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Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Some back yard clutter.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Carl Zeiss Planar T* f2 50mm lens on Santa Rae 125 black and white film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Industrial buildings along James's Street, The Liberties, Dublin 8.
Taken on a Leica M4-P camera body with a Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f2 lens on Harman Ilford HP2 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
HP2 HP2
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is a long-legged predatory wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water or stalking its prey through the shallows.
Standing up to a metre tall, adults weigh from 1 to 2 kg (2.2 to 4.4 lb). They have a white head and neck with a broad black stripe that extends from the eye to the black crest. The body and wings are grey above and the underparts are greyish-white, with some black on the flanks. The long, sharply pointed beak is pinkish-yellow and the legs are brown.
The birds breed colonially in spring in "heronries", usually building their nests high in trees. A clutch of usually three to five bluish-green eggs is laid. Both birds incubate the eggs for a period of about 25 days, and then both feed the chicks, which fledge when seven or eight weeks old. Many juveniles do not survive their first winter, but if they do, they can expect to live for about five years.
The main call is a loud croaking "fraaank", but a variety of guttural and raucous noises are heard at the breeding colony. Grey herons have the ability to live in cities where habitats and nesting space are available. In the Netherlands, the grey heron has established itself over the past decades in great numbers in urban environments. In cities such as Amsterdam, they are ever present and well adapted to modern city life. They hunt as usual, but also visit street markets and snackbars. Some individuals make use of people feeding them at their homes or share the catch of recreational fishermen. Similar behaviour on a smaller scale has been reported in Ireland (Dublin, Galway and Cork). (wikipedia)
The River Dodder in Dublin is a great place to watch the Grey Heron hunt at close quarters.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Never tidy.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and Carl Zeiss Planar T* f2 50mm lens on Santa Rae 125 Summer film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Temple Bar, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm f1.4 lens lens on CIneStill 400D film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also known as the European Starling, or in Ireland and the British Isles as just the Starling, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts and other gregarious situations, with an unmusical but varied song. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature.
The common starling has about a dozen subspecies breeding in open habitats across its native range in temperate Europe and western Asia, and it has been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, South Africa and Fiji. This bird is resident in southern and western Europe and southwestern Asia, while northeastern populations migrate south and west in winter within the breeding range and also further south to Iberia and North Africa.
The species has declined in numbers in parts of northern and western Europe since the 1980s due to fewer grassland invertebrates being available as food for growing chicks. Despite this, its huge global population is not thought to be declining significantly, so the common starling is classified as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The common starling is a highly gregarious species, especially in autumn and winter. Although flock size is highly variable, huge, noisy flocks - murmurations - may form near roosts. These dense concentrations of birds are thought to be a defence against attacks by birds of prey such as peregrine falcons or Eurasian sparrowhawks. (wikipedia)
This murmuration was taken recently in Co. Laois, when I was coming back to Dublin from a necessary journey outside my 5km. The murmuration must have included 20-40,000 birds and it was the biggest one I have ever seen. It was mesmerising and I (and the car) got covered in Starling sh*t. Well worth it though.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Autumn in Dublin during Level 3 lockdown. The city centre was quiet and was about to get quieter. What seems to have been lost somewhat in all the pandemic is the ongoing plight of the homeless.
Taken with a Canon A1 and a Yashica Auto Yashinon 5cm f2 lens on Kodak ProImage 100 colour film.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Lamp, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P camera with a Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f1.8 lens on CineStill 400D colour film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Fluffy clouds on a beautiful day.
Taken with a Yashinon Auto 5cm lens on a Canon A1, and with Kodak Portra 160 film.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Grand Canal between Leeson Street bridge and Charlemont bridge is very lush this year. COVID-19, Level 3, June 2021.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Kodak C200 (200 ASA) colour film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small white heron. Until the 1950s, the Little Egret was restricted to southern Europe. Over the next few decades it became increasingly common in western France and later on the north coast. It bred in the Netherlands in 1979 with further breeding in the 1990s.
In Ireland, the species bred for the first time in 1997 at a site in County Cork.
When feeding, the little egret stalks its prey in shallow water, often running with raised wings or shuffling its feet. (wikipedia)
When in flight, it is very easy to see their yellow feet. Taken at Harper's Island Wetland Reserve in Cork Harbour, Ireland.
a Saturday night in 2006,
From "Cardiff After Dark" book, available on Amazon UK, on amazon .com, worldwide on bookdepository.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Ringed Plover is a compact, small wader, similar in size to Dunlin. Grey-brown upperparts and white underparts. Adults with orange bill with black tip in summer, which is mostly black in winter, orange legs, black ring widens as it extends across the chest. White throat and across the back of the neck. Prominent white wing-bar in flight.
In Ireland, it has a resident population but also a migrant winter visitor from areas further north where this population also breeds (Iceland, the Baltic & southern Scandinavia). Peak numbers between August and early October, and then numbers decline slightly (passage birds move further south) and stabilise between November and January.
Mostly coastal breeding distribution, preferring to nest on exposed wide sandy or shingle beaches. Some breed inland, particularly in the west, where their preferred nesting habitat is on short-grazed pasture beside rivers and along lakes. (Birdwatch Ireland)
There were a flock of 83 Ringed Plover roosting along the breakwater of the West Pier of Dun Laoghaire Harbour, Dublin. A very subtle but beautiful bird.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It is an arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere. There are small isolated populations on a few high mountain tops south of the Arctic region, including the Cairngorms in central Scotland and the Saint Elias Mountains on the southern Alaska-Yukon border, and also Cape Breton Highlands.
In winter plumage, both sexes are mottled pale ginger, blackish and white above, and pale ginger and white below, with the males having more white than the females. The bill is yellow with a black tip, all black in summer males. Unlike most passerines, it has feathered tarsi, an adaptation to its harsh environment. No other passerine can winter as far north as this species apart from the Common Raven.
The breeding habitat is on tundra, treeless moors, and bare mountains. It is migratory, wintering a short distance further south in open habitats in northern temperate areas, typically on either sandy coasts, steppes, prairies, or low mountains, more rarely on farmland stubble. In winter, it forms mobile flocks. (wikipedia)
This individual was present along the West Pier in Dun Laoghaire for a couple of weeks before I had a change to pay a visit. A first walk along it's favoured are produced a blank so I had a look over the wall on the north side of the pier and there it was, feeding along the water's edge on the seaweed-strewn rocks. Magic birds.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Walk down the Grand Canal, Phibsborough, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Carl Zeiss Planar T* f2 50mm lens on Kodak C200 colour film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) is a diving duck, one of the sawbills. They have a spiky crest and long thin red bill with serrated edges. Similar to, but slimmer than Goosander, and bill much finer. Adult males largely white with glossy green-black neck and head. White collar above black-streaked rufous brown breast. Black patch with white spots on the sides of the breast. Upperparts black and flanks grey. Females with dark brown head, with off-white neck, grey body, pale throat patch. Pale lores with dark lines above and below. Juveniles look similar to females, but lack the white collar and have smaller white wing patches.
Fish comprise the major component of the diet, predominantly small cod, hake and plaice. While on freshwater during the breeding season, they feed on roach, trout, salmon, eels and pike. They have also been recorded eating crustaceans and molluscs.
They nest on sheltered lakes and large rivers throughout the west and north of Ireland, though they are largely absent from Clare and a few pairs have been recorded in Wexford. They use a variety of nesting habitats, usually located beside fast-flowing rivers, large and small lakes, also along the coast, on islands and sea-loughs.
The winter exclusively in brackish and marine waters, particularly in shallow protected estuaries and bays and lagoons, and also offshore.
The fastest duck ever recorded was a red-breasted merganser that attained a top airspeed of 100 mph while being pursued by an airplane. This eclipsed the previous speed record held by a canvasback clocked at 72 mph. (wikipedia and BirdWatch Ireland)
This male was swimming and feeding quite close to where I was positioned at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, Dublin at first light. The low blue glow of winter's dawn making photography difficult. A beautiful bird to see close to shore.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Great White Egret (Ardea alba), is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized. In North America it is more widely distributed, and it is ubiquitous across the Sun Belt of the United States and in the rainforests of South America. The Great White Egret is a large bird with all-white plumage that can reach one meter in height. Apart from size, the Great White Egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like non-breeding adults.
The Great Egret is partially migratory, with northern hemisphere birds moving south from areas with cold winters. It breeds in colonies in trees close to large lakes with reed beds or other extensive wetlands. It builds a bulky stick nest. (wikipedia)
The Great White Egret is a rarity in Ireland, but has become annual in recent years, with several birds seen across most coastal counties, with multiple birds seen together at the same site. It is a species earmarked for colonisation in the near future. This one has taken up residence at Harper's Island Wetlands reserve in Cork Harbour.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Santry Pizza, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Carl Zeiss Planar T* f2 50mm lens on Santa Rae 125 black and white film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no accepted subspecies.
It is the world's largest tern with a length of 48–60 cm (19–24 in), a wingspan of 127–145 cm (50–57 in) and a weight of 530–782 g (18.7–27.6 oz). Adult birds have black legs, and a long thick red-orange bill with a small black tip. They have a white head with a black cap and white neck, belly, and tail. The upper wings and back are pale grey; the underwings are pale with dark primary feathers. In-flight, the tail is less forked than other terns, and wingtips are black on the underside. In winter, the black cap is still present (unlike many other terns), but with some white streaking on the forehead. The call is a loud heron-like croak.
Their breeding habitat is large lakes and ocean coasts in North America (including the Great Lakes), and locally in Europe (mainly around the Baltic Sea and Black Sea), Asia, Africa, and Australasia (Australia and New Zealand). European and Asian birds spend the non-breeding season in the Old World tropics.
The global population is about 50,000 pairs; numbers in most regions are stable, but the Baltic Sea population (1400–1475 pairs in the early 1990s) is declining and of conservation concern. (wikipedia)
I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time when this superb bird flew in from the sea, over my head and circled the lagoon I was walking around while on holidays in Portugal. It had been 12 years since I had last seen the species. Magnificent beasts.
John is doing a heroic job by giving us Vivian Maier's view on our world. The film "Finding Vivian Maier" will be released soon. I have seen it and it's wonderful. Books on her work can be found here: www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=vivian+Maier&... - John's website on Vivian Maier is here: www.vivianmaier.com - and John's own pictures are here: www.flickr.com/photos/ragstamp/with/13073169974/ and the website is here:
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Roe & Co. Distillery along James's Street, The Liberties, Dublin 8.
Taken on a Leica M4-P camera body with a Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f2 lens on Harman Ilford HP2 black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
HP2 HP2
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia and Pakistan.
This is one of several Sylvia species that has distinct male and female plumages. Both sexes are mainly brown above and buff below, with chestnut fringes to the secondary remiges. The adult male has a grey head and a white throat. The female lacks the grey head, and the throat is duller. The Whitethroat's song is fast and scratchy, with a scolding tone. The hoarse, a little bit nasal call sounds like wed-wed or woid-woid. The warning cry is long-pulled, rough tschehr.
This is a bird of open country and cultivation, with bushes for nesting. The nest is built in low shrub or brambles. (wikipedia)
A recent Spring arrival in superb breeding plumage. The Whitethroats are a real harbinger of Spring. Fantastic to see. Taken in Blackditch East Coast Nature Reserve in Co. Wicklow.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) is a large species in the dove and pigeon family. The three Western European Columba pigeons, common wood pigeon, stock dove, and rock pigeon, though superficially alike, have very distinctive characteristics; the common wood pigeon may be identified at once by its larger size and weight, and the white on its neck and wing. It is otherwise a basically grey bird, with a pinkish breast. Adult birds bear a series of green and white patches on their necks, and a pink patch on their chest.
Juvenile birds do not have the white patches on either side of the neck. When they are about six months old (about three months out of the nest) they gain small white patches on both sides of the neck, which gradually enlarge until they are fully formed when the bird is about 6–8 months old (approx. ages only). Juvenile birds also have a greyer beak and an overall lighter grey appearance than adult birds. The call is a characteristic cooing, coo-COO-coo-coo-coo.
In the colder northern and eastern parts of Europe and western Asia the common woodpigeon is a migrant, but in southern and western Europe it is a well distributed and often abundant resident. In Ireland, woodpigeons are commonly seen in parks and gardens and are seen with increasing numbers in towns and cities.
For birds that survive the first year the typical lifespan is thus only three years, but the maximum recorded age is 17 years and 8 months for a bird ringed and recovered on the Orkney Islands. (wikipedia)
An adult woodpigeon feeding on the freshly emerged grass in Santry Demesne, Dublin.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is a long-legged predatory wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water or stalking its prey through the shallows.
Standing up to a metre tall, adults weigh from 1 to 2 kg (2.2 to 4.4 lb). They have a white head and neck with a broad black stripe that extends from the eye to the black crest. The body and wings are grey above and the underparts are greyish-white, with some black on the flanks. The long, sharply pointed beak is pinkish-yellow and the legs are brown.
The birds breed colonially in spring in "heronries", usually building their nests high in trees. A clutch of usually three to five bluish-green eggs is laid. Both birds incubate the eggs for a period of about 25 days, and then both feed the chicks, which fledge when seven or eight weeks old. Many juveniles do not survive their first winter, but if they do, they can expect to live for about five years.
The main call is a loud croaking "fraaank", but a variety of guttural and raucous noises are heard at the breeding colony. Grey herons have the ability to live in cities where habitats and nesting space are available. In the Netherlands, the grey heron has established itself over the past decades in great numbers in urban environments. In cities such as Amsterdam, they are ever present and well adapted to modern city life. They hunt as usual, but also visit street markets and snackbars. Some individuals make use of people feeding them at their homes or share the catch of recreational fishermen. Similar behaviour on a smaller scale has been reported in Ireland (Dublin, Galway and Cork). (wikipedia)
This was my first foray out with the Sony system (A9ii with 200-600mm lens) after switching from Canon. A lot to learn but I'm liking it so far.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Building is still rife in Dublin in 2023. More office blocks and hotels that you could shake a stick at.
Taken with a Canon A1 camera with a Canon FD 50mm f1.8 on Fujicolour (Kodak) 200 film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Christmas 2020 in Dublin during Level 3 lockdown, when I could go to the galleries and museums. The government made a complete balls of it though. This is the Joe Caslin piece, Finding Power, in the National Gallery, Dublin. A favourite space and piece.
Taken with an Olympus XA on Ilford HP5 black and white film.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The iconic red brick chimney at the southeast corner of the administrative block of the former John Player & Sons tobacco factory in the Glasnevin area, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Carl Zeiss Planar T* f2 50mm lens on Santa Rae 125 black and white film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
A meeting at College Green, outside the door to Trinity College.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f2 lens on CineStill XX black and white film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Transport portal, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm f1.4 lens lens on CIneStill 400D film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and western Asia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and southwest Asia. It is declining in parts of its range.
This is an undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail. The adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with a streaked crown and breast, giving rise to the bird's common name. The legs are short and black, and the bill is black and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores. Juveniles are browner than adults and have spots on the upperparts.
Formerly a common bird of Irish parks, larger gardens and woodland edges, since the 1960s the population has been falling at an alarming rate for reasons that are not fully clear. There are probably several factors at work, including drought in the species' wintering grounds and a general drop in the number of insects here in Europe. (wikipedia and BirdWatch Ireland)
Taken in Birdwatch Ireland's East Coast Nature Reserve near Blackditch, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. A pair bred locally and had 2 fledglings in tow. It was great seeing them being fed at close quarters, without a care in the world.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a wading bird. This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas. This species is migratory; most European birds winter in Africa, and in North America birds from north of the Carolinas winter farther south. Birds from other populations may disperse widely outside the breeding season. While generally declining in Europe it has recently established a breeding colony in Southern Spain. (wikipedia)
A near annual vagrant to Ireland in small numbers, late 2021 proved to be a bumper year for this species. Possibly up to 100 birds logged in December following southerly-originating storms. This bird was found at Ballyfermot, Co. Dublin during January 2022. Always a treat to see.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Great Northern Loon, Great Northern Diver, or Common Loon (Gavia immer), is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. The species is known as a Common Loon in North America and the Great Northern Diver in Eurasia, its current name is a compromise proposed by the International Ornithological Committee.
The Great Northern Loon breeds in Canada, parts of the northern United States, Greenland, and Alaska. There is a smaller population (ca. 3,000 pairs) in Iceland. On isolated occasions they have bred in the far north of Scotland. This species winters on sea coasts or on large lakes over a much wider range in Europe, as well as in North America.
There were two birds loitering off the base of the West Pier, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin Bay recently. Always a joy to see.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Black Guillemot or Tystie (Cepphus grylle) is a medium-sized alcid.
Adult birds have black bodies with a white wing patch, a thin dark bill, and red legs and feet. They show white wing linings in flight. In winter, the upperparts are pale grey and the underparts are white. The wings remain black with the large white patch on the inner wing.
Their breeding habitat is rocky shores, cliffs and islands on northern Atlantic coasts in eastern North America as far south as Maine, and in western Europe as far south as Ireland.They are one of the few birds to breed on Surtsey, Iceland a new volcanic island. In the UK it is a fairly common breeding bird in western and northern Scotland and Ireland. In the rest of Great Britain they only breed at St. Bees Head in Cumbria, the Isle of Man and on east Anglesey in north Wales. Some birds breed in Alaska where their range overlaps with the similar Pigeon Guillemot.
These birds often overwinter in their breeding areas, moving to open waters if necessary, but usually not migrating very far south.
They dive for food from the surface, swimming underwater. They mainly eat fish and crustaceans, also some mollusks, insects and plant material. (wikipedia)
This pair of breeding birds were perched out on the Great South Wall in Poolbeg, Dublin Bay. Always great fun to watch.
Shorebirds of Ireland with Jim Wilson.
Freshwater Birds of Ireland with Jim Wilson
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Eurasian Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus), or in Europe just Dotterel, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. It breeds in the Arctic tundra of northern Eurasia, from Norway to eastern Siberia, and on suitable mountain plateaus such as the Scottish highlands and the Alps. It nests in a bare ground scrape and lays two to four eggs.
This species is migratory, wintering in a narrow belt across north Africa from Morocco eastwards to Iran. Migration stopovers are traditional, and small parties (trips) of Dotterels pass through each year at these usually inland arable or grassy sites. The winter habitat is semi-desert.
This plover is smaller and more compact than Eurasian Golden Plover. It has a striking whitish supercilium in all plumages and has plain wings in flight. Adults in summer are unmistakable, with a chestnut breast bordered above with white, black belly and warm brown back. The legs are yellow, and the short bill is black. As with the phalaropes, the female is brighter than the male. The male Dotterel generally is responsible for incubation and looks after the chicks.
The Eurasian Dotterel is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. (Wikipedia)
Taken on the eastern Patches at Tacumshin, Co. Wexford. Only my second time seeing this species and the first time seeing an adult female. Beautiful bird.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
We were fortunate to get away for a family holiday for a week earlier this year to Portugal.
Taken on a Yashica Electro 35G camera and on Kodak Gold 200. Developed and scanned by the brilliant people in John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street, Dublin.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Sunrise along the Tolka River in Griffith Park, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.
Taken on a Leica M4-P camera body with a Leica Summarit 35mm f2.5 on Harman Ilford Phoenix colour film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.