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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
The Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge Warblers are migratory, crossing the Sahara to get from their European and Asian breeding grounds to spend winter in Africa. The male's song is composed of random chattering phrases and can include mimicry of other species. The Sedge Warbler is mostly insectivorous.
The song is varied, rushed and chattering, with sweeter phrases and some mimicry, typical of the Acrocephalus warblers. It is composed of phrases in random order, so that it is never the same. Male Sedge Warblers which have the widest repertoire mate with the largest number of females.
All Sedge Warblers spend winter in sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, and as far south as the eastern Cape Province of South Africa and northern Namibia. The route taken on the southward migration, and eventual wintering grounds, correspond to the birds' breeding grounds. Birds ringed in the United Kingdom and Netherlands are later found from south-west Iberia to Italy; birds from Sweden are recovered in central Europe and Italy; while Finnish birds are found in north-east Italy and Malta east to the Aegean region. Sedge Warblers from the former Soviet Union take routes via the eastern Mediterranean Sea and Middle East. Loss of wetland areas for feeding on migration, and the expansion of the Sahara desert, pose threats to the Sedge Warbler's breeding population. Birds begin leaving Africa in late February, fatten up at wetlands before and probably after crossing the Sahara, and arrive in Europe from March onwards. (wikipedia)
The reed beds and surrounding hedgerows in the East Coast Nature Reserve, Wicklow, were full of Sedge Warbler. Fantastic to see and hear so many. Taken from the south-facing hide.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Hatch Street, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Lomography 400 film and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens. 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
Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii) is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
In the late 1960s, this was one of the world's rarest gulls, with a population of only 1,000 pairs. It has established new colonies, but remains rare with a population of about 10,000 pairs.
This species, unlike many large gulls, rarely scavenges, but is a specialist fish eater, and is therefore strictly coastal and pelagic. This bird will feed at night, often well out to sea, but also slowly patrols close into beaches, occasionally dangling its legs to increase drag.
The adult basically resembles a small European herring gull, the most noticeable differences being the short stubby red bill and "string of pearls" white wing primary tips, rather than the large "mirrors" of some other species. The legs are grey-green. It takes four years to reach adult plumage.
This species shows little tendency to wander from its breeding areas, but there were single records in the Netherlands and England in May 2003, and one spent from December 2016 to April 2017 in Trinidad.
It is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. (wikipedia)
I was fortunate to bump into a small flock of Audouin's Gull on a morning walk in Portugal in the early summer of 2023. One of the nicest looking of the gull species.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Kentish plover is a small shorebird weighing around 40 g as an adult. Both male and female birds have black bills and dark legs, however adults have dimorphic plumage. During the breeding season, males have a black horizontal head bar, two incomplete dark breast-bands on each side of their breast, black ear coverts and a rufous nape and crown (although there is some variation between breeding populations), whereas the females are paler in these areas, without the dark markings.
Kentish plovers have an extremely wide geographical distribution and their habitats vary not just spatially but environmentally too. They are known to reside and breed in multiple types of habitat, from desert with ground temperatures reaching 50 °C to tundra. The distribution of this species’ breeding areas covers Europe, Asia and Africa. In Europe, populations are typically found in the west; although there was once a breeding population in Hungary, Kentish plovers no longer breed there. In Africa, populations are found on the southern coast of Senegal and along the Northern coast of the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea coast. The breeding area continues along the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain in the Middle East. Small populations can be found on islands too, such as the Cape Verde archipelago, the Canary Islands, and the Azores.
The European population is estimated at 43,000-70,000 individuals, forming around 15% of the global population (estimated at 100,000-500,000 individuals). (wikipedia)
There were a breeding group of Kentish Plovers near where we were staying in Portugal in the early summer of 2022. Lovely waders.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
A secretive and skulking species which is more often heard than seen. Can sometimes be seen when it emerges from dense wetland vegetation briefly before disappearing again. A small bird with a rounded rear to its body, which is slender and laterally compressed in order to help it slip through dense vegetation such as reeds. Has a long bill which is red on the adult bird. Legs are long with very long toes which help spread its weight on wet ground. The upperparts are dark brown with black spotting. In the adult the body and 'face' are blue-grey, the flanks and belly are barred black and white and the under-tail coverts (which are easy to see on the cocked tail) are whitish. The juvenile bird is similar to the adult but is whitish underneath (not grey), has a pale bill and a stronger patterning on the head. Has short rounded wings and when flying into cover dangles its legs. (Birdwatch Ireland)
The Water Rail breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this species is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its breeding range.
The water rail is a vocal species which gives its main call, known as "sharming", throughout the year. This is a series of grunts followed by a high-pitched piglet-like squeal and ending in more grunts. It is used as a territorial call, alarm and announcement.
The Icelandic population of water rail, R. a. hibernans, became extinct around 1965, as a result of loss of habitat through the draining of wetlands, and predation by the introduced American mink. (Wikipedia)
This individual was quite brazen in its wanderings along the rotten stems of the previous year's reeds in a local park in south County Dublin, Ireland. A fantastic call usually announces its presence, but this individual was quiet.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes and the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America and Asia. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia, where it is considered harmful to native mammal and bird populations. Forty-five subspecies are currently recognised, which are divided into two categories: the large northern foxes, and the small, primitive southern foxes of Asia and the Middle East.
The red fox is Ireland’s only member of the Canidae family. They are easily recognizable by their small doglike appearance. Coloration consists of a reddish to brown tint with a long bushy tail often with a white tip. The underbelly consists of a white to grey texture, black markings are present on the ears, feet and whiskered muzzle. The coat is moulted in spring with a second phase of hair growth occurring in the autumn to produce a heavier winter coat. There are variations in colour with some individuals having darker or sliver tinted coats. The body is long and sleek with a pointed head and muzzle with sharp pointed upright ears. Males are known as dogs and are only slightly larger and heavier than the female vixens. Adult males can grow to 1.5m from nose to tip with the tail accounting for up to half this total length.
Foxes are susceptible to pesticide accumulation in the environment which travels up the food chain and is mainly as a result of fox’s habit of eating carrion, especially some bird species. Foxes are also prone to sarcoptic mange which causes fur loss and skin lesions due to scratching at the embedded mites. The red foxes’ spread to urban areas is not a threat to domestic cats and dogs and is generally welcomed by people who leave food scraps for local foxes in their back gardens. Irish red foxes are only afforded the most basic legal protection under the Irish Wildlife Act.
This is one of the famous Red Foxes along the Dodder River, Dublin.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
"From June to August, this little Orchid transforms a walk along grassy coastal paths and through open woodland into a real joy. It's quite a variable perennial, bearing sometimes several stems, sometimes just one, usually reaching up to about 30cm high. The magenta or pink flowers appear in June and until September they are borne in dense conical heads, pyramidal shaped at first but lengthening into cylindrical spikes of 50-100 flowers. Each individual flower (6-8mm long) has a 3-lobed lip, a long downward pointed, slightly curved spur and erect hooded upper petals. The colour of the flowers fades as they age. The stem has little sheath-like leaves and the basal leaves are lanceolate. The flowers are often foxy-smelling but it is a great favourite with moths, including the Six-spot Burnet, and butterflies whose tongues can find the nectar down in the spur. This is a native plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae." (from Wildflowers of Ireland by Zoe Devlin)
The sand dunes of the North Bull Island were awash with orchids this summer, and in particular the Pyramidal Orchid. There must have been 100s of spikes here. What a sight.
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 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
The view under the Charlemont Street LUAS bridge in Dublin.
Taken with an Leica M4-P camera, with a Leica Summarit-M 35mm lens, and on native ISO 400 Ilford HP5 film pushed to iSO 800. 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
Bikes are often unceremoniously dumped in the Grand Canal in Dublin.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Lomography 400 film and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
aka Detroit Public Schools Book Depository.
Located in Corktown ( a district of Detroit ) , this building was originally a post office and was designed by the "Architect of Detroit", Albert Kahn. In 1996 it was added to Detroit's list of buildings considered unsafe. In 2001 it was added to the list of buildings approved for demolition, yet in 2013 it still stands. It is a well-known location for the homeless of the area to seek cover, with HUGE holes kicked through the boards covering the doors. Newspapers have even come here and interviewed ( as well as received a tour ) from the homeless who "reside" here. There is a homeless shelter in the same block as this building. To this day, this building is still stuffed with art supplies ( powdered paint, etc ) , textbooks, and a ton of related items that have been here for over 20 years or more ( some records in the building which have been damaged by fire date back to 1919 ) .
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a subspecies of the Common Stonechat. Long considered a member of the thrush family Turdidae, genetic evidence has placed it and its relatives in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is slightly smaller than the European Robin. Both sexes have distinctively short wings. The summer male has black upperparts, a black head, an orange throat and breast, and a white belly and vent. It also has white half-collar on the sides of its neck, a small white scapular patch on the wings, and a very small white patch on the rump often streaked with black. European Stonechats breed in heathland, coastal dunes and rough grassland with scattered small shrubs and bramble, open gorse, tussocks or heather. They are short-distance migrants or non-migratory. The male's song is high and twittering like a Dunnock. Both sexes have a clicking call like stones knocking together. Saxicola rubicola hibernans occurs in northwestern Europe in Atlantic coastal areas, in southwestern Norway, Great Britain, Ireland and northwestern France. (wikipedia)
A male perched on ivy at the East Coast Nature Reserve, Wicklow, which is operated by Birdwatch Ireland.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Winter Lights in Dublin Zoo over Christmas 2023. It was decent this time around.
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.
the chippy alley. on the match day.
The guy literally dived into that pile of garbage a few seconds before, just for fun I guess. He didn't realize that he could get dirty a bit
My facebook page: www.facebook.com/MaciejDakowiczPhotography
"Cardiff After Dark" book: 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
A few trees from the largest walled city park in Europe...the Phoenix Park, Dublin.
Taken with a Yashinon Auto 5cm lens on a Canon A1, and with Cinestill 50 film.
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 Great South Wall, Poolbeg, 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
Camden Place, Dublin, Ireland.
Taken with a Yashica Electro 35 GSN on Kentmere 400 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
Looking north from the Wood Bridge and across the lagoon of the North Bull Island, Dublin.
Taken with an Leica M4-P camera coupled with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f3.5 lens on Kodak C200 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
A homeless person "camping" out at the edge of St. Stephen's Green, Dublin during the summer.
Taken with an Leica M4-P camera coupled with a Leica Summarit-M 35mm lens on Kodak C200 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 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The House Sparrow is a sturdy relative of the finches, with large head and bill. Dark brown upperparts with heavy dark streaking, grey underparts. Male has chocolate brown nape, grey crown and large black bib. Female plainer with a buff stripe extending back from eye. Active and noisy around farms, urban areas, parks and gardens. Hops along ground, frequently flicking tail. Sometimes in large flocks, though numbers have declined in recent years.
The House Sparrow is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and a large part of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australasia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird.
It breeds throughout Ireland and is strongly associated with human habitation, and can live in urban or rural settings. Though found in widely varied habitats and climates, it typically avoids extensive woodlands, grasslands, and deserts away from human development. It feeds mostly on the seeds of grains and weeds, but it is an opportunistic eater and commonly eats insects and many other foods. Its predators include domestic cats, hawks, and many other predatory birds and mammals.
In Great Britain (and Ireland), populations peaked in the early 1970s, but have since declined by 68% overall, and about 90% in some regions. The RSPB lists the house sparrow's UK conservation status as red. In London, the house sparrow almost disappeared from the central city. The numbers of house sparrows in the Netherlands have dropped in half since the 1980s, so the house sparrow is even considered an endangered species.
A shortage of nesting sites caused by changes in urban building design is probably a factor. A primary cause of the decline seems to be an insufficient supply of insect food for nestling sparrows. Declines in insect populations result from an increase of monoculture crops, the heavy use of pesticides, the replacement of native plants in cities with introduced plants and parking areas, and possibly the introduction of unleaded petrol, which produces toxic compounds such as methyl nitrite. (BirdWatch Ireland and Wikipedia)
The male House Sparrow is quite a stunning bird, and is often overlooked. Taken at Soldier's Point, Co. Louth.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Part of the old abandoned Garda Station on Harcourt Terrace.
Taken with a Leica Summarit-M 35mm f2.5 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Fujicolour C200 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 Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae. It is a highly migratory bird, breeding in northern parts of Eurasia and North America and flying south to winter on coastlines almost worldwide. It is the only species of turnstone in much of its range and is often known simply as Turnstone.
At all seasons, the plumage is dominated by a harlequin-like pattern of black and white. Breeding birds have reddish-brown upper parts with black markings. The head is mainly white with black streaks on the crown and a black pattern on the face. The breast is mainly black apart from a white patch on the sides. The rest of the underparts are white. In flight it reveals a white wingbar, white patch near the base of the wing and white lower back, rump and tail with dark bands on the uppertail-coverts and near the tip of the tail. The female is slightly duller than the male and has a browner head with more streaking.
Non-breeding adults are duller than breeding birds and have dark grey-brown upperparts with black mottling and a dark head with little white. Juvenile birds have a pale brown head and pale fringes to the upperpart feathers creating a scaly impression. (wikipedia)
This was taken off the shoreline of Skerries, Co. Dublin in the teeth of Storm Agnes during the autumn of 2023.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred to just as the "curlew", and in Scotland known as the "whaup" in Scots. The familiar call is a loud curloo-oo.
The only similar species over most of the curlew's range is the Whimbrel (N. phaeopus). The Whimbrel is smaller and has a shorter bill with a kink rather than a smooth curve. Flying curlews may also resemble, albeit not existing in the same area, Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) in their winter plumages; however, the latter have a smaller body, a slightly upturned beak, and legs that do not reach far beyond their tail tips. The Eurasian curlew's feet are longer, forming a conspicuous "point". The curlew exists as a migratory species over most of its range, wintering in Africa, southern Europe and south Asia. Occasionally a vagrant individual reaches places far from its normal range, such as Nova Scotia and the Marianas. It is present all year in the milder climates of Ireland, the United Kingdom and its adjacent European coasts.
Formerly classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, it was suspected to be rarer than generally assumed. Following the evaluation of its population size, the classification was found to be incorrect, and it was consequently promoted to Near Threatened status in 2008. Though it is a common bird, its numbers are noticeably declining. In Ireland, the breeding population is estimated to have declined by 86% in the last 30 years. (wikipedia)
The haunting cry of the Curlew is one of the most evocative and memorable sounds of the Irish landscape. For me, it is the sound of my childhood, when I would be out birdwatching during the winter months around Cork Harbour.
Sadly, these iconic birds have been suffering severe declines for many years in Ireland. Whilst they are still a regular sight along our coasts in winter when migrant birds from northern Europe come here to take advantage of our relatively mild winters, feeding in our estuaries and wetlands in large numbers, it is our resident breeding population that is now in danger of extinction. A terrible indictment of the country's (and governments) attitude to our natural heritage. Ireland's reputation for being "green" is, sadly, built on a myth.
Please see the Cry of the Curlew Appeal, initiated by Birdwatch Ireland, if you wish to help conserve this species.
This individual was part of a feeding flock of 76 birds on the main pitch of Na Fianna GAA Club on Mobhi Road, Glasnevin, Dublin recently. I have noted flocks of 20-30 birds travelling over my gaff most days this winter, heading out to the various green spaces in the area to feed. Magical to see and hear them. Especially nice to see them amongst the fallen autumn leaves.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Great Palm House in the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin. Lovely structure. Going for the Accidentally Wes Anderson look.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Summarit 35mm lens on CineStill 800T colour film.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The local fishing fleet moored in Skerries Harbour to shelter from Storm Agnes in the autumn of 2023.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Carl Zeiss Planar T* lens on Kodak Gold 200 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 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The LUAS passes around Peter's Place in Dublin 2 on its way to Ranelagh, Dublin 6.
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.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Red Knot (Calidris canutus) (just Knot in English-speaking Europe) is a medium-sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia.
Their diet varies according to season; arthropods and larvae are the preferred food items at the breeding grounds, while various hard-shelled molluscs are consumed at other feeding sites at other times. North American breeders migrate to coastal areas in Europe and South America, while the Eurasian populations winter in Africa, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand. This species forms enormous flocks when not breeding.
Red Knot populations are greatly affected by climate change since middle and high arctic habitats are necessary for breeding. Higher latitudes and coastal areas where red knots breed and winter are most affected by climate change. Male knots prepare 3-5 sites for nests on “normally dry, stony areas of tundra in upland areas, often near ridges and not far from wetlands. Thus, sea level rise, coastal erosion, and general warming temperatures due to global warming destroy the ideal breeding habitats for the red knot in these arctic coastal regions.
Migratory animals by nature have adapted to various environments. Subsequently, rapid and complex responses to climate change are prominent and in the case of the red knot in the recent changing climate, evolutionarily damaging. As arctic breeding grounds continue to warm, red knot body size has decreased, and less success for survival of birds born in warmer years is reported. Even more significantly, their wintering areas in the tropics have become more stabilized, resulting in shorter bill birds (likely due to the fact that stable conditions breed greater ecological success and less variability within species). Consequently, knots struggle to reach their main food sources which include deeply buried mollusks, adding to lesser access to food as well as more expenditure of energy in attempting to attain food. (wikipedia)
The North Bull Island in Dublin is a great place to see large flocks of Knot in winter in Ireland. This flock was settling in for a high tide roost but was kept getting disturbed by the incoming tide. A fabulous sight to witness.
There are a few other species mixed in with the flock. Can you identify them?
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
The entrance to the Great Palm House in the Botanic Gardens, Dublin. My daughter is the little imp in the foreground.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and Leica Summarit 35mm f2.5 lens on Japan Camera Hunter (JCH) Streetpan 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
Frank Flood Bridge and the Tolka River, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Carl Zeiss Planar T* lens on Ilford HP5 B&W 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 Eurasian Teal or Common Teal (Anas crecca) is a common and widespread duck which breeds in temperate Eurasia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian Teal is often called simply the Teal due to being the only one of these small dabbling ducks in much of its range. The bird gives its name to the blue-green colour teal.
It is a highly gregarious duck outside the breeding season and can form large flocks. It is commonly found in sheltered wetlands and feeds on seeds and aquatic invertebrates. The North American Green-winged Teal (A. carolinensis) was formerly (and sometimes is still) considered a subspecies of A. crecca.
The Eurasian Teal is the smallest dabbling duck alive. The Eurasian Teal breeds across northern Eurasia and mostly winters well south of its breeding range. However, in the milder climate of temperate Europe, the summer and winter ranges overlap. For example, in the United Kingdom a small summer population breeds, but far greater numbers of Siberian birds arrive in winter. In the Caucasus region, western Asia Minor, along the northern shores of the Black Sea, and even on the south coast of Iceland and on the Vestmannaeyjar, the species can be encountered all year, too. (wikipedia)
In winter, Teal can be found feeding on the detritus that comes off a water treatment facility in Dublin Bay, near the Poolbeg Power Station. As the winter goes on, the birds become used to people walking along the Great Wall, and a normally shy and elusive species becomes more relaxed, allowing for excellent views, even in the horrible grey and lowlight of an Irish winter's morning.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f1.4 lens on Kodak Ultramax 400 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
There were some nice vistas at Portrane Beach while waiting for Ireland's 1st Least Tern to show itself. Cracking day. 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 Irish Yeast Company in College Street was established in 1894 by Henry West who was a Barrister. The business first opened in what had been the foyer of the George Hotel, which later became a bank and subsequently reverted to what is now the Westin Hotel. At the time the main mission of the Irish Yeast Company was to supply and promote the use of yeast to all bakeries in the country.
The business changed direction when it was taken over by the Moreland family in the 1940s. Although it still supplied fresh yeast, its main business focus was wedding cake and icing equipment and the windows were decorated with silvered cake boards, cake ornaments, pillars, icing syringes, nozzles and forcing bags, attracting customers from all parts of Ireland. For a period of time the window was occupied by the resident cat.
Following the death of proprietor John Moreland in 2016, who operated the business and lived overhead for more than 60 years, the building was sold in 2018 to Doyle's Pub next door. As a listed structure, the development opportunity for the building is limited. The four-storey building was sold with contents in place, including a vast array of baking paraphernalia – foil-covered cake stands in all sizes, faded bunting and old style bride and groom figurines with hand-written price tags.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Lomography 400 film and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens. 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
A pair of foxes painted on the gable end of The Red Parrot Pub on Lower Dorset Street by Binn Bridge. The bridge traverses the Royal Canal and was built in about 1795. Abutting the north side of bridge is a double-arch stone rail bridge built in about 1864. The foxes were painted by the brilliant Shane Sutton.
Taken with a Yashica Mat 124 medium format camera on the now discontinued Fujicolour PRO 400H 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
Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii) is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
In the late 1960s, this was one of the world's rarest gulls, with a population of only 1,000 pairs. It has established new colonies, but remains rare with a population of about 10,000 pairs.
This species, unlike many large gulls, rarely scavenges, but is a specialist fish eater, and is therefore strictly coastal and pelagic. This bird will feed at night, often well out to sea, but also slowly patrols close into beaches, occasionally dangling its legs to increase drag.
The adult basically resembles a small European herring gull, the most noticeable differences being the short stubby red bill and "string of pearls" white wing primary tips, rather than the large "mirrors" of some other species. The legs are grey-green. It takes four years to reach adult plumage.
This species shows little tendency to wander from its breeding areas, but there were single records in the Netherlands and England in May 2003, and one spent from December 2016 to April 2017 in Trinidad.
It is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. (wikipedia)
I was fortunate to bump into a small flock of Audouin's Gull on a morning walk in Portugal in the early summer of 2023. One of the nicest looking of the gull species.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The LUAS Green Line heading from south to north across Dublin City centre. This is the junction between St. Stephen's Green and Dawson Street.
Taken with a Leica Summarit-M 35mm f2.5 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Fujicolour C200 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 construction sites around Dublin are coming down as fast as they were put up. This collection of new buildings on Charlemont Street are really shooting up. COVID-19, Level 3, June 2021.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Ilford HP5 (400 ASA) black and white 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
Nectar-lovers heaven. An uncut grassy area in front of Drumcondra Local Library covered with a species of Dandelion. Great to see. No butterflies there though...which was a pity.
Taken with a Yashinon Auto 5cm lens on a Canon A1, and with Kodak Portra 160 film.