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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 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)
A lovely adult bird perched out along the River Tolka in Dublin.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Sagres, Portugal, 2023. It seemed that the town has yet to recover from the global recession and COVID.
Taken with a Canon A1 and a Canon FD 50mm f1.8 lens on Fujifilm 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
A side street between Richmond Street and Camden Street in Dublin 2. What was once a vibrant street with bars, gyms, a local green grocer, framers, and Aussie BBQ eatery, is now deserted and downbeat to make way for a hotel complex.
Taken with an Olympus TRIP 35 rangefinder camera on Kodak Gold 200 film.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition 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 female perched along the Ballycotton cliff walk, Co. Cork, carrying some food for its young. The moth looks like a Ruby Tiger.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The number of cranes fighting it out in the skyline of Dublin increases every day. This is the view along Richmond Road, Dublin 2.
Taken with an Olympus XA camera on native ISO 400 Fujifilm Superia 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
On the edge of St Stephen’s Green is the statue of Theobald Wolfe Tone, born June 20, 1763, Dublin, and died Nov. 19, 1798. The son of a Church of Ireland coach-maker who briefly considered an acting career as a young man, Wolfe Tone rose to become the leader of the 1798 Irish Rebellion, and is widely regarded as the father of Irish republicanism. Taken prisoner by British forces after refusing an offer of escape from French allies, he died in Provost's Prison in Dublin at the age of 35. At his court-martial, Tone declared that '[t]o contend against British Tyranny, I have braved the fatigues and terrors of the field of battle [...] After all I have done for a sacred cause, death is no sacrifice.'
In 1964, sculptor Edward Delaney and architect Noel Keating began work on the Wolfe Tone monument, with the statue and surrounding framework of granite monoliths unveiled three years later. After being criticised for making the figure of Tone too big, Delaney retorted that 'Tone figured life-size in a park setting would look like a leprechaun.' (talkingstatuesdublin.ie)
Such a great piece and one of my favourites in the area. Sculpted by Edward Delaney.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Ilford Delta Plus (400 ASA) black and white film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Shorebirds of Ireland with Jim Wilson.
Freshwater Birds of Ireland with Jim Wilson
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia. This species is polytypic, with two subspecies. Marsh Hawk is a historical name for the American form.
It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Europe and southern temperate Asia, and American breeders to the southernmost USA, Mexico, and Central America. In the mildest regions, such as France, Great Britain, Ireland and the southern US, Hen Harriers may be present all year, but the higher ground is largely deserted in winter.
The Hen Harrier is a bird of open habitats such as heather moorland and extensive agriculture. However, much of its range, particularly in Ireland and parts of western Britain, has been (and continues to be) afforested, predominantly with non-native conifers such as Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) from North America. (wikipedia)
The Hen Harrier is Amber-listed due to a decline in the breeding population. The European population has been evaluated as Depleted due to a large historical decline. It is worryingly close to extinction as a breeding species in Ireland, with 2 birds shot dead in the winter of 2012.
This is a 2nd calendar year male banking to hit a flock of winter finches in a stubble field. Stunning birds and a privilege to see.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Common Buzzard/Clamhán (Buteo buteo) is a medium sized raptor (bird of prey) with broad wings, a compact body, short neck and medium-length tail. Has a short hooked bill suitable for eating meat. Often seen sitting on fences and telegraph posts or soaring high in the sky, where it shows a fan shaped tail and spread outer wing feathers. Will also hang in the wind on updrafts. Flies with quick, stiff wing beats. Buzzards have very variable plumages from very dark to very light. Much of the plumage is barred. Adults are brown on the upperparts, body and underwing coverts and show a broad black band on the end of the tail and wing feathers. The rest of the underwings are whitish and finely barred. Variation in adult plumage is displayed on both the upper and under sides and some birds can be extremely pale, especially in the tail and upperwing coverts. Juvenile birds are similar to adults and also display a range of light and dark plumage variation; juveniles lack black bands on the ends of their tails and wings and some paler birds show prominent dark markings on the underwing at the carpal (wing joint).
Until quite recently breeding birds were to be found mainly in the north and east of country, north of a line from Sligo to Wexford. Now they are widespread. The stronghold of the species is in Co. Donegal, Co. Monaghan and Co. Louth. Birds nest in trees and sometimes on cliffs, usually with access to open land including farmland, moorland and wetland. The species was absent in Ireland from the late nineteenth century until 1933, when a pair bred in Antrim. The species has spread slowly down from the north through the twentieth century. (BirdWatch Ireland)
The Common Buzzard is a bogey species for me. I have yet to get a decent photograph of one! I had tried to find a gap in a hedge overlooking a road somewhere in Co. Wexford. I am still waiting for that photograph!
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Hanover Street, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens lens on Santa Rae 125 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
Bang Bang, Phibsborough, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P camera with a Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f2 lens on Kodak Gold 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
LUAS on Dawson Street, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens lens on Santa Rae 125 film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.r Santa Rae 125
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Colourful shop shutter on Montague Lane, Dublin.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using 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
This refurb and development has been taking a few years now. Charlemont Bridge, Dublin, Ireland.
Taken with a Canon A1 and Canon FD 50mm f1.8 lens on Fuji Superia 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
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 one of the most important winter berry source for Irish birds, Atlantic or Irish Ivy (Hedera hibernica).
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, also known as Eurasian Kingfisher or River Kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter. This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptions to enable it to see prey under water. There are seven subspecies differing in the hue of the upperparts and the intensity of the rufous colour of the underparts; size varies across the subspecies by up to 10%.
Only a quarter of the young survive to breed the following year, but this is enough to maintain the population. Likewise, only a quarter of adult birds survive from one breeding season to the next. Very few birds live longer than one breeding season. This is in part due to cold winters, predators such as rats and mink, and fledged young drowning during their first forays as the king of fishers. (wikipedia)
A stunning bird which I always enjoy seeing. The view we have here is typical of what one would see on an small Irish river. Distant and amongst the low-haning branches. This male (lower mandible is orange on female) was fishing along a small stretch of the River Dodder near Dublin city. Branches everywhere make it difficult to get a clean image of the bird, but happy to see one at close quarters nonetheless. The bird was paired up with a female and they were busy flying back and forth along the river. Magic to hear the call first before the blue flash whizzes by. Pity about all the plastic sheeting and rubbish caught in the root systems and branches along the riverbank.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
It has been a particularly tough Lockdown 3.0, the longest in Europe of any country to date. People are frustrated, fed up and in some cases, quite depressed. But, there are some amazing people and organisations out there helping people out during this mess while in COVID-19 lockdown and enduring COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Kodak C200 colour film.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
At first glance, the Bar-tailed Godwit (foreground) resembles a smaller version of a Curlew - similar shape (long legs and neck) and plumage (grey/brown, with streaking). The long, straight and slightly upturned bill, however is quite different. Summer plumaged birds occur sometimes in Ireland, showing varying amounts of orange/brick red on the body feathers. Bar-tailed can easily be confused with the slightly longer-legged and more elegant Black-tailed Godwit (background), however in flight, Bar-tailed always shows fairly uniform, grey brown upperwings, a long white rump and a finely barred tail (Black-tailed is strongly patterned with black and white wings and tail and a square white rump). Usually seen feeding along outer shoreline of estuaries. Sometimes in large flocks. (BirdWatch Ireland)
The Bar-tailed Godwit breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World and of Australia and New Zealand. Its migration includes the longest known non-stop flight of any bird and also the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal (11,026 km (6,851 mi)). (wikipedia)
The Common Redshank or simply Redshank (Tringa totanus), in the middle, is a Eurasian wader. Common Redshanks in breeding plumage are a marbled brown color, slightly lighter below. In winter plumage (as shown here) they become somewhat lighter-toned and less patterned, being rather plain greyish-brown above and whitish below. They have red legs and a black-tipped red bill, and show white up the back and on the wings in flight. (wikipedia
The Black-tailed Godwit (background) is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird and a member of the Limosa genus, the godwits. There are three subspecies, all with orange head, neck and chest in breeding plumage and dull grey-brown winter coloration, and distinctive black and white wingbar at all times. The world population is estimated to be 634,000 to 805,000 birds and is classified as Near Threatened due to a decline in numbers of around 25% in the previous 15 years. Godwits from the Icelandic population winter mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and the Netherlands, though some fly on to Spain, Portugal and perhaps Morocco. In 2004, the population size of Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits (depicted here) was estimated to be around 47,000 individuals. Given the continued expansion since then, it is likely that there are now around 50-60,000 Icelandic Godwits.
The North Bull Island is a good place in winter in Ireland to see these three species feeding in close proximity to each other.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
This fabulous building houses the Irish Government's Department of Finance and was designed by the world famous Irish architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, co-founders of Grafton Architects.
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 O’Connell Tower in Glasnevin Cemetery was built to commemorate the life of one of Ireland’s greatest historical figures, Daniel O’Connell. He was born in 1775 in Co. Kerry, he went on to become the foremost political leader of the Catholic majority in Ireland throughout the first half of the 19th Century. He was the key figure in the movement for Catholic Emancipation, which was introduced in 1829 and removed many of the restrictions imposed on Catholics by the Penal Laws and other legal measures.
He became known as The Liberator, and continued to represent the people of Ireland as an M.P. at Westminster and as an advocate for a separate Irish Parliament in Dublin. He became one of the foremost opponents of slavery in the U.S. and elsewhere, and his key principle was that such injustice and oppression should be challenged only through peaceful and non-violent means.
British Prime Minister William Gladstone called him the greatest popular leader the world had ever seen, and he was later quoted as an inspiration by many global leaders including Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
Following his death in Italy in 1847, he was initially buried in the O’Connell Circle in Glasnevin Cemetery, and in 1855, the O’Connell Tower was completed. Later, in 1869, Daniel O’Connell’s remains were reinterred in an ornate crypt at the base of the tower.
The tower measures an impressive 180 feet or 55 metres and is still one of the highest structures in Dublin. Construction took 16 months, and the cost of creating the tower came to £18,000, or approximately €15 million in today’s money.
(see www.dctrust.ie/about-us/oconnell-tower.html)
Taken with an Olympus XA camera on native ISO 400 Fujifilm Superia 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
All Hallows College Chapel, Drumcondra, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens lens on Santa Rae 125 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 stunning sculpture taking inspiration from Rodin’s The Thinker but made entirely out of bicycle tyres and some steel. “I create tyre sculptures by first building a steel armature that forms the sculpture’s ‘skeleton.’ Then I attach tyres to the armature. For larger sculptures, I occasionally also work with used car tyres.”
COVID-19, Level 3, July 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
A lone luncher in the Iveagh Gardens. COVID-19, Level 3, July 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
The Red Kite (Milvus milvus) is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just outside in northern Iran. It is a rare species which is resident in the milder parts of its range in western Europe and northwest Africa, but birds from northeastern and central Europe winter further south and west, reaching south to Turkey. (wikipedia)
The Red Kite's diet consists mainly of small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, young hares and rabbits. It also feeds on a wide variety of carrion including sheep carcasses and dead game birds. Live birds are also taken and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. Earthworms also form an important part of the diet, especially in the spring.
As scavengers, red kites are particularly sensitive to poisoning. Illegal poison baits set for foxes or crows are indiscriminate and kill protected birds and other animals. This has occurred to the Red Kites from the reintroduction programme here in Ireland. Legislation has now changed such that leaving poisoned carcasses out on land is illegal. However, enforcement of this new law could prove difficult to police.
On the 19 July 2007, the first thirty red kites of the reintroduction program here were released in Co. Wicklow. The first successful breeding was in 2010. This stunning adult was coaxing its fledgling from the trees over Avoca Village, Wicklow. on a murky morning earlier in the summer. What a bird.
Shorebirds of Ireland with Jim Wilson.
Freshwater Birds of Ireland with Jim Wilson
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
I received an email from a friend of mine in Japan telling me he saw my new book online for pre-order! I was amazed to see that Amazon and Book Depository are already carrying notice of the new book that Jim Wilson and I have coming out this autumn (probably in September). The book is being published by The Collins Press in Cork. We are putting the finishing touches to the book right now and will post a few sample pages from it over the coming weeks. Here is the cover page. Some of the people on Flickr have helped us out filling a few gaps! Thank you folks :)
The book is being produced in association with the BirdWatch Ireland, my country's largest wildlife NGO. A percentage of the proceeds from the sales of the book will go to BirdWatch Ireland.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Harcourt Street is a different beast during these COVID times. COVID-19 Level 5 lockdown, April 2021.
Taken with a Leica Summarit-M 35mm f2.5 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Ilford Ortho 80 film, shot at 400 ISA. 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 back walls of the houses on Adelaide Road, Dubin that back onto the Grand Canal tend to get tagged and decorated.
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
Clonliffe Harriers club championships in the summer of 2022.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and Leica Summarit 35mm f2.5 lens lens on Santa Rae 125 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 Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), most often simply called the Collared Dove, also sometimes hyphenated as Eurasian Collared-dove, is a species of dove native to Asia and Europe, and also recently introduced in North America.
The Collared Dove is not migratory, but is strongly dispersive. Over the last century, it has been one of the great colonisers of the bird world. Its original range at the end of the 19th century was warm temperate and subtropical Asia from Turkey east to southern China and south through India to Sri Lanka. In 1838 it was reported in Bulgaria, but not until the 20th century did it expand across Europe, appearing in parts of the Balkans between 1900–1920, and then spreading rapidly northwest, reaching Germany in 1945, Great Britain by 1953 (breeding for the first time in 1956), Ireland in 1959, and the Faroe Islands in the early 1970s. Subsequent spread was 'sideways' from this fast northwest spread, reaching northeast to north of the Arctic Circle in Norway and east to the Ural Mountains in Russia, and southwest to the Canary Islands and northern Africa from Morocco to Egypt, by the end of the 20th century. In the east of its range, it has also spread northeast to most of central and northern China, and locally (probably introduced) in Japan. It has also reached Iceland as a vagrant (41 records up to 2006), but has not colonised successfully there.
They are almost always seen in pairs and, like many birds, remain loyal to their mates. (wikipedia)
This is an adult bird. Note the fantastic pink iris.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
One of the Orangutan that are in Dublin Zoo took to swinging from a rope in its enclosure.
Taken with Leica M4-P camera body using a Carl Zeiss Planar T* f2 50mm lens and a Fujifilm Industrial 100 film (my favourite film but so hard to get). 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 hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus) is an endemic sub-species of mountain hare
and is the focus of an All-Ireland Species Action Plan. The Irish Government is required to report on the status of Irish hares under the EC Habitats Directive. It is one of three lagomorphs found on the Island of Ireland and the only native lagomorph.
Of the other two lagomorph species, brown hares occur in Northern Ireland and rabbits are widespread. The Irish hare is thought to have been present from the late Pleistocene.
The fur colour of Irish hares varies greatly and individuals can range from a light brown colour to darker russet red. It’s fur rarely turns wholly white in winter, although it may vary in colour throughout the year, sometimes developing white patches. On rare occasions all-white individuals have been recorded and this has sometimes earned them a place in local folklore. There was an unprecedented number of white hares reported in Ireland during the severe winter of 2010/2011.
Due to the variation in colour, Irish hares may be confused with brown hares. Brown, or European, hares (Lepus euroeaus) were originally introduced to Ireland in the 19th century but are thought to have died out. European hares recorded more recently in north-west Ulster appear to have been introduced much more recently, probably for coursing due to the scarcity of Irish hares.
Brown hares have longer ears and a mottled (thrush) coat. Some texts cite using the black upper tails of brown hares to distinguish them from Irish hares. However, some Irish hares may also have black upper tails and this trait should not be relied on for identification.
The famous ‘golden hare’, found on Rathlin Island on the north coast of Ireland is a rare leucistic mutation with a yellow tinted coat and blue eyes.
Dublin Airport is a good place to see Irish Hares up close. There were at least 20 individuals in one group when I was last there looking for them. Always a pleasure to see these beautiful mammals up close.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Construction on Tara Street, Dublin.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens lens on Santa Rae 125 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 avenue of trees along the north side of St. Stephen's Green. It has a heavy, but lovely clean feel during the spring and summer months.
Taken with an Leica M4-P camera, with a Leitz Elmar f2.8 50mm 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
The holly blue is a tiny blue butterfly that has a scattered distribution around Ireland. It is largely confined to the relatively scarce patches of native woodland that still support both holly and ivy. It is also found in urban and suburban gardens or parkland where these plants feature prominently.
Adult holly blues are on the wing from April to June throughout their range, and again from August to September in areas where the butterfly is double-brooded. With a wingspan of only 26-35 mm (c. 1-1½ inches) the holly blue is one of our more diminutive butterfly species, but none the less beautiful for its small size. The main colouring of the upper wings is a pale, almost translucent blue with a slightly lilac tinge. Males have a narrow black band on the margin of the forewings, while females have generally darker forewings and a much broader black margin. The undersides of the wings in both sexes are a very pale silvery blue that appears almost white with distinctive black flecks. It has a pale blue body covered with long hairs, long black antennae with white stripes along their length and pale blue legs ringed with black stripes.
As with many of our smaller wildlife species urban and suburban gardens and parks are providing an increasingly important supplemental habitat for the holly blue. By simply adopting a wildlife friendly approach to gardening and by planting native plant species in the garden (including holly and ivy) we can help the holly blue. (irishwildlife.com)
This little beauty was along the banks of the Tolka River running through Griffith Park in Dublin.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The song thrush (Turdus philomelos) is a thrush that breeds across the West Palearctic. It has brown upper-parts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies. Its distinctive song, which has repeated musical phrases, has frequently been referred to in poetry.
The song thrush has a short, sharp tsip call, replaced on migration by a thin high seep, similar to the redwing's call but shorter. The alarm call is a chook-chook becoming shorter and more strident with increasing danger. The male's song, given from trees, rooftops or other elevated perches, is a loud clear run of musical phrases, repeated two to four times, filip filip filip codidio codidio quitquiquit tittit tittit tereret tereret tereret, and interspersed with grating notes and mimicry. It is given mainly from February to June by the Outer Hebridean race, but from November to July by the more widespread subspecies. For its weight, this species has one of the loudest bird calls.
The song thrush breeds in forests, gardens and parks, and is partially migratory with many birds wintering in southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East; it has also been introduced into New Zealand and Australia. Although it is not threatened globally, there have been serious population declines in parts of Europe, possibly due to changes in farming practices.
The song thrush has an extensive range, estimated at 10 million square kilometres (3.8 million square miles), and a large population, with an estimated 40 to 71 million individuals in Europe alone.
In the Western Palaearctic, there is evidence of population decline, but at a level below the threshold required for global conservation concern (i.e., a reduction in numbers of more than 30% in ten years or three generations) and the IUCN Red List categorises this species as of "Least Concern". In Ireland, Great Britain and the Netherlands, there has been a more than 50% decline in population, and the song thrush is included in regional Red Lists. (wikipedia)
This was taken on coastal farmland in north County Dublin, Ireland. I really love seeing Song Thrushes perch on old dry stone walls...it reminds me of west cork in autumn.
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 quieter under Level 3 in September than it was in December. The outcome of not clamping down on Christmas revelries is the worst outbreak of COVID on the planet in December 2020/January 2021. At least Phil Lynott will not be abused now under Level 5!
Taken with a Canon A1 and a Yashica Auto Yashinon 5cm f2 lens on Kodak ProImage 100 colour film.