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Shorebirds of Ireland and Freshwater Birds of Ireland with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The White-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe and the Middle East, also known as the European Dipper or just Dipper. The species is divided into several subspecies on colour differences, especially of the pectoral band. The Dipper of Great Britain and Ireland is known as the "Brown-Bellied" Dipper (C. c. gularis), while the Irish race is Cinclus cinclus hibernicus.
The Dipper is a rotund, short-tailed bird, dark above and white-breasted, closely associated with swiftly running rivers and streams or the lakes into which these fall. The Dipper often perches bobbing spasmodically with its short tail uplifted on the rocks round which the water swirls and tumbles.
It acquired its name from these sudden dips, not from its diving habit, though it dives as well as walks into the water. It flies rapidly and straight, its short wings whirring swiftly and without pauses or glides, calling a shrill zil, zil, zil. It will then either drop on the water and dive or plunge in with a small splash. From a perch it will walk into the water and deliberately submerge, but there is no truth in the assertion that it can defy the laws of specific gravity and walk along the bottom.
This is one of a pair that had 2 nesting attempts washed out due to abnormally high water levels in the river. It is thought that the other of the pair was taken by an American Mink (Neovison vison).
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 hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia. The species is named for its similarity to hummingbirds, as they feed on the nectar of tube-shaped flowers using their long proboscis while hovering in the air; this resemblance is an example of convergent evolution.
Similar to Bee hawk moths in flight but the Hummingbird Hawk-moth has orange-brown hindwings, which is evident in flight. It has forewings that are greyish-brown and a black and white chequered body.
The caterpillars can be found from June to October, but most frequently found in August. They overwinter as adults in unheated outbuildings and in crevices and holes in walls and trees, pupating in a cocoon spun close to the ground, among the foliage of the foodplant or in leaf litter.
The hummingbird hawk-moth is distributed throughout the northern Old World from Portugal to Japan, but it breeds mainly in warmer climates (southern Europe, North Africa, and points east).
It is a strong flier, dispersing widely in the summer. However it rarely survives the winter in northern latitudes (e.g. north of the Alps in Europe, north of the Caucasus in Russia).
Hummingbird hawk-moths have been seen as a lucky omen. In particular, a swarm of the moths was seen flying across the English Channel on D-Day, the day of the Normandy landings in the Second World War. (wikipedia)
I saw two of these magnificent moths in Fota Arboretum recently. They are an immigrant moths in Ireland, appearing during the summer months having flown from continental Europe. They are such amazing fliers. Love seeing them.
A homeless man has staked his claim in the book depository. His area is very clearly designated. He didn't seem to mind us exploring, but he cautioned us to stay away from the windows so as not to attract notice from the authorities.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Fieldfare is a common and widespread winter visitor from October to March throughout Ireland. It is slightly larger than a Blackbird. Sexes and ages virtually identical. A very striking bird when seen well. Has a grey head and nape with indistinct white supercilium. The throat and breast are buffy-brown with extensive black streaks. The flanks have black arrow-markings (not spotted!), while the belly and vent are white. The back is brown, while the extensive rump is a pale grey. The tail and legs are black. A harsh "chack-chack", as well as high-pitched squeak. The song consists of a slow squeaky warble. (Birdwatch Ireland)
When watching the Waxwings in Dublin this winter, several Fieldfare and Redwing where mixed in with the feeding activity, feasting on the berries in the hedgerows of the industrial estate.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The common pochard (Aythya ferina) is a medium-sized diving duck. The adult male has a long dark bill with a grey band, a red head and neck, a black breast, red eyes and a grey back. The adult female has a brown head and body and a narrower grey bill-band. The triangular head shape is distinctive. Pochards are superficially similar to the closely related North American redhead and canvasback. heir breeding habitat consists of marshes and lakes with a metre or more water depth.
Pochards breed in much of temperate and northern Europe and across the Palearctic. They are migratory, and spend winter in the south and west of Europe.
In the British and Irish Isles, birds breed in eastern England and lowland Scotland, in small numbers in Northern Ireland with numbers increasing gradually, and sporadically in the Republic of Ireland, where it may also be increasing. While uncommon, individuals are also occasionally seen in the south of England, and small populations are sometimes observed on the River Thames. Large numbers stay overwinter in Ireland and Great Britain, after the birds retreat from Russia and Scandinavia.
These birds feed mainly by diving or dabbling. They eat aquatic plants with some molluscs, aquatic insects and small fish. (Birdwatch Ireland; Wikipedia)
This adult male was on the main lake of Dublin Zoo, where it successfully fledged 5 young Pochard with one of the female Pochard there. A rare breeding species in Ireland. Great to see. Tough to photograph into the sun near the middle of the day.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The site of the old Eat Yard and George Bernard Shaw on Richmond Street near Portobello/Camden area of Dublin 2. The graffiti still lives on and new additions adorn the hoarding. COVID-19 Level 5 lockdown, February 2021.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm lens on Fujjicolor PRO 400H colour film.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
North Bull Island, Dublin.
Taken with an Leica M4-P camera, with a Leica Summarit-M 35mm lens, and on Fujicolor 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 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Chimneys and WIndows, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on Ilford Delta Plus 400 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
We are delighted to announce that the 2nd edition of our Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide is out now in all bookshops nationwide and online retailers.
Some of the proceeds of each sale goes to Birdwatch Ireland to fund their conservation work on birds and their habitats in 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 western swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is a species of swamphen in the rail family Rallidae, one of the six species of purple swamphen. This chicken-sized bird, with its large feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is easily recognisable in its native range. It used to be considered the nominate subspecies of the purple swamphen, but is now recognised as a separate species. The western swamphen is found in wetlands in Spain (where the largest population lives), Portugal, southeastern France, Italy (Sardinia and Sicily) and northwestern Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).
The species makes loud, quick, bleating and hooting calls which are hardly bird-like in tone. It is particularly noisy during the breeding season. Despite being clumsy in flight, it can fly long distances and is a good swimmer, especially for a bird without webbed feet.
The western swamphen prefers wet areas with high rainfall, swamps, lake edges and damp pastures. The birds often live in pairs and larger communities. It clambers through the reeds, eating the tender shoots and vegetable-like matter. They have been known to eat eggs, ducklings, small fish and invertebrates such as snails.
Swamphens were often kept in captivity in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. The behavior of the species was described in some detail by Aristotle in History of Animals (4th century BC), and they were also mentioned by Aristophanes (5th century BC), Pliny the Elder (1st century BC), Aelian and Athenaeus (2nd to 3rd century AD).
t remains rare and local in Portugal where there were 49–67 breeding pairs in 2002, but this population is also recovering. (wikipedia)
I was fortunate to come across several pairs of Western Swamphen in a few locations near Vilarmoura, Portugal on a family holiday in June 2024. Crazy looking birds.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Social distancing...a modern take on Abbey Road.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Lomography Metropolis film, shot at 400 ISA. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.
Thomas Bulfinch (July 15, 1796 – May 27, 1867) was an American writer born in Newton, Massachusetts.
For over a hundred years Thomas Bulfinch's masterpiece on ancient myth and legend has been consulted by scholars and lay readers alike. The timeless stories of the gods and goddesses of Greece, Rome and Northern mythology are brought to life, and throughout the book Bulfinch shows, by extensive and resonant quotation, how these images have enormously enriched the development of English literature, from Byron to Shakespeare, from Keats and Milton to Wordsworth and Tennyson. In addition, there is a chapter on Eastern religion and myth, together with maps of the ancient world, a list of proverbial expressions, a 24-page glossary and index, and an index to the poetical quotations.
bookdepository.com
116 pictures in 2016/46 Tradition
"Cardiff After Dark" book was today the editors' pick at the Guardian: www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign
The review: www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/sep/30/cardiff-after...
"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 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), also known as ferruginous pochard, common white-eye or white-eyed pochard, is a medium-sized diving duck from Eurosiberia.
The breeding male is a rich, dark chestnut on the head, breast and flanks with contrasting pure white undertail coverts. In flight the white belly and underwing patch are visible. The females are duller and browner than the males. The male has a yellow eye and the females have a dark eye.
The ferruginous duck prefers quite shallow fresh waterbodies with rich submerged and floating vegetation with dense stands of emergent vegetation on the margins. In some areas it will use saline or brackish pools or wetlands. On passage and wintering will also frequent coastal waters, inland seas and large, open lagoons.
The breeding range of the ferruginous duck is from Iberia and the Maghreb east to western Mongolia, south to Arabia, although in the west is now scarce and localised and locally extirpated in some countries. The duck winters throughout the Mediterranean Basin and the Black Sea, smaller number migrate into sub-Saharan Africa via the Nile Valley. Eastern birds winter in south and south-east Asia.
The species is threatened by the degradation and destruction of its favoured habitats by anthropogenic causes which are very wide and varied including impoundment, drainage, pollution and mismanagement. In addition, the increased threat of drought due to climate change may pose a threat to the species in the drier parts of its range. Increased disturbance by fishing boats and anglers among marginal vegetation could cause abandonment of the breeding sites or disrupt the timing of breeding particularly in populated areas, e.g. Western Europe. Ferruginous ducks are also threatened by hunting and large numbers are shot on passage in the autumn and in the wintering areas. Although protected in most European countries illegal and accidental hunting persists. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. (wikipedia)
I saw several birds in a nature reserve along the south Portuguese coast on a recent family holiday. Always great to see.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Comma is a generalist, found in: tall-herb and grassy forest clearings, crops, field margins, orchards, urban parks and ornamental gardens. The first confirmed report of the Comma in the Republic of Ireland was in 2000 in Co. Wexford. It is now consistently recorded each year throughout the south and east, and overwinters. In Spring, overwintering adults emerge in wooded habitats and spend time basking, favourite surfaces being tree trunks, wood piles, dead bracken and fence posts. Males establish territories on sunny rides and woodland margins, perching waiting for females to enter the territory and conducting short flights to and from their original perch. During late summer and early autumn, the 2nd generation adults range widely over sites with nectar sources, but move to woodland to hibernate.
The caterpillars primarily feed on Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), but in Britain it has also been observed on: Currants (Ribes spp.), Elms (Ulmus spp.), Hop (Humulus lupulus) and Willows (Salix spp.).
The adult nectar sources include: Bramble (Rubus fruticosus), Buddleia (Buddleji davidii), Ivy (Hedera helix), Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.), Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) and Thistles (Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.). (National Biodiversity Data Centre)
This is the first, and only, Comma butterfly I have seen in my garden. A lovely surprise! I have spent the last few years looking for this species near where i live in Dublin.
Shorebirds of Ireland with Jim Wilson.
Due in October 2011 Freshwater Birds of Ireland 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. A stunning bird and always great to see. Taken at Lady's Island Lake, Co. Wexford where 2 birds have been for about a week now.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Holles Street, Dublin 2.
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.
One of several spiral staircases in the basement of the Roosevelt Warehouse, where the Detroit Public School System stored unused textbooks.
The building was originally the city’s main Post Office. It was connected via tunnel to Michigan Central Station across the street, where mail was delivered by train.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Marlborough Street, Dublin.
Taken with a Yashica Electro 35 GSN on pushed Ilford HP5 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 view from Balscadden towards the coast leading to south to Howth Head, Dublin.
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 with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The common murre or common guillemot (Uria aalge) is a large auk. It is also known as the thin-billed murre in North America. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North-Atlantic and North Pacific. It spends most of its time at sea, only coming to land to breed on rocky cliff shores or islands.
Common murres have fast direct flight but are not very agile. They are more manoeuvrable underwater, typically diving to depths of 30–60 m (98–197 ft), and depths of up to 180 m (590 ft) have been recorded. Both male and female common murres moult after breeding and become flightless for 1–2 months. In southern populations they occasionally return to the nest site throughout the winter. Northern populations spend the winter farther from their colonies.
Some individuals in the North Atlantic, known as "bridled guillemots", have a white ring around the eye extending back as a white line. This is not a distinct subspecies, but a polymorphism that becomes more common the farther north the birds breed—perhaps character displacement with the northerly thick-billed murre (Brunnich's Guillemot), which has a white bill-stripe but no bridled morph. The white is highly contrasting especially in the latter species and would provide an easy means for an individual bird to recognize conspecifics in densely packed breeding colonies. (wikipedia)
This is a 1st year Guillemot diving and feeding off Poolbeg, Irishtown in Dublin earlier in 2023.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Sagres, Portugal, 2023, very much a surfing town.
Taken with a Canon A1 and a Canon FD 50mm f1.8 lens on Washi X 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
Dappled light through the lush leaves of in the grounds of Avondale House, the birthplace and home of Charles Stewart Parnell.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and Leica Summarit 35mm f2.5 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
A temporary collection of tents pitched behind Leinster House, where our government sits to govern the country. The tents appeared during February/March 2021 and are still there now (May 2021). COVID-19 Level 3 lockdown, May 2021.
Taken with a FujiFilm X-T4 and a Leica Summarit-M 35mm f2.5 lens.
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)
A Sedge Warbler skulking like Sedge Warblers do in a bramble thicket at Kilmichael Point, Co. Wexford earlier this summer.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Some lost sculptures in the Iveagh Gardens, Dublin.
Taken with a Canon A1 and a Helios 44M-4 f2 58mm lens on Fujicolour PRO 400H film.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Bonaparte's gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) is a member of the gull family Laridae found mainly in northern North America. It is one of the smallest species of gull. Its plumage is mainly white with grey upperparts. During breeding season, Bonaparte's gull gains a slaty-black hood. The sexes are similar in appearance.
Bonaparte's gull is smaller-bodied, smaller-headed, and smaller-billed than the other common hooded gulls of North America. The adult has grey upperparts and white underparts; its wingtips are black above and pale below. In breeding plumage, it has a slaty black hood, which it loses in non-breeding plumage. Its short, thin bill is black, and its legs are orangish-red.
Bonaparte's gull breeds in boreal forest across southern Alaska and much of interior western Canada, as far east as central Quebec and south to within 320 km (200 mi) of the United States/Canada border. It avoids dense stands of conifers, instead choosing more open areas, such as the treed edges of bogs, fens, marshes, ponds, or islands. It typically nests within 60 m (200 ft) of open water. It winters along the coasts of North America, and in the Great Lakes. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe and the Azores, where it generally associates with black-headed gulls. In 2017 a breeding pair was spotted on Iceland. (wikipedia)
Several Bonaparte's Gulls were found in Ireland in August/September 2023. I was fortunate to see this adult at the Great South Wall, Dublin Bay. A great find by Holly Grogan. It's always a treat to see this species in Ireland. This is my 10th Bonaparte's Gull sighing In Ireland.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Cumberland Street South, Dublin 2, off Pearse Street.
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
Autumn in Dublin during Level 3 lockdown. The city centre was quiet and was about to get quieter. The weather was nice at times, which always makes it more bearable. This is at the rear of the relatively new Arthur Cox building off Hatch Street, Dublin 2.
Taken with a Canon A1 and a Helios 44M-4 f2 58mm lens on Fujicolour PRO 400H film.
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
A temporary campsite near Portobello/Charlemont Street area of Dublin 2. The tents appeared during March 2021 and are still there now (May 2021). COVID-19 Level 3 lockdown, May 2021.
Taken with a Leitz Elmar 50mm f2.8 lens on a Leica M4-P camera body, using Lomography Metropolis 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 Brent (or Brant) Goose is a small goose with a short, stubby bill. The under-tail is pure white, and the tail black and very short (the shortest of any goose).
The species is divided three subspecies:
Dark-bellied brant goose B. b. bernicla; Pale-bellied brant goose B. b. hrota (sometimes also known as light-bellied brent goose in Europe, and Atlantic brent in North America); and Black brant B. b. nigricans (sometimes also known as the Pacific brant in North America).
Some DNA evidence suggests that these forms are genetically distinct; while a split into three separate species has been proposed, it is not widely accepted, with other evidence upholding their maintenance as a single species.
The Pale-bellied Brent goose appears blackish-brown and light grey in colour. The body is different shades of grey-brown all over, the flanks and belly are significantly paler than the back and present a marked contrast. The head and neck are black, with a small white patch on either side of the neck. It breeds in Franz Josef Land, Svalbard, Greenland and northeastern Canada, wintering in Denmark, northeast England, Ireland and the Atlantic coast of the U.S. from Maine to Georgia. Ireland host the vast majority of the world's population of Pale-bellied Brent in winter.
The species is amber-listed as the majority winter at less than ten sites. The Irish population is also internationally significant, another amber listing criterion. The European population has been evaluated as Vulnerable as several important populations declined. (wikipedia)
The North Bull Island in Dublin Bay is a fantastic site to see and watch the Brent Goose. They fly within feet of the heads of folk walking along the causeway or across the Wooden Bridge. A great sight to behold! Family groups were quite noticeable this year so I hope that they have had a good breeding season. This was taken in horrendous light conditions in the greyness of low cloud shortly after "sunrise".
Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
Red and green in Dublin 2.
Taken with a Leica M4-P and a Carl Zeiss Planar T* lens on Santa Rae Summer 100 colour film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.