Some pictures I took recently

V_Moth

Desmo wrote: »

10 minutes after you left; it returned and flew past me, heading N and landed about 50M N from me. I recognised it's call from when you pointed it out (despite me jabbering away). It disappeared behind the bank of the channel and the Wicklow and Kildare branch outing arrived and by co-incidence stood exactly in line with where I had seen it. After about a further 10 minutes, it showed a few times and most of us got to see it again. Great bird and thanks for showing me it. We then lost it and it seems to have not been seen since. That was about 11.30

Thanks. Good to know the branch did get some views at least.

V Bull

Yesterday afternoon along the seaward side of the ECNR, Newcastle, Co. Wicklow.... The Gannet was flying along the surf heading south... Great views ..

Missed the Kilcoole outing on Saturday due to work....

V Bull

Large flock of 11 Ravens over Coronation Plantation, Co. Wicklow yesterday.

Lower Raven showing a yellow colour ring on left leg...

martic

Taken on one of our fine summer days in west Donegal

martic

The "locals" out hunting as a group behind the house, nearly broke my neck in a run for the camera

Clearpreso

Some more Reds up Killiney Hill

RUCKING FETARD

That's an awful lump of a collar!!

Clearpreso

Agreed, Im sure there is a logic to it. They are trying something pretty novel from what I can judge so I can imagine why they want to track it all.

dodderangler

RUCKING FETARD wrote: »

That's an awful lump of a collar!!

It's not really judgin the size of the red squirrel id say it looks the same size as a ferret locator which are not in anyway heavy and wouldn't be in the way of stoppin the squirrel carrying on in it's ordinary way of life
I seen a red on Wednesday on the green hills road runnin onto the road and runnin back to a group of trees before a car came was a close call

whyulittle

As Chris Packham would say, a proper bird!

RUCKING FETARD

Clearpreso wrote: »

Agreed, Im sure there is a logic to it. They are trying something pretty novel from what I can judge so I can imagine why they want to track it all.

dodderangler wrote: »

It's not really judgin the size of the red squirrel id say it looks the same size as a ferret locator which are not in anyway heavy and wouldn't be in the way of stoppin the squirrel carrying on in it's ordinary way of life

Tagging penguins limits survival chances, study shows

"They" are idiots. Still doing it to, heartless b*******.

dodderangler

Big difference here
main one would be one is a flightless bird that swims and uses its flippers to swim so yes I can imagine a tag on the flippers will stop it from catching fast fish
Other is a mammal that is quick agile and doesn't use it's neck to hunt because they don't hunt they forage although they do occasional take baby birds but the transmitter will not effect the squirrel
Next difference is
Emperor Penguin - probably weighs up to 60 -70lbs in weight
Red squirrel couple of grams

OpenYourEyes

I'm confident enough in the people who are doing the squirrel release (they're from the UCD zoology dept I think) to trust them that the collars on the squirrels are the right ones for the job. I'm sure a tag with an aerial wire or something around the tail would be much more bothersome than the collar they have, and as said above it probably weighs a lot less than you'd think! They'd been studying Reds for quite a while and I can't see them overlooking something that basic. Especially since they teach classes every year that goes over the possible problems with using different types of tags/collars/tracking devices/markings on animals.

Clearpreso

Im very excited about the whole thing, to have Reds on my doorstep is something I never expected. My next task is to try and get a pic of the elusive Killiney/Dalkey hill rabbit, when I was a young un, not too long ago the place was flush with them :-(

leche solara

Saw this little grebe in Bushy Park last Friday. Its partner was swimming through the algae infested pond collecting bits and pieces and bringing it back to the nest. I presume the rain today destroyed the lot.

leche solara

Just to illustrate how bad the algae problem in Bushy Park is.

swifts need our help!

It looks more like duck weed

leche solara

swifts need our help! wrote: »

It looks more like duck weed

I'd never heard of duckweed, but looked it up now. Seems it is generally a good thing but needs to be controlled. I think that in Bushy Park it has been let get out of control. A few more examples:

Helium

V_Moth

Two poor pics of the Grey Phalarope in Kilcoole last Sunday evening.





Little Grebe



Sunset in Kilcoole

santasbird

V Bull

One for WUL.... 10 of them about yesterday......;););)

whyulittle

I'm just hoping the numbers and sunny blue skies mean this wasn't Ireland/Boora!

Great shot.

V Bull

Yep... a few miles westish....

Lunch time on the dock..

V Bull

A first for me.... a Black Skimmer, I think they are part of the Tern Family..



Only had my compact camera with me when I spotted him darting down the shore..

mr.wiggle

DSC00389.jpg
Taken with phone.

Last week of Sept. my garden was alive in Butterfly's and caterpillars!

whyulittle

Such a calm, quiet day at Boora today.

Except for the Kestrels which were harrassing everything, including one another!

They were mobbing the Buzzards and Hen Harriers, and at one stage I heard something screeching on the ground - when what looked like two males took flight.



Also on display were a Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, some Snipe and a few flocks of Golden Plover. Sounded like some Curlew about too.

whyulittle

Spotted this footprint walking back to the car, deer?

thyme

Yes it was a beautiful day there today for my first visit.
Saw my first Hen Harrier, just as I was about to leave it appeared.

whyulittle

Were you there with another lad, standing at a kind of humped crossroad?