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Lock 07 on the Grand Canal, located at the bridge between Portobello and Rathmines, Dublin.

Taken with a Leica M4-P and Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f2 lens on CineStill XX black and white film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.

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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 few breeding pair of Kentish Plovers near where we were staying in Portugal in the early summer of 2023. Lovely waders.

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The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It breeds in much of the Old World and the Atlantic coast of North America. In European waters it can be distinguished from the Common Shag by its larger size, heavier build, thicker bill, lack of a crest and plumage without any green tinge. In eastern North America, it is similarly larger and bulkier than Double-crested Cormorant, and the latter species has more yellow on the throat and bill. Great Cormorants are mostly silent, but they make various guttural noises at their breeding colonies.

Many fishermen see in the Great Cormorant a competitor for fish. Because of this it was nearly hunted to extinction in the past. Thanks to conservation efforts its numbers increased.

Cormorant fishing is practiced in China, Japan, and elsewhere around the globe. In it, fishermen tie a line around the throats of cormorants, tight enough to prevent swallowing, and deploy them from small boats. The cormorants catch fish without being able to fully swallow them, and the fishermen are able to retrieve the fish simply by forcing open the cormorants' mouths, apparently engaging the regurgitation reflex.

In North Norway, cormorants are traditionally seen as semi-sacred. (wikipedia)

A Cormorant starting to enter breeding plumage feeding on the Dodder River in Dublin. Such fantastic birds.

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The Great Palm House hidden by a great tree, in the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

Taken with a Leica M4-P and Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f2 lens on CineStill XX black and white film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.

this was one of my contenders for the woodbridge pub show . it didn't make the final cut, so it's getting posted here instead :)

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The Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) (also called Hoodie) is a Eurasian bird species in the Corvus genus. Widely distributed, it is also known locally as Scotch crow and Danish crow. In Ireland it is called grey crow, just as in the Slavic languages and in Danish. In German it is called "mist crow" ("Nebelkrähe"). Found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East, it is an ashy grey bird with black head, throat, wings, tail, and thigh feathers, as well as a black bill, eyes, and feet. Like other corvids, it is an omnivorous and opportunistic forager and feeder.

It is so similar in morphology and habits to the carrion crow (Corvus corone), for many years they were considered by most authorities to be geographical races of one species. Hybridization observed where their ranges overlapped added weight to this view. However, since 2002, the hooded crow has been elevated to full species status after closer observation; the hybridisation was less than expected and hybrids had decreased vigour. Within the hooded crow species, four subspecies are recognized, with one, the Mesopotamian crow, possibly distinct enough to warrant species status itself.

The hooded crow (Corvus cornix) and carrion crow (Corvus corone) are two closely related species whose geographical distribution across Europe is believed to have resulted from the glaciation cycles during the Pleistocene, which caused the parent population to split into isolates which subsequently re-expanded their ranges when the climate warmed causing secondary contact. (wikipedia)

A lone Hooded Crow keeping sentry on the North Bull Island, Dublin.

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Roughly Robin-sized, the Hedge Accentor. known in Ireland as the Dunnock (pronounced Done-uck), is a sturdy dark brown bird, with bold black streaking and a bluish-grey head and neck, a thin pointed bill and orange-brown legs. Fairly common in gardens, parks, woodland and farmland, though usually only seen singly or in pairs. Tends to remain low in vegetation or creeps along the ground close to or under hedges. (Birdwatch Ireland)

They are usually very skulky but this individual has become habituated to people feeding the Mute Swans at Swords Estuary, where it picks off scraps of bread and other juicy bits.

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The Common Gull (Larus canus) is a medium-sized gull which breeds in northern Asia, northern Europe and northwestern North America. Adult common gulls are noticeably smaller than the herring gull and slightly smaller than the ring-billed gull. It is further distinguished from the ring-billed gull by its shorter, more tapered bill, which is a more greenish shade of yellow and is unmarked during the breeding season. The body is grey above and white below. The legs are greenish-yellow. In winter, the head is streaked grey and the bill often has a poorly defined blackish band near the tip, which is sometimes sufficiently obvious to cause confusion with ring-billed gull. They have black wingtips with large white "mirrors". Young birds have scaly black-brown upperparts and a neat wing pattern, and grey legs. They take two to three years to reach maturity. The call is a high-pitched "laughing" cry. (wikipedia)

This is an adult Common Gull in breeding plumage sitting on its nest in a tree! They breed on the coast and inland in the west of Ireland, from Dingle to Malin Head, with most colonies in Co. Galway, Co. Mayo and Co. Donegal. Inland it can breed on islands in lakes where it has declined. The species is declining in Ireland as a breeding bird, like those of inland breeding Black-headed Gulls, which have been attributed to predation by American Mink, reaching previously safe nesting areas (per Birdwatch Ireland). This photograph was taken in Reine, in the Lofoten Islands in Norway. The nest was in a tree in the front garden of a house there!

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The Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), also known as Dabchick, is the smallest European member of the grebe family of water birds and is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range. This bird breeds in small colonies in heavily vegetated areas of freshwater lakes across Europe, much of Asia down to New Guinea, and most of Africa. Most birds move to more open or coastal waters in winter, but it is only migratory in those parts of its range where the waters freeze. Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed bill. The adult is unmistakable in summer, predominantly dark above with its rich, rufous colour neck, cheeks and flanks, and bright yellow gape. The rufous is replaced by a dirty brownish grey in non-breeding and juvenile birds. Like all grebes, it nests at the water's edge, since its legs are set very far back and it cannot walk well. Usually four to seven eggs are laid. When the adult bird leaves the nest it usually takes care to cover the eggs with weeds. The young leave the nest and can swim soon after hatching, and chicks are often carried on the backs of the swimming adults. (wikipedia)

This is an adult Dabchick in winter plumage at Harper's Wetlands reserve near Glounthaune in Co. Cork, Ireland.

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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. 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.

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The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel.

This species occurs over a large range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America.

When hunting, the common kestrel characteristically hovers about 10–20 m (35–65 ft) above the ground, searching for prey, either by flying into the wind or by soaring using ridge lift. It can often be found hunting along the sides of roads and motorways. This species is able to see near ultraviolet light, allowing the birds to detect the urine trails around rodent burrows as they shine in an ultraviolet colour in the sunlight. Another favourite (but less conspicuous) hunting technique is to perch a bit above the ground cover, surveying the area (like this individual is doing). When the bird spots prey animals moving by, it will pounce on them.

A number of subspecies of the common kestrel are known, though some are hardly distinct and may be invalid. One of the subspecies is the Canarian Kestrel, found on Madeira and the Western Canary Islands. (Wikipedia)

This Kestrel on Madeira was busy looking for lizards and did not pay too much heed to us. A lovely race of Kestrel.

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The Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) is a small gull which breeds in much of Europe and Asia, and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory, wintering further south, but some birds in the milder westernmost areas of Europe are resident. Some birds will also spend the winter in northeastern North America, where it was formerly known as the Common Black-headed Gull.

It breeds in colonies in large reedbeds or marshes, or on islands in lakes, nesting on the ground. Like most gulls, it is highly gregarious in winter, both when feeding or in evening roosts. It is not a pelagic species and is rarely seen at sea far from coasts. The Black-headed Gull is a bold and opportunist feeder and will eat insects, fish, seeds, worms, scraps and carrion in towns, or take invertebrates in ploughed fields with equal relish.

This species takes two years to reach maturity. First-year birds (like the bird above) have a black terminal tail band, more dark areas in the wings, and, in summer, a less fully developed dark hood. Like most gulls, Black-headed Gulls are long-lived birds, with a maximum age of 63 years recorded in the wild. (wikipedia)

This is a second summer bird, clearly illustrated by the brown markings on the coverts on the wing.

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Reflections along the Grand Canal, Dublin.

Taken with a Canon A1 camera with a Canon FD 50mm f1.8 on Fujicolour (which is really rebranded Kodak Gold) 200 film, and developed and scanned by the good folk in Gunns on Wexford Street.

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The Iberian Magpie (Cyanopica cooki) is a bird in the crow family. It is similar in overall shape to the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) but is more slender with proportionately smaller legs and bill. It has a glossy black top to the head and a white throat. The underparts and the back are a light grey-fawn in colour with the wings and the feathers of the long tail are an azure blue.

The Iberian magpie occurs in southwestern and central parts of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain and Portugal. However, it can sometimes be spotted also in south-western France, and recently its presence has been reported even in north-western Italy. It inhabits various types of coniferous (mainly pine) and broadleaf forest, including parks and gardens in the eastern populations.

This taxon is sometimes treated as conspecific with the azure-winged magpie (C. cyana), but this population is 5400 miles (9,000 km) away from those in eastern Asia. Genetic analyses have suggested that Iberian and azure-winged magpies are distinct at species level.

This species usually nests in loose, open colonies with a single nest in each tree. (wikipedia)

Iberian Magpie were common along the coast near Faro, Portugal, and in the scrublands. A beautiful and charismatic bird.

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A very foggy morning when I popped down to Cobh for the day to visit my parents. I always loved the fog in Cobh when I was growing up. It always provided a sense of calm. I regret now that one cannot hear the fog horn that would have sounded out from the lighthouse at Roches Point, at the mouth of Cork Harbour.

Taken with an Olympus XA on Kosmo Foto 100 black and white film.

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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 local beach in Vilarmoura on the south coast of Portugal in the early summer of 2024. One of the nicest looking of the gull species.

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The Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops) is the most widespread species of the genus Upupa. It is a distinctive cinnamon coloured bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow downcurved bill. Its call is a soft "oop-oop-oop". It is native to Europe, Asia and the northern half of Africa. It is migratory in the northern part of its range. It spends most of the time on the ground probing for grubs and insects.

The Eurasian hoopoe is widespread in Europe, Asia, and North Africa and northern Sub-Saharan Africa. Most European and north Asian birds migrate to the tropics in winter. Those breeding in Europe usually migrate to the Sahel belt of sub-Saharan Africa. The birds predominantly migrate at night. (Wikipedia)

This bird was photographed on the grounds of the hotel we were staying in on a family holiday in June 2024 in Portugal. There was a pair on the grounds that successfully fledged at least 2 birds.

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The Linnet, Carduelis cannabina, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It derives its scientific name from its fondness for hemp and its English name from its liking for seeds of flax, from which linen is made.

This bird breeds in Europe, western Asia and north Africa. It is partially resident, but many eastern and northern birds migrate further south in the breeding range or move to the coasts. There are seven recognised subspecies.

Open land with thick bushes is favoured for breeding, including heathland and garden.

This species can form large flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches, such as Twite, on coasts and salt marshes.

It is a slim bird with a long tail. The summer male has a grey nape, red head patch and red breast. The Linnet is IUCN Red-listed as threatened. From 1980-2009, according to the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme, the European population decreased by 62%. (wikipedia)

This image was taken along the coastal path of Birdwatch Ireland's East Coast Nature Reserve, Wicklow.

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This is a very common butterfly which regularly frequents gardens, particularly favouring Buddlea bushes.

It is mainly reddish-orange with black markings and blue spots around the border. In contrast, the underside is quite dull.

It can be found sometimes hibernating in houses.

The small tortoiseshell is the national butterfly of Denmark. It is found throughout temperate Europe, Asia Minor, Central Asia, Siberia, China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan, wherever Common Nettle which their larvae feed on is found. There are a few records from New York City which, however, are believed to be of introduced insects. (wikipedia)

This was taken in the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

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The Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution breeding in temperate and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and east and central North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. It is sometimes known as the sea swallow. The term "Commic Tern" refers to birds which are not seen well enough to positively determined if they are Common or Arctic Terns.

Its thin, sharp bill is red with a dark tip. Its longish legs are also red. Its upperwings show a dark primary wedge, unlike the Arctic Tern, in which they are uniformly grey. Its long tail extends only to the wingtips on the standing bird, unlike Arctic and Roseate Terns, which extend past the wingtips. It is not as pale as the Roseate Tern and has longer wings. (wikipedia)

Taken in Dublin as the birds were making forays over a public path towards their nesting pontoon. Fantastic to watch the adult birds go back and forth over the path, ignoring all the people out walking. Evening light helped make it a lovely few hours.

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The Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia and Pakistan.

This is one of several Sylvia species that has distinct male and female plumages. Both sexes are mainly brown above and buff below, with chestnut fringes to the secondary remiges. The adult male has a grey head and a white throat. The female lacks the grey head, and the throat is duller. The Whitethroat's song is fast and scratchy, with a scolding tone. The hoarse, a little bit nasal call sounds like wed-wed or woid-woid. The warning cry is long-pulled, rough tschehr.

This is a bird of open country and cultivation, with bushes for nesting. The nest is built in low shrub or brambles. (wikipedia)

The Whitethroats are a real harbinger of Spring here in Ireland. Fantastic to see. This image of a an adult on territory along the Ballycotton Cliff Walk in Co. Cork.

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The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world.

It is a stocky white bird adorned with buff plumes in the breeding season which nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Unlike most other herons, it feeds in relatively dry grassy habitats, often accompanying cattle or other large mammals, since it catches insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations of the Cattle Egret are migratory and others show post-breeding dispersal.

The adult Cattle Egret has few predators, but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency or disturbance from other large birds. This species removes ticks and flies from cattle, but it can be a safety hazard at airfields, and has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases. (wikipedia)

A lone Cattle Egret keeping some cattle company in the fields surrounding Tarifa, Spain.

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Dún Chaoin/Dunquin is a Gaeltacht village in west County Kerry, Ireland. Dunquin lies at the most westerly tip of the Dingle Peninsula, overlooking the Blasket Islands. At 10°27'16"W, it is the most westerly settlement of Ireland and of Eurasia. Nearby Dunmore Head is the most westerly point of mainland Ireland.

There is dramatic cliff scenery, with a view of the Blasket Islands. In 1588, when the Spanish Armada returned via Ireland many ships sought shelter in the Blasket Sound — the area between Dún Chaoin and the Islands — and some were wrecked there. A memorial stands on the cliffs overlooking the site. Dunquin is located on the Dingle Way, which is a 179 km circular walking trail which takes in much of the Dingle peninsula. (wikipedia)

This is a very famous and much-photographed vista of Dún Chaoin pier and harbour. Ferries to the Blaskets go from here. Taken with an Olympus XA and on Fujicolor C200 film. Developed and scanned by the excellent John Gunn Camera Shop on Wexford Street.

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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 bramble along the south Wicklow coast.

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The Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops) is the most widespread species of the genus Upupa. It is a distinctive cinnamon coloured bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow downcurved bill. Its call is a soft "oop-oop-oop". It is native to Europe, Asia and the northern half of Africa. It is migratory in the northern part of its range. It spends most of the time on the ground probing for grubs and insects.

The Eurasian hoopoe is widespread in Europe, Asia, and North Africa and northern Sub-Saharan Africa. Most European and north Asian birds migrate to the tropics in winter. Those breeding in Europe usually migrate to the Sahel belt of sub-Saharan Africa. The birds predominantly migrate at night. (Wikipedia)

I watched the parents of this recently fledged Hoopoe fly back and forth to the nest hole on the grounds of the hotel we were staying in on a family holiday in June 2024 in Portugal. The successfully fledged at least 2 birds. This is one of them. Fantastic to see.

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The Sanderling (Calidris alba) is a small wader. It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, South Europe, Africa, and Australia. It is highly gregarious in winter, sometimes forming large flocks on coastal mudflats or sandy beaches.

This bird is similar in size to a Dunlin, but stouter, with a thick bill. It shows a strong white wingbar in flight, and runs along the sandy beaches it prefers with a characteristic "bicycling" action, stopping frequently to pick small food items. It eats small crabs and other small invertebrates. In spring, the birds arrive on the High Arctic breeding grounds.

The winter bird is very pale, almost white apart from a dark shoulder patch. Later in the summer, the face and throat become brick-red. Sanderling behavior is distinctive. It can be told from other small wading birds, given good views, by its lack of a hind toe. (wikipedia)

A Sanderling in breeding plumage along the Sagres coastline, Portugal.

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Bulwer's petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) is a small petrel in the family Procellariidae that is found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

This very long-winged petrel is 25–29 cm in length with a 78–90 cm wingspan. It has mainly brown plumage and a long pointed tail. It has a buoyant twisting flight as it picks planktonic food items from the ocean surface.

In the North East Atlantic, the species is predated by cats, house rats and endemic invertebrates. Feral cats are considered a major driver of the present distribution of the species. In the Azores, breeding areas are restricted to steep cliffs to avoid cat predation. In one colony on Madeira, predation of Shearwater chicks by Madeiran wall lizards has been recorded in up to 10% of nests, though it is highly unlikely to have an impact on the species on a population level. The large colony in the Desertas Islands suffers intense human exploitation for food or fish bait, which also occurs at a lower level in other North East Atlantic sites, although not in the Salvage Islands following the declaration of the islands as a nature reserve. (wikipedia)

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The Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is 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.

Its breeding range stretches from Iceland through Europe and areas of central Asia. Black-tailed godwits spend winter in areas as diverse as the Indian Subcontinent, Australia, western Europe and west Africa. The species breeds in fens, lake edges, damp meadows, moorlands and bogs and uses estuaries, swamps and floods in winter; it is more likely to be found inland and on freshwater than the similar Bar-tailed Godwit. 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. (wikipedia)

The bird depicted is the islandica race of Black-wits that breed in Iceland and winter in Ireland. In 2004, the population size of Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits 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. In a site in Cork Harbour called Harper's Island, up to 2,000 of these beautiful birds may be found in winter, making this an internationally important wintering site for this species.

This photo of a Black-tailed Godwit entering summer plumage was taken at Harper's Island Wetlands in Cork Harbour.

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The Peacock butterfly is widely distributed in Ireland (and is found in Europe and temperate Asia as far east as Japan) and can be found in most habitats. It is probably the most beautiful of all the Irish butterfly species. It has predominantly red wings with superbly coloured large eyespots. The underside is a very dark brown. It hibernates through the winter. It may be frequently seen on nectar plants such as thistles at any time of the year except for a period in June/July. It has a single brood annually.

This was taken at Kilmichael Point, Wexford.

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.

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The Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and western Asia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and southwest Asia. It is declining in parts of its range.

This is an undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail. The adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with a streaked crown and breast, giving rise to the bird's common name. The legs are short and black, and the bill is black and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores. Juveniles are browner than adults and have spots on the upperparts.

Formerly a common bird of Irish parks, larger gardens and woodland edges, since the 1960s the population has been falling at an alarming rate for reasons that are not fully clear. There are probably several factors at work, including drought in the species' wintering grounds and a general drop in the number of insects here in Europe. (wikipedia and BirdWatch Ireland)

Taken in Birdwatch Ireland's East Coast Nature Reserve near Blackditch, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. A pair bred locally and had 2 fledglings in tow. It was great seeing them being fed at close quarters, without a care in the world.

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.

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The White-eyed Gull (Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus) is a small gull which is endemic to the Red Sea. Its closest relative is the Sooty Gull. It is one of the world's rarest gulls, with a population of just 4,000 - 6,500 pairs. The species is classed as Near Threatened by the IUCN; human pressure and oil pollution are deemed the major threats. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus.

The white-eyed gull acquires adult plumage at two to three years of age. Juvenile birds have a very different plumage—chocolate brown on the head, neck and breast, and with brown, broadly pale-fringed, feathers to the upperparts and upperwings, and a black tail. In their first winter, birds acquire greyer feathering on their head, breast and upperparts; the second-winter plumage is closer to that of the adult, but lacking the hood.

A distinctive feature of white-eyed gull at all ages is its long slender bill. This is black in younger birds, but in adults it is deep red with a black tip. The legs are yellow—dullest in younger birds, brightest in breeding plumaged adults. The eye itself is not white; the bird takes its name from white eye-crescents, which are present at all ages. (wikipedia)

I saw quite a few White-eyed Gulls when I was travelling along the coast of the Sinai peninsula. This was taken near Nabq, South Sinai. What a bird!

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.

www.markcarmodyphotography.com

The Skylark is a common resident throughout Ireland in uplands and areas of farmland, especially cereal. It is a rather nondescript species, with much brown and black streaking. Adult Skylarks have a prominent white supercilium and frequently raise their crown feathers to form a little crest. Juveniles have much of the black streaking replaced by spotting and lack the crest. When flushed from the ground, keeps close to the ground unlike the similar Meadow Pipit which typically rises straight up.

The song, which can be heard from February/March to June, is a distinctive continuous stream of warbling notes. It can last up to half an hour and is usually given while the bird is flying 50 to 100 metres overhead.

Skylarks usually moves out of breeding areas to winter in flocks on stubble fields, grasslands and coastal areas. Birds from continental Europe arrive in variable numbers in Ireland from September and depart March/April. (BirdWatch Ireland)

A collective noun for Eurasian skylarks is an "exaltation". Although the Oxford English Dictionary describes this usage as "fanciful", it traces it back to a quotation from John Lydgate dating from about 1430. (wikipedia)

The Skylark remains a bogey species for me to photograph well on the ground, despite some previous good fortune at this site. I was fortunate to stumble upon a small group feeding along Dollymount Strand that straddles North Bull Island, Dublin Bay, Ireland. Still a way to go to get a decent, clean shot on the ground in good light but I'll take this one for now.

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)

An adult male on the lookout for food to feed some very recently fledged juveniles along the train tracks near Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow in the summer of 2024.

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.

www.markcarmodyphotography.com

The Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) nests near lakes, rivers or the coast in Canada and the northern United States. They are migratory and most move south to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, also the Great Lakes.

This gull is a regular wanderer to western Europe. In Ireland and Great Britain it is no longer classed as a rarity, with several birds regularly wintering in these countries.

In the late 19th century, this bird was hunted for its plumage. Its population has since rebounded and it is probably the most common gull in North America. In some areas, it is displacing less aggressive birds such as the Common Tern. (wikipedia)

This is an adult bird in winter plumage. Taken at Blackrock, Co. Louth. It is a bird that has returned to this area for several winters now. The species is rare in Ireland, and is becoming less frequent in Ireland during the winter months over the last few years.

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.

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The Lime Hawk-Moth was first recorded in Ireland in 2010 in Drumcondra, Dublin. It was not known if it was of local origin or perhaps flew in from Britain where it is well established in southern England. The case that it is resident in Ireland became much stronger with the 2nd Irish record of an adult that came to light in Baldoyle in 2015.

The species has been spreading northwards in England and so perhaps it will be seen away from north Dublin soon. It isn’t restricted to Lime. Birch and Alder regularly host the species and other tree species may be used as well. (Moths Ireland)

There have now been just under 50 records in Ireland. I found a caterpillar of this moth in my garden in Glasnevin, Dublin last autumn. And in April 2021, this beauty was on my doorstep. First time seeing the moth. Stunning.

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.

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The Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae native to Eurasia. It is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe, occurring in a wide variety of water bodies, though with a preference for breeding in still water such as ponds and lakes. In the south of its range adults are on the wing all year round. Adults can be seen on the wing all year round in southern Europe but in northern regions they occur from June to November.

This small dragonfly is seen in a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds, canals and slow-flowing rivers. They are ambush predators, waiting on a prominent perch - such as a leaf or the top of a gate, until prey fly past, whereupon they will fly after it. They are territorial on breeding waters, often attempting to chase much bigger dragonflies away such as southern hawkers. This habit of repeatedly returning to a sunny spot allows you to easily predict where they are going to land, which is why it is one of the easiest dragonflies to photograph. This is one of the most abundant dragonflies in Europe, and populations show no evidence of decline. (wikipedia)

This was taken at the East Coast Nature Reserve in Wicklow, Ireland. They even come over to investigate what you are when in their territory. Love these guys.

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.

www.markcarmodyphotography.com

The northern shoveler, known simply as the shoveler in Ireland, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and across most of North America, wintering in southern Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central, the Caribbean, and northern South America.

This species is unmistakable in the northern hemisphere due to its large spatulate bill. The breeding drake has an iridescent dark green head, white breast and chestnut belly and flanks. In flight, pale blue forewing feathers are revealed, separated from the green speculum by a white border. In early fall the male will have a white crescent on each side of the face. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake resembles the female.

The female is a drab mottled brown like other dabblers, with plumage much like a female mallard, but easily distinguished by the long broad bill, which is gray tinged with orange on cutting edge and lower mandible. The female's forewing is gray. (wikipedia)

The species is resident and a breeding species in Ireland. Wintering birds originate from breeding populations which range across France, northern Europe, the Baltic and western Russia. Ireland and northern Britain also support the small Icelandic breeding population during the winter. (Birdwatch Ireland)

This male Shoveler was present in front of the first hide at Birdwatch Ireland's East Coast Nature Reserve (ECNR), Co. Wicklow

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.

www.markcarmodyphotography.com

The Moorhen is a common bird of most waterways, ponds and lakes in Ireland. Usually quite secretive, but can also be seen out in the open on water sides and even out in open fields. A dark pigeon sized bird with long sturdy legs. The adult has a red bill and fore crown, the bill is tipped yellow. Has a white line along the flanks and white sides to its under tail. The under tail is east to see as it carries its tail high. The upperparts are brownish and the underparts are blue-grey. Juveniles lack any red in the bill and crown and are have greyish-brown plumage Moorhens are usually seen on the ground or in the water. If the bird is walking about look out for the long yellow/green legs with the very large toes; the legs project out from the tail in flight. (Birdwatch Ireland)

Taken along the lake edge in Dublin Zoo! I was surprised to see it in such an open setting.

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.

www.markcarmodyphotography.com

The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird species in the auk family. It is a pelagic bird that feeds primarily by diving for fish, but also eats other sea creatures, such as squid and crustaceans. Its most obvious characteristic during the breeding season is its brightly coloured bill. Also known as the Common Puffin, it is the only puffin species which is found in the Atlantic Ocean. The curious appearance of the bird, with its large colourful bill and its striking piebald plumage, has given rise to nicknames such as '"clown of the ocean" and "sea rooster".

This species breeds on the coasts of northern Europe, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern North America, from well within the Arctic Circle to northern France and Maine. The winter months are spent at sea far from land - in Europe as far south as the Mediterranean, and in North America to North Carolina. Recent data from satellite-tagged puffins have shown that Puffins which breed in Ireland winter off the Newfoundland coastline. Feeding areas are often located 100 km (60 mi) or more, offshore from the nest sites — although when provisioning young the birds venture out only half that distance. Atlantic Puffins can dive to depths of up to 70 m (200 ft). (wikipedia)

This is a juvenile Puffin that I photographed feeding on garfish on the surface of the Dubin Bay just off the Great South Wall. It is not a plumage one sees too often in Irish waters, and is in fact the first time I have observed this age group. I got quite a surprise!

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 on the Great South Wall at Poolbeg, Dublin Bay. The birds have come in from Iceland and other northern parts to spend the winter along the Irish coasts. They would have started their trek north now in April.

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 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 were carrying nest material to a specifically-made Dipper nest box under a bridge near Dublin city. I kept my distance and used a long telephoto lens so as not to disturb the birds. A fantastic sight to see.

An advertorial for my new photobook, Northside, published today. As the title suggests, it features Melbourne's northern suburbs, images unseen on this site. It's 144 pages, 247cm x 205cm. Here's a low res video preview of some of the spreads.

Published by Brunswick's very own Scribe,

featuring an introduction by Christos Tsiolkas

Available in bookshops locally, and online.

For those of you overseas who may be interested, here is your best bet, with free worldwide postage.

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson.

www.markcarmodyphotography.com

The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world.

It is a stocky white bird adorned with buff plumes in the breeding season which nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Unlike most other herons, it feeds in relatively dry grassy habitats, often accompanying cattle or other large mammals, since it catches insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations of the Cattle Egret are migratory and others show post-breeding dispersal.

The adult Cattle Egret has few predators, but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency or disturbance from other large birds. This species removes ticks and flies from cattle, but it can be a safety hazard at airfields, and has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases. (wikipedia)

A flock of about 80-100 Cattle Egret flew over our apartment every morning and evening, like clockwork. They roosted on a number of small islands just off the coast near Sagres.