Some pictures I took recently

What a lovely day it was today -warm for a change:)

Lucan Demesne

Hooded Crow

Not sure what berries are available to eat in March? Male Blackbird.

Goldcrest

Long -tailed tit

Nice to see two Grey Wagtails together!

Robin

whyulittle

hollster2 wrote: »

Grey wagtail?

Correct.

keps wrote: »

Not sure what berries are available to eat in March?

Munching on ivy berries.

hollster2

Keps I seen a long Tail tit today was looking online everywhere trying to see what type of bird it was Thanks for that

gzoladz

whyulittle wrote: »

Correct.

Munching on ivy berries.

And shortly blackbirds should start feeding on worms. I think they change their feeding habits depending on what is available. Berrys in winter, worms in summer?

Lucan Demesne today.

Because of all the activity now in and around the weir( related to its upgrading as a canoeing facility) - I moved further afield today- and I got lucky.
In a place where I rarely even looked - I today caught a glimpse of those distinctive kingfisher colours.

And then managed to get a few pics.

Staring into the river-

2F8E3EC8DE8342658B2D49BCC87B133F-0000337703-0003743139-00830L-6FBA7405D6254CF58AB67391A1BA8940.jpg

Starting a dive

0CFDBE229DCC481FA6EDC40413802C7A-0000337703-0003743138-00830L-A5CB872D5DDC4DD6971680572A25FDDD.jpg

Emerging with fish Caught!

1766717DE39546DB9F8C8F56D634EF0E-0000337703-0003743137-00830L-769D91E5A66748BD92AAB3583270A3A0.jpg

Mealtime

380D49795B814BD48A17B798C9F187C6-0000337703-0003743136-00830L-DE2366B07990499C9B51A524E81018D4.jpg

Ouch

D9B302CF9AD5416EB19E6C7A7279BD8E-0000337703-0003743135-00830L-2305CCD6281C487EBAB283E73E872D07.jpg

Dead

AEC8416B96DD4C8DA35F5DEA48130986-0000337703-0003743134-00830L-CEB04E4392B34AB994528EDE38800DCC.jpg

Down it goes

1AB929D0DE664FDE8EA74527460C8BF9-0000337703-0003743133-00830L-47A27DA9A8E0461486A90A49DE59CFA4.jpg

Now what's for dessert?

DF0CD24C05144154AA6CB79022EC1DC7-0000337703-0003743132-00830L-A15469D2D8DE4EDEA9514849816500EF.jpg

Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae today near Kildavin.

F1EFD742C88246879AB1A6D4519B40B9-0000371741-0003743178-00800L-A3C6CCE2ADBD481F946EE7BA22C733C0.jpg

whyulittle

Another nice display while sitting on the front step this afternoon!

Spotted this Sparrowhawk already up pretty high. It kept going higher and higher in the thermals with the occasional flap of its wings. It pulled away slightly before then going into a massive stoop, when I lost sight of it behind some distant trees.

Spotted this guy on the far bank today

I presume it's a mink - it's my first time seeing one.

looks like a large fish beside him- could he have taken that himself?

BBC15E2E60A644D9942D66E9CC613B19-0000337703-0003743227-00800L-08C2FD0A7E6B43FBB8134A9D3165B750.jpg

keps wrote: »

Spotted this guy on the far bank today

I presume it's a mink - it's my first time seeing one.

looks like a large fish beside him- could he have taken that himself?

It's a Mink alright, another illegal immigrant on the wildlife front:mad:. While I love wildlife these are best viewed when dead, absolute vermin. I have had them try and take bait from my bag when out fishing and they can be quite vicious.

Reed Bunting (Male) at Lough Boora, Co Offaly

chrisb1

Nice pike he has the fecker

chrisb1 wrote: »

Nice pike he has the fecker

Would he have killed it - or just stumbled on it dead?

keps wrote: »

Would he have killed it - or just stumbled on it dead?

I would regard Mink as opportunistic and a Pike of that size would not be an easy catch for it though it would be possible. It looks like a fresh kill and looks like it was also full of Spawn so a great loss to that part of the river

Capercaillie

mikka631 wrote: »

I would regard Mink as opportunistic and a Pike of that size would not be an easy catch for it though it would be possible. It looks like a fresh kill and looks like it was also full of Spawn so a great loss to that part of the river

I think pike have recently been proven to be native?

That is a bit sad to read:(.... maybe I should remove the photo from the thread

Capercaillie

keps wrote: »

That is a bit sad to read:(.... maybe I should remove the photo from the thread

Don't. People need to see the good and the bad.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

keps wrote: »

That is a bit sad to read:(.... maybe I should remove the photo from the thread

It's a nature photo and is showing a reality of nature. Not sad at all.

hollster2

don't remove keps good photo, Im just in awe too of the kingfisher ones:D

gzoladz

Fantastic photos Keps!

obrano

Lucky enough to be in the Galapagos at the moment. Here's a few bird photos I took. Please let me know if I've got the descriptions wrong. I have some of the Galapagos Penguins and Swallow Tailed Gulls on my hard drive. Yet to get one of the rare lava gull.

Blue Footed Boobie:

Blue Footed Boobie by obrano, on Flickr

Galapagos Dove:

Ready to Launch by obrano, on Flickr

Yellow Warbler:

Yellow Warbler by obrano, on Flickr

Alder Alnus glutinosa

1D58C8A137E04B2C92134E58871A7DAC-0000371741-0003743291-00800L-4236CFC07F7243E0AD820CB665C6ED10.jpg

Bush Vetch Vicia sepium

B64D8057BF4747259EE2FCFF23F24E0D-0000371741-0003743290-00800L-A27172F7679A44D293C664FB56B7BD40.jpg

Robins posturing. A lot of scrapping going on the past few days.

vistafinder

Splish can you name this beautiful flower for me?

untitled-3688.jpg by vistafind, on Flickr

untitled-3685.jpg by vistafind, on Flickr

Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa. Great shots, still waiting to get some pics of this myself this year.

vistafinder

Thanks! There was lots of it in the woods I was walking in today very nice..

Saw that or another mink today and he frightened the bejaysus out of two ducks who were just minding their own business on a log of wood on the far bank.

A short while after I noticed this mallard quite high up in a tree

1598B1A8FB4046A991B2754C5A7C1FB5-0000337703-0003743414-00800L-78E28D5D9B3A4C5395CB1F6C6104F0A3.jpg

Could they be thinking of a tree nest?

The one that got away:rolleyes:

Yesterday when I saw the kingfisher dive- I immediately turned the camera downwards to catch its entance into the water.... but their speed is such( or my slowness is such) that this is all I got.

D8C8CB60AC0B45A89BBDCB95862590D5-0000337703-0003743415-00800L-842ACEB469B047F29D3BF92FA2F30AA6.jpg

Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna

1F4D16178AAE4BA0B3944789CF248F24-0000371741-0003743411-00800L-D2DF7193E40B4F5584E9CA265E8D6720.jpg

whyulittle

Out the back garden this time! There is a quick video in the video thread as well.