shelves down?" had to laugh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-lZcFItZTo

greetings fellow bird lovers

swifts need our help!

Thats amazing Meteor.

When I worked at a local garden centre robins nested in a box of crisps and a blackbird built about two feet off the ground among plants for sale

Mark

whyulittle

One of at least three young Blackbirds skulking about in the bushes today.

Clearpreso

Poor lad being dived bombed by Seagulls in Vancouver


Unkown waterfowl in Vancouver...


Pet cat, tied to shopping trolley of homeless man in USA, also tied to the trolley was another cat, and a dog... they didn't seem to mind it tbh, and all seemed well fed.


Wolf in refuge in Vancouver

swifts need our help!

Clear, your unknown waterfowl is a Muscovey duck. The cat has nice eyes

MeteoritesEire

cracking pic of the young blackbird whyulittle.....
this young chaffinch just flew into my window and as I looked up a seagull was just landing on my driveway so no doubt scared the little chap.It looked like his heart was going a dinger as he was sitting there.Eventually flew off safely to nearby bush.

whyulittle

First time to ever hear Goldcrests, there were a load of them in a length of Gorse bush.

MeteoritesEire

had to open up the iphone 'birds uk' app for a listen--high pitched little warble as you'd expect.Had a wren fooled back at my mums place in Belfast with this app-bit of a giggle-wren flew right up to the bathroom window to check 'me' out.
A goldcrest kamikazied into my cousins window last year, strangely enough with that chaffinch hitting my window earlier.Goldcrest didn't make it though,cousins young granddaughter happened to be visiting so they buried it out the back *sigh*--I've yet to see one

GreyEagle

Thought I might I share my solution to the problem of keeping away the bigger birds from the feeder. I have a frame like an upside down cup made out of plastic plant support matrix with holes about 50 x 50mm. Just roll out one 'lap' and fix the ends with wire or plastic ties to create cylinder shape. Cut a rough circle from another piece for the top and tie on to one end of cylinder. Support from tree/hanger in usual way. String up feeder inside.

Pic 1; http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24354102/DSCN0385.JPG
You can see the Blue Tit landing on the outside, then he/she hops in. Larger birds can't get through.

Pic 2; http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24354102/DSCN0415.JPG
Blue Tit feeds on the nuts and seems to have no trouble getting out in a hurry if required.

Comments and suggestions for improvements welcome.
GE

GreyEagle

Shooting from inside the kitchen, I took a few shots through the double-glazing to see would the AF cope.
First is a couple of House Sparrows, male & female; http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24354102/DSCN0498.JPG

Then along came a wary Jackdaw. Took a multi-shot sequence; http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24354102/DSCN0585.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24354102/DSCN0588.JPG

I'm amazed at how little distortion there is considering use of long telephoto and 2 panes of glass. The sun was not shining on that side of the house at the time.
GE

thyme

One of two Buzzards playing around here the last few days.

GreyEagle

Great shot. I would be mighty pleased to get results like that myself.
GE